Cellini Salt Cellar by photosynthesis
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Description
One of the highlights of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
From Wikipedia:
"The Cellini Salt Cellar (in Vienna called the Saliera, Italian for salt cellar) is a part-enamelled 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. The Cellini Salt Cellar depicts a male figure representing the sea and a female figure that represents the earth. A small vessel meant to hold salt is placed next to the male figure. A temple-shaped box for pepper is placed next to the female figure.
It came into the possession of the Habsburgs as a gift by Charles IX of France to Archduke Ferdinand II of Tyrol, who had acted as a proxy for Charles in his wedding to Elisabeth of Austria. It was originally part of the Habsburg art collection at Castle Ambras, but was transferred to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna during the 19th century.
The Saliera is the only remaining work of precious metal which can be reliably attributed to Cellini. It was created in the Mannerist style of the late Renaissance and allegorically portrays Terra e Mare. In Cellini's description, the sea was represented by a male figure reclining beside a ship for holding the salt; the earth he "fashioned like a woman" and placed a temple near her to serve as a receptacle for pepper. The salt cellar is made of ivory, rolled gold, and vitreous enamel. The gold is not cast in a mould but hammered by hand into its delicate shape. It stands about 26 cm tall. The base is about 33.5 cm wide and features bearings to roll it around in order to appreciate it better. Two years after finishing this work, Cellini returned to Florence, to the patronage of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany.
The sculpture is insured for an estimated $60 million by Uniqa Versicherungen, an Austrian insurance company.
On 11 May 2003, the Saliera was stolen from the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which was covered by a scaffolding at that time due to reconstruction works. The museum offered a reward of 1,000,000 euros for its recovery. The Saliera was recovered on 21 January 2006, buried in a lead box in a forest near the town of Zwettl, Austria, about 90 km north of Vienna. The thief, Robert Mang, turned himself in after police released surveillance photos of the suspect which were subsequently recognized by acquaintances."
Please zoom.
Comments (8)
Faemike55
WOW!
Zoom is a must! Great photo and cool history lesson
anahata.c
Gives a whole new meaning to the expression, "Pass the salt"...
Ditto on the shot and the history (Mike). Besides the sculpture, you got a deep golden glow, like this is inside a glass-blowing factory; and the glow on those onlookers---giving faint light to their faces and heads---is terrific. They are the apparitions here, the art is the real thing. As for the treatment of the art, you have this glow around it, it rises 'off' of it, and gives a buttery glow to the lit portions of it. While the lower part of the sculpture is sunken in deep shadow, making the gold highlights like light glowing from inside it, like embers. You made a very intense treatment of this opulent design. And you made the surroundings a ghostly dream, looking in on a treasure that---if we went by this photo---would have to be insured for even more then 60 million. Very dramatic. And all the white in the lower half is both needed and wonderful contrast. A strikingly intense image, Claude. I think Cellini would've hired you as his PR guy...
ArtistKimberly
Fantastic Work,
kgb224
Superb capture my friend. God bless.
durleybeachbum
This marvellous iconic piece was something I studied as part of my degree. Sadly I have never seen the actual thing!
Djavad
Avec comme accompagnement une musique baroque ; un joyau, où or et lumière scintillent, vacillent... With a baroque music as accompaniment; a jewel, where gold and light sparkle, enthroned ...
auntietk
Absolutely mind boggling. Your beautiful treatment of this photograph conveys the sense of awe that one must experience in person.
MrsRatbag
What a beautiful piece, and the history adds so much...well done!