Salt Cellar

Unknown American or English, American or English

Share

1780-1810

Blue lead glass

Overall: 3 3/16 × 2 3/8 in. (8.1 × 6 cm)

Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Elizabeth E. Craig, Class of 1944W

G.2002.30.9

Geography

Place Made: United States, North America

Period

1600-1800

Object Name

Tools and Equipment: Food Service

Research Area

Decorative Arts

Not on view

Label

This mold-blown salt dish, formed in a mold with twenty-six ribs, boasts the added appeal of color. Colored glass was achieved through the addition of mineral oxides and metallic compounds such as cobalt, which yielded the blue glass seen here. The scarcity of salt at various points in American history made it a valued commodity. After moisture-absorbing agents were added to salt beginning early in the 20th century, it could be sold ground and served in saltshakers rather than open dishes.


From the 2019 exhibition American Art, Colonial to Modern, curated by Barbara J. MacAdam, Jonathan L. Cohen Curator of American Art


Exhibition History

American Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Museum of Art, William B. Jaffe and Evelyn A. Jaffe Hall Galleries, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, June 9-December 9, 2007.

American Art, Colonial to Modern, Israel Sack Gallery and Rush Family Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 26, 2019-September 12, 2021.

Israel Sack Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 2, 2009-present.

Publication History

Barbara J. MacAdam, American Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Muesum of Art, Hanover: Trustees of Dartmouth College, 2007, p. 205, no. 180.

Provenance

Hostetler collection, Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Auction, Lancaster, Pennsylvania; sold to Mr. Ehret, donor's father; to Elizabeth E. and J. William Craig, Jr., Dayton, Ohio, about 1955; given to present collection, 2002.

This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.

We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu