From ancient times, salt cellars had been highly valued; this was originally connected with the scarcity and high cost of salt. The traditions surrounding salt cellars were continued in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when particularly beautiful examples were produced. From the second half of the 19th century, wooden and silver salt cellars were produced in the shape of lavishly decorated thrones, with lids representing the seat of the throne. These were particularly popular in Moscow art, which in comparison with that of St. Petersburg, was notable for its adherence to folk and old Russian traditions.

This example from the Kremlin combines the shape of traditional Russian salt cellars with ornamentation based on ancient Russian motifs, a combination typical of the Russian Historical movement. Also characteristic is the use of wood, a material much favored in Russian folk art. The richly expressive qualities of wood were rediscovered by carvers of the Historical movement, and continued to be used by modernists. At the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900, Russia was represented as a fairy-tale land of neat wooden huts with carved decorations and pointed towers, from designs by K. Korovin.

Designs for wooden articles were produced by other well known Russian artists at the turn of the 20th century. These sketches were then employed by a large number of workshops.

Text taken from catalog description by Marina V. Martinova