Rarity and Value
21st August 2025-
Lot 122. A rare 17th century London delftware salt, c.1630-40, of rectangular form
-
A rare and early delftware Fecundity dish, dated 1638, that sold in 2019 from the Warner collection for £21,420 (with auction fees)
English delftware pieces from the post-medieval period are extremely rare, with very few comparable examples of such early salt cellars in existence. It is therefore with great excitement that we are offering this rare London delftware salt for sale at auction, dated circa 1630–40, in our upcoming British & Continental Ceramics & Glass sale on 2nd September 2025.
Two known examples of delftware salts from this early period are held in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum. The V&A example shares an almost identical form and decoration, featuring winged masks and the arms of the City of London. In contrast, the British Museum’s salt is of square form and includes a moulded figure of Neptune flanked by two caryatid mermaids, with additional dolphins and mermen. All three of these early, tin glazed salts are decorated in a polychrome palette of blue, yellow, brown, and green.
The altar-like form reflects the reverence once held for salt, which was a highly prized commodity at the time. The elevated shape, with a shallow well for the salt raised above its altar-like base, suggests it would have taken pride of place at the dining table.
In Delftware, Michael Archer suggests that the altar-shaped form of early English delftware salts likely derives from Italian maiolica, which predates English examples. This implies that English potters were borrowing both form and function from earlier continental traditions. Italian maiolica workshops, such as those in Deruta and Faenza, often produced elaborate salt cellars in architectural or religious forms, styles that were later adapted across Europe.
In September 2019, Woolley and Wallis sold an English Delftware dish of similar age, which was the earliest piece in Sir Frederick Edward Warner’s Delftware collection. Lot 163, the Fecundity dish, dated 1638, sold for £21,420 (including buyer’s premium).
Lot 122, sold on 2nd September 2025, described as a rare London delftware salt, c.1630-40, Southwark, Montague Close or Pickleherring, of rectangular form, 13cm across, sold for £14,605 (including fees) against a pre-sale estimate of £5,000-£8,000.
