Pair of Trencher Salts 1719 - 1720

Curator: There's a quiet austerity to these silver trencher salts. The silversmith James Rood crafted these, and they're currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Funny, I immediately think of hierarchies. Salt was once so precious it determined social positioning at the table. A little sculpture of power dynamics. Curator: Precisely! And consider how these objects, so small, were central to the dining experience, rituals of sharing, scarcity, and status. Editor: It makes me consider food deserts and access. Salt is cheap now, but nutritious food remains out of reach for many. Curator: Absolutely. And the gleam of the silver, the weight of it – they speak to luxury, privilege, the art of the table setting as a performance. Editor: These salts, then, are quiet witnesses to a history of both taste and inequality. Curator: A pinch of history, indeed. Editor: Tastefully analyzed.