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Cellini Salt Cellar

Cellini Salt Cellar is a golden salt cellar made by Benvenuto Cellini, the Italian sculptor and goldsmith, between 1540 and 1543 for King Francis I of France. It symbolizes planet Earth through two seated figures, a man and a woman, whose interwoven legs represent Sea and Land; at their meeting point, salt is formed. The work is made of gold partly covered with enamel and stands on an oval ebony base. It measures 26 cm in height, 33.5 cm in length, and weighs about 5 kilograms. After passing from Charles IX to Archduke Ferdinand II, it was kept at Ambras Castle and later entered the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

Cellini Salt Cellar with two reclining nude figures on an ornate gilded base
Cellini’s Salt Cellar shown with reclining figures above its richly decorated golden base.
October 2016 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cellini Salt Cellar with a reclining female figure and a seated male figure holding a trident on a detailed golden base.
The Cellini Salt Cellar, showing the reclining female and seated male figures in gilt metal with enamel accents.
April 2013 © · CC0
Cellini Salt Cellar with two reclining golden figures, a trident, and an ornate base
The Cellini Salt Cellar, an ornate gold and enamel sculpture with reclining figures and a richly decorated base.
© · CC BY 3.0
Cellini Salt Cellar with gilded reclining male and female figures on an ornate enamelled base
Cellini Salt Cellar, showing the gilded figures and richly decorated base.
December 2013 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Cellini Salt Cellar, a large ornate golden sculpture with many figures and a central architectural form on a dark base.
The Cellini Salt Cellar stands on a circular base, with a small ladder beside the sculpture in a park setting.
June 2018 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleCellini Salt Cellar
Alternative namesSaliera; Salt Cellar of Francis I; Francis I Salt Cellar; La Saliera di Francesco I; La Salière de Cellini; Salero de Francisco I de Francia; "The Sculpture's Mona Lisa"
TypeGold salt cellar

Historical context

Style / periodMannerism; Italian Renaissance

Creator

ArtistBenvenuto Cellini
Artist's occupationItalian sculptor, goldsmith, and writer
Artist's lifespanc. 1500–1571

Creation

Reported price1,000 scudi
TechniqueBeaten from a wax model in gold sheet and partly enamelled
AssistanceMade with assistance from five other artists: two from Italy, two from France, and one from Germany
Advice on iconographyLuigi Alamanni and Gabriele Cesano
Original modelA wax model made earlier in Rome for Cardinal Ippolito d'Este
Commissioned byFrancis I of France; originally planned for Cardinal Ippolito d'Este
Place of creationFrance, at the court of Francis I
Date of creation1540–1543
Model subjectTwo figures, identified as Ceres and Neptune

Materials

MaterialsGold, enamel, ebony, ivory balls; the model was wax

Physical characteristics

DimensionsHeight 26.3 cm; base width 33.5 cm; overall dimensions also given as 28.5 × 21.5 × 26.3 cm
WeightAbout 5 kilograms
BaseOval ebony base with gold decoration, divided into eight niches with allegories of the seasons and times of day
SupportResting on four ivory balls embedded in the ebony base, allowing it to roll in all directions

Appearance

Additional iconographyA ship-shaped salt container carried by four horse-like sea creatures; land animals; a cornucopia overflowing with flowers and fruit; allegories of Dawn, Day, Dusk, and Night beneath the main figures
Central figuresNeptune and Tellus (or the Sea and the Land), seated opposite each other with intertwined legs
Tellus figureSeated female figure beside a temple-like pepper container
Neptune figureReclining male figure with a trident

Iconography and meaning

SubjectAn allegory of the union of sea and land, from which salt is born
SymbolismNeptune represents the sea and salt; Tellus represents the earth and pepper; the work was also intended as a conversation piece about its meanings
Artist's explanationCellini said he made the two figures sitting opposite each other with crossed feet to show how the sea joins with the earth

Location and ownership

Original locationAmbras Castle, where Ferdinand kept his art collection
Entry to museum collectionIn the 19th century
Museum collectionDecorative arts collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna
Current locationKunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, in the Kunstkammer permanent exhibition
Gift recipientArchduke Ferdinand II of Tyrol
Gifted byCharles IX of France
Patron at completionFrancis I of France
Original intended patronCardinal Ippolito d'Este

History and restoration

TheftStolen on the night of 10–11 May 2003 during renovation of the museum facade
Stolen byMuseum technician Robert Mang
Ransom demandA ransom demand of about 10 million euro failed
RecoveryRecovered on 21–22 January 2006 in a forest near Zwettl, Austria, buried in a container
Thief's stated motiveHe claimed he wanted to prove the ineffectiveness of the museum alarms, but the court did not believe this explanation
Sentence4 years in prison

Significance

SignificanceCellini's most famous work; the only extant gold sculpture by Benvenuto Cellini; one of the most famous surviving Renaissance gold sculptures; a masterpiece of goldsmithing and a major work of European Mannerism