Cellini worked in the service of François I from 1537 until 1545, and it was under his patronage in Paris that he made his first sculptures. Arguably his most remarkable individual work dates from this time: a salt cellar made of gold, ebony and enamel, now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. This lavish item of tableware is a sculptural group in miniature. Two figures, a male and a female, recline upon an ornate base. She is the goddess of earth, he is Neptune, god of the sea. Below them are carved personifications of the times of the day and the four winds, and beside them sit two beautifully wrought receptacles: a miniature temple to house earth's peppercorns, and a boat to carry Neptune's salt.

Cellini's gold and enamel container for salt and pepper is the most famous example of Mannerist goldsmithery. Cellini tells us that he had five workmen to help him with this and other artistic activities for King Francis I.

The salt cellar was stolen from the museum in May 2003 and recovered by police in January 2006.

Preview	Picture Data	Info
	Salt Cellar 1540-44 Gold, enamel and ebony, 26 x 33,5 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
	Salt Cellar 1540-44 Gold, enamel and ebony, 26 x 33,5 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
	Salt Cellar 1540-44 Gold, enamel and ebony, 26 x 33,5 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
	Salt Cellar 1540-44 Gold, enamel and ebony, 26 x 33,5 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
	Salt Cellar (detail) 1540-44 Gold, enamel and ebony Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
	Salt Cellar (detail) 1540-44 Gold, enamel and ebony Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
	Salt Cellar (detail) 1540-44 Gold, enamel and ebony Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
	Salt Cellar (detail) 1540-44 Gold, enamel and ebony Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
	Salt Cellar (detail) 1540-44 Gold, enamel and ebony Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
	Salt Cellar (detail) 1540-44 Gold, enamel and ebony Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna