Standing Salt: Art and Class of the 16th Century

Standing Salt with Cover, London 1584-85, the MET Museum of Art

One of the most fascinating aspects of art is that quite literally anything and everything can be art. According to the Oxford Dictionary, art is "the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination" and comes in wide variety of different forms, such as visual or auditory. Whether it be painting, sculpting, writing, or dancing, art is the deliberate action of arranging or manipulating elements in a way that ultimately appeals to us and our senses and evokes an emotional response. 

All throughout human history, art has long been a way to communicate a wide range of different things; including stories, feelings or expressions, and faith. More recently, art has also become a means of commenting on or portraying political or social happenings as well. Specifically, throughout the 16th century, when the Renaissance and other artistic booms were occurring throughout Europe, art increasingly became intertwined with wealth and high social class in a strict societal hierarchy. Within this time period, only the rich could afford to bestow upon their homes a lavish and luxurious lifestyle demonstrated through art and decoration. 

Most notably, clothing was one of the most prominent ways to denote a wealthy person's status; oftentimes their clothes would include detailed embroidery, rich colors, silk, velvet, gold linings, or even fur or other animal attire. Additionally, at the top of the social hierarchy, monarchs often had extensive robes that trailed behind them, along with splendid headdresses, expensive jewelry, and gold crowns.

On the other hand, actual physical artistic items aside from clothing or accessories also symbolized class and wealth throughout the 16th century. For example, as depicted in the image above, luxurious containers titled "standing salts" were utilized within 16th-century homes in various parts of Europe to further attest to an individual's high social status in the current society. 

In England during the 16th century, salt was a very precious item. From food preservation to seasoning, salt was lucrative and of great value to many, therefore, relatively hard to come by most unless individuals possessed the money for it. This high regard that salt was held to was reflected in standing salts, the containers that hold it; most importantly, however, these containers would rest to the right of the host or hostess of a gathering to indicate their social status. 

Social status during this time was crucial and clearly distinguished; England was divided into the monarchy, nobility, gentry, yeomanry, and the poor. Social status was integral -- it determined everything; including how a person could dress, where they could live, and the jobs they could work. Having such a precious commodity like salt at this time would have been shown off, as demonstrated in the case of these decorative and elaborate standing salts. 

In the image above, this standing salt dates back to roughly 1584-1585 London, the creator presumably Thomas Varam, as that name is inscribed under the base. Standing at 28.9 cm and made entirely of gilt silver, this salt container is extremely intricate and detailed. Throughout the 1500s, patterns of all different types were flourishing in popularity. Specifically, it was common to see the presence of geometric shapes in different items, largely due to the boom of science and mathematics at the time. Reflecting this concept of pattern, this standing salt is almost entirely engraved with swirls and bulbs.

 However, looking deeper, there are several key figurines present on the container as well. 

At the top of the standing salt rests a male figure, standing triumphantly, with his left hand leaning on some form of cane, his right in the air almost victoriously. Given that the figure is male, I believe that this specific salt container would have been gifted to or at least bought by a wealthy man of high regard. 

Aside from the man, lions are also crafted in the piece. Lions are often known as the symbol of strength, power, and dominance. Comparably, lions also symbolize wisdom and dignity, courtesy of works like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and other texts that provide a lion for a wise character. 

Both the inclusion of the man on top of the standing salt and the crafted lions at the bottom can be made into a metaphor for the patriarchal societies like England that made up Europe during the 1500s. For a very long time, society has always viewed men, especially Caucasian ones, being on the top of the social hierarchy. Insight into many major cultures show that women are depicted as being subordinate to men, both legally and socially. English society throughout the time of this salt container's creation included this misogynistic and patriarchal aspect of society. In the 1500s, women were expected to strictly obey their husbands, fathers, and brothers. Similarly, they were also excluded from intellectual advancements that categorized the time period, as well as were rarely allowed, or be taught, to read or write. Men had the most power and respect in society, just like what lions are a symbol of. 

It is extremely unlikely for the creator of this work during the time to have been conscious of or even cared about the unfair treatment of women of the time period. However, looking at this piece of art for the first time from a modern individual's perspective and looking back on the many years of patriarchy in the history of mankind, it allows me to create this metaphor for the little man figurine and the lions which are a part of this standing salt; one of the reasons I chose this work to analyze.