Saltcellar by Benvenuto Cellini circa 1540

Salt cellars, also know as open salts and salt dips, have been around for centuries. One was pictured (highlighted) spilled over in front of Judas in this Da Vinci painting. It is only in the last century that they have disappeared from the table. And that, along with every other innovation in history, is because of man's strive to better the world and everything in it. Salt crystals are naturally larger and before we made them so refined, they were too big to sprinkle out of shakers like pepper. So salt was served in open dishes. Then in the 19th century, just about the time the American Civil War ended, glass shakers with threading right in the glass were invented. Shakers with some sort of agitator inside to break up the salt became more common. Open salts did continue to be made and used for several more decades but almost completely disappeared by the Great Depression.

Open salts are still being made today, but almost entirely in glass in bright vibrant colors for collectors. Many are being made in the old original molds that belonged to companies such as Cambridge and Westmoreland. They can easily be found in antique and gift shops, flea markets, and directly from some glass manufacturers.