PASS THE SALT!

Benvenuto Cellini, 1500 to 1571, born in Florence, not only a sculptor in marble and bronze, designer, painter, writer and poet, but also was one of the finest jewelry craftsmen the world has ever known, particularly in the art of repousse?. This is the method of dapping metals from the inside out. One of his masterpieces, made in gold and enamel, is a salt cellar, 10 x 13", of St. Francis I, which was in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, however, it was recently stolen.

A salt cellar actually contained "salt!" It was generally placed in the middle of a very long narrow dinner table, with as many as 50 or 60 guests. These people would be carefully chosen with regard to which end of the table they would be seated, with the most prominent and noble on the side with the host. The others would be placed at the opposite end. During these times, those of nobility, etc., would be classified as being "above the salt."

One of his most important bronze sculptures, the Perseus, is under the center of one of the arches of the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence.

A monstrance that my father and I made over a period of six and one half years, contributing over 5,000 hours, was made in this same method. It was donated to St. Charles of Borromeo Church in North Hollywood in 1961. The parishioners donated the gold and diamonds that were used.