Cellini Salt Cellar

In the 1530s, Benvenuto Cellini was known as a coin maker, but once he entered the service of Cardinal Ippolito d'Este in Rome, he began to make larger and bolder pieces. He then worked for many prominent figures in his career, including King Francis I of France (), and later in Florence for the Medici ruler Duke Cosimo I (r.1537–1569). He noticed that Caradosso would "make a little model in wax of the size he wished his work to be." Eager to make an art piece more grand and dissimilar than Caradosso's, Cellini utilized the idea of making a wax model. The end product was based on a model that Cellini had originally created for Ippolito d'Este. The Cellar was not only magnificently crafted, but it also served an important political role for Frances I and his court in the 1540s. The Saliera was designed to be the artistic symbol of the French king's domestic and international policies. The substantial power of the court is demonstrated through access to rare condiments such as salt and pepper that had been of great interest to Europeans. == Description, symbolism, and interpretation ==

The salt cellar is made of gold, vitreous enamel, ebony and ivory. The gold is not cast in a mold, but instead hammered by hand into its delicate shape. It stands about inches tall with a base about inches wide and features bearings to roll it around on a banquet table. Moreover, the style popular in Florentine courts inspired Cellini as well: the sumptuous material of gold and enamel, the female figure's relatively slender proportions, attention to details, and the mastery of execution. In the oval-shaped base of the sculpture, Cellini included four gold figures representing the times of day that were inspired by Michelangelo's allegorical figures of Day and Night, and Dawn and Dusk, in the Medici Chapel in the church of San Lorenzo in Florence. Alongside the times of day are the primary winds. Signifying these winds of the cardinal direction are male youths located on the base, they are shown with expanded cheeks in the act of blowing billows of air. Fire is symbolized by the salamander located underneath the heel of Tellus' left foot, which was the personal emblem of Francis I. Cellini further added more allegorical motifs to represent the court such as the king's coat of arms, an elephant, and lilies. In the end, the classical elements—earth, water, air and fire—are all showcased in the work. Moreover, the sculpture was designed to illustrate the all-encompassing order of the cosmos and of the small microcosm of the world. == Provenance ==

The cellar 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. Originally, the cellar was part of the Habsburg art collection at Castle Ambras, but was transferred to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna during the 19th century. == Theft and recovery ==

On 11 May 2003, the cellar was stolen from the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which was covered by scaffolding at that time due to reconstruction works. The thief set off the alarms, but these were ignored as false, and the theft remained undiscovered until 8:20 am. The sculpture is insured for an estimated $60 million (approx. $68.3 million in CPI-adjusted 2012 United States dollars) by Uniqa Insurance Group, an Austrian insurance company. ==References==