Silver-Plated Open Salt | Pierced Neoclassical Frame | Cobalt-Blue Glass Liner | Late 19th–Early 20th Century

Silver-Plated Open Salt | Pierced Neoclassical Frame | Cobalt-Blue Glass Liner | Late 19th–Early 20th Century

A pinch of salt, kept in cobalt and framed in silver.

Open salts were set along the dining table before salt shakers came into use. Pierced silver salts with fitted blue glass liners became fashionable in the later 18th century, and their neoclassical decoration and contrasting materials continued to influence later silver-plated tableware. This example is silver-plated; its underside carries a row of worn, hallmark-like punches together with the stamped characters "110S", and neither the maker nor the meaning of these marks has been established.

The oval frame has two rows of narrow pierced openings either side of a central engraved band of repeating oval motifs and delicate dotted ornament, with fine borders, a plain rim and a stepped foot. It holds a removable oval liner of cobalt-blue glass.

There is green corrosion on the inside of the metal frame, particularly around the lower edge, with a few smaller areas visible outside, and the plating shows age-related wear. There are no splits or dents, and the glass liner is free of chips and cracks.

Key Details

• Maker: unidentified
• Marks: worn hallmark-like punches; "110S"
• Date: probably late 19th to early 20th century (attributed by form)
• Material: silver-plated metal; cobalt-blue glass liner
• Form: oval pierced open salt
• Dimensions: 6 × 3.5 × 4.1 cm (length × width × height)
• Weight: 93 g
• Condition: fair; plating wear and green corrosion, mainly inside the frame; no splits or dents; liner free of chips and cracks
• Buyer profile: collectors of open salts, antique tableware and decorative silver plate

Collector Appeal

The cobalt-blue liner transforms the pierced frame, letting the rich blue show through two rows of narrow openings, while the engraved central band adds a quieter detail. Together, metalwork and glass keep the look that made pierced open salts a distinctive feature of the traditional dining table.

Salt was once precious enough to deserve a frame like this.