Salt Cellar
Date1861 - 1868
MediumSilver
Dimensions1 1/8 × 2 3/4 inches (2.9 × 7 cm)
MarkingsMaker's mark stamped on the bottom: S.Kirk&Sons / 11 OZ
Credit LineBequest of Mrs. Louanna O. Carlin.
Object number2022.14.1
CopyrightThe images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextThrough much of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Samuel Kirk silversmith firm had a strong following, especially in the American South, for silver with robust repoussé and chased ornament, executed by hand. The combination of repoussé, in which shapes are pushed up in the silver from the back, and chasing, in which details are engraved in the surfaces, produces intricate, garden-like patterns. The Kirk firm fine-tuned their products and their decoration to customers’ specific orders. This salt cellar was part of a collection amassed over several decades by the Owens and Thomas families, who owned the home now known as the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters.
Text written for the exhibition 'Lingua Flora,' on view from June 21–September 8, 2024.
