Saltshaker with Bacchus

For a long time salt was a rare and expensive flavour enhancer. Saltshakers were therefore given a prominent place on the dining table and were often a most precious centrepiece. This shaker by Michiel de Bruyn van Berendrecht represents Bacchus - the god of wine - leaning against a vine bush. Both the pedestal, on which he sits, and the rim of the salt container are decorated with auricular ornaments. Garlands with bunches of grapes hang along the side of the container. De Bruyn van Berendrecht was a pupil of Adam van Vianen.