Can you identify these special items? Our latest antiquing finds!

Once considered essential to a dining table of means, these items are finding new purpose for tea time

Although not commonplace on today's dining and tea tables, we've been enamored with these rather obscure accoutrements for a long time. However, it's only lately that we've started to collect them and finding they are not only a pretty addition to our tablescape, but a practical one as well.

The two objects pictured above are a salt cellar (foreground) and a knife rest, both purchased just last week at The Antiques Depot, near our "up north" home-away from-home, in Lewiston, Michigan.

The salt cellar, according to Atlas Obscura, has a rich history dating back to Ancient Greece. Because salt was such a valuable spice, adding both flavor and longevity to foods, what was made to contain it became a status symbol. From the ancient times through Colonial America, where you were seated at the table and your proximity to the salt, noted your importance.  In the latter era, if you were situated "above the salt", you were a guest of honor.

Salt cellars can find a new purpose at your tea table as individual serving pieces for curd or cream

The salt cellar was eventually replaced with the shaker in the early 20th century when anti-caking agents were added to salt, making it easier to dispense with - well, just a shake! The open cellars fell out of favor, but, in the 1930's, they revived as collectors' items (Salt Cellars, Wikipedia). 

During one of the tea-time online events in 2020, hosted by TeaTime Magazine's editor, Lorna Reeves, she suggested serving up lemon curd and clotted cream in salt sellers as pretty single serving pieces for your tea table (also pictured on page 117 of Christmas TeaTime from said Magazine).

We've kept this in mind for when we'd be back to our favorite antiques store in Michigan. Last week, I found a whole shelf dedicated to salt cellars and made my selection based on both the pattern and size. Since I love lemon curd, I wanted a cellar that could hold a generous amount. After a trial run at my tea table of one, I found the cellar I bought could easily hold two teaspoons of curd, perhaps more. (May still need to go a bit bigger 😊)

The knife rest, a pretty addition to your table. More to come on this special item.

The other BTS blog mystery item was the knife rest. That, too, has roots dating back centuries. We'll have an upcoming blog devoted to that accessory and it is our belief that it will evolve to be among the quotidian accoutrements of your tea table.