From the mid-19th century onwards, the tsars' empire was marked by a vast movement of rediscovery and appreciation of local traditions that, in pursuit of an ideal “Pan-Slavic” cultural model, aimed at the revival of Russian national identity through the recovery of customs and traditions closely linked to local history. This nationalist inclination led the silvermakers to look for inspiration, for the subjects and workmanship of the surfaces, in the humble objects of everyday life: wooden barrels, jute sacks, birch baskets or, as in the case of this salt shaker, the typical Russian throne-shaped salt shakers, originally made of wood.
Vasily Semenov, who founded a manufactory specialising mainly in the production of niello and enamelled objects in 1552, was one of the most important exponents of the revival of typical Russian traditions in object shapes and decorations.
Il centro del coperchio è decorato con una scritta beneaugurale in caratteri cirillici, “Senza sale e senza pane il pasto non è completo”, forse allusiva all’usanza russa di accogliere gli ospiti offrendo pane e sale.
