French workshop, The Burghley Nef, salt cellar, 1527–1528. London, Victoria and Albert Museum
Gerard Horenbout (attributed to), Month of January. Rich Man at Table, in Breviario Grimani, c. 1515–1520, detail. Venice, Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana
Top: French miniaturist, 'Banquet Scene', in Grandes Chroniques de France, 1375–1379. Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Salt has always been a prized and sought-after substance. It enhances flavour, is an essential chemical component within our bodies and can be used to preserve foods. Control over the salt market triggered wars of variable duration all over the world and every state applied taxes on salt to replenish their coffers. From the Middle Ages to the late 17th century, the centrepiece at every high-ranking banquet was a magnificent salt cellar, in a stunningly beautiful shape. Salt cellars in the shape of dragons, lions and shells, made from gold or silver with pearls, precious stones and enamels, and, above all, the famous nefs de table, masterpieces of metalworking, on which the most skilled and imaginative medieval and Renaissance goldsmiths worked, are still in existence today. A unique object, the nef de table, is a container in the shape of a vessel, often made from gold, in which the lord's glass, napkin, knife and spoon were stored together with the salt and spices. The nef was locked so that his salt and tableware were kept safe, protecting him from treacherous and not infrequent poisoning attempts. As well as being a practical object, the salt cellar also played a ceremonial role: it separated the lord and his most important guests from the rest of the diners, establishing an over here and over there in the allocation of the seats.
