Salt c. 1540 - 1560

This small ceramic sculpture, titled Salt, presents itself as an architectural fantasy in miniature. Standing only 12 cm tall, its octagonal structure is immediately striking, with panels, columns, and decorative friezes rendered in a palette of creams, oranges, and greens. The piece’s formal arrangement evokes the classical orders, yet these are playfully subverted. Each face of the octagon features a framed panel, but rather than revealing an interior space, a small sculpted figure is set against a backdrop of vertical lines. The base is even more visually assertive, where figures alternate with faces adorned with garlands, creating a rhythmic interplay of form and expression. The function of this sculpture is not purely aesthetic. As a container for salt, a highly valued commodity, its elaborate design elevates the everyday object into an object of considerable status. The piece challenges our expectations and blurs the boundaries between form and function, art and utility.