Cellini Salt Cellar

Cellini Salt Cellar

The Cellini Salt Cellar (in Vienna called the Saliera - Italian for salt cellar) is a part-enameled gold table sculpture by Benvenuto Cellini. It was completed in 1543 for Francis I of France, from models that had been prepared many years earlier for Cardinal Ippolito d'Este.

It was modelled and cast by the Italian sculptor and goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini for Francis I of France sometime between 1539 and 1543. It came into the possession of the Habsburgs as a gift by Charles IX of France to Archduke Ferdinand II of Tyrol. It was originally part of the Hapsburg art collection at Castle Ambras, but was transferred to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna during the 19th century.

The Saliera is the only work of gold which can be attributed to Cellini with certainty. It was created in the style of the late Renaissance and allegorically portrays "Terra e Mare" in Cellini's description in his "Autobiography", allegorised as Neptune, god of the sea, and Ceres, goddess of the earth, symbolizing their unity in producing salt mined from the earth.

The salt cellar consists of ivory, gold, and vitreous enamel. It stands about 26 cm tall. The base is about 33.5 cm wide.

Two years after finishing this work Cellini returned to Florence, to the patronage of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany.

Theft and return

On May 11, 2003, the Saliera was stolen from the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which was covered by a scaffolding at that time due to reconstruction works. The museum had offered a reward of € 70,000 for its recovery. The Saliera was recovered on January 21, 2006 buried in a lead box in a forest near the town of Zwettl, Austria, about 90 km north of Vienna. The assumed thief, Robert Mang, [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/26/arts/design/26cell.html?_r=1 "For Stolen Saltcellar, a Cellphone Is Golden"] , by Richard Bernstein, New York Times, January 26, 2006] [ [http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/02/17/weekinreview/art-heist-slide-show_6.html Famous Art Heists - New York Times - slideshow] ] had turned himself in after police released surveillance photos of the suspect which were subsequently recognized by acquaintances. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4636668.stm BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Police find stolen £36m figurine ] ]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.khm.at/staticE/page842.html Saliera at the Kunsthistorisches Museum's site]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cellini, Benvenuto — (1500 1571)    Florentine sculptor and goldsmith; among the most important figures of Mannerist sculpture. Cellini spent his early years in Rome, creating mainly medals and decorative objects. From 1540 to 1545, he worked for King Francis I of… …   Dictionary of Renaissance art

  • Benvenuto Cellini — (November 3, 1500 ndash; February 13, 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, painter, sculptor, soldier and musician of the Renaissance, who also wrote a famous autobiography. BiographyYouthBenvenuto Cellini was born in Florence, Italy, where his family …   Wikipedia

  • Salero de Francisco I de Francia — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda El Salero de Cellini es una escultura de mesa obra de Benvenuto Cellini que se conserva en el Kunsthistorisches de Viena, Austria. Este Salero de Francisco I de Francia (en Viena se le llama por su nombre italiano …   Wikipedia Español

  • Salzfass — Saliera von Benvenuto Cellini (Paris, 1540 1543 Gold, teilweise emailliert; Sockel: Ebenholz), heute im Kunsthistorischen Museum Wien Die Saliera (italienisch) ist ein Salz oder Pfefferfass, also der Vorgänger unseres heutigen Salzstreuers …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Salzfass von Franz I. — Saliera von Benvenuto Cellini (Paris, 1540 1543 Gold, teilweise emailliert; Sockel: Ebenholz), heute im Kunsthistorischen Museum Wien Die Saliera (italienisch) ist ein Salz oder Pfefferfass, also der Vorgänger unseres heutigen Salzstreuers …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Saliera — von Benvenuto Cellini (Paris, 1540 1543 Gold, teilweise emailliert; Sockel: Ebenholz), heute im Kunsthistorischen Museum Wien Die Saliera (italienisch) ist ein Salz oder Pfefferfass, also der Vorgänger des heutigen Salzstreuers.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mannerism — In Parmigianino s Madonna with the Long Neck (1534 40), Mannerism makes itself known by elongated proportions, highly stylized poses, and lack of clear perspective. Mannerism is a period of European art that emerged from the later years of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Kunsthistorisches Museum — Established 1872 1891 Location Vienna, Austria Visitor figures 559,150 (2010) …   Wikipedia

  • Sculpture — Sculptor redirects here. For the constellation, see Sculptor (constellation). For other uses, see Sculpture (disambiguation). The Dying Gaul, a Roman marble copy of a Hellenistic work of the late 3rd century BCE Capitoline Museums, Rome …   Wikipedia

  • Neptune —    The god of the sea, son of Saturn and Cybele, and brother of Jupiter. Neptune s consort is Amphitrite who at first rejected his advances and fled, but was later persuaded to marry him. Neptune had almost as many loves as his brother Jupiter,… …   Dictionary of Renaissance art

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”