What Is It? August 2018

   Our August What Is It fooled a lot of people. So many thought it was a glass caster which was put under a furniture leg to protect the floor. It is actually a salt dish.
Time was when the salt cellar or salt dish honored the table on which it sat, and also honored the person who sat before it.
   Centuries ago salt was considered a very valued item. It was costly, but considered a choice seasoning for meals. Typically the salt sat in a single dish at the head of the table. The honor of sitting at the head of the table above the salt was then given to the most distinguished person or persons at the dining table.
   Much later Victorians would provide individual salt cellars in the quest for elegant dining. Some the finest examples may be made of silver, but most were fashioned from a variety of glass. Today some salt cellars are prized by collectors and can even be found offered at major auction houses.

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