Unknown
(Italian, Venice)
Container for Salt
1525
-
75
glass with “latticinio” threading
3.25 x 5.13 in diameter
8.26 x 13.02 cm
Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund
86.12
Not on view
Embedded threads of opaque-white glass, known as “latticinio,” in the bowl of this salt create a decorative pattern through the vertical ribs. Between the bowl, which rests on a hollow, spreading foot with overlapping edges, and the foot is a decorative pronged knob. Clear glass made in Venice, known as “cristallo” because of its resemblance to rock crystal, revives the technique of colorless glass production begun in ancient Rome. The Renaissance Venetians, however, desired to perfect this ancient technique and thus surpass the Romans, gaining renown as the world’s greatest glassmakers. This container is notable for its delicacy and lightness, achieved through the transparency and slightly grayish tint of the glass.
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