The Exeter Salt (The Salt of State)

The most extravagant component of the new banqueting plate was the Salt of State, also known as the Exeter Salt. The 46 cm high vessel is in the shape of a tower with turrets, supported by four dragons and decorated with frogs and lizards. It is encrusted with garnets, turquoises, sapphires, emeralds, rubies and amethysts, and cost £500, a considerable sum in the mid-seventeenth century. The main salt cellar is hidden in the central tower beneath a lid, but small drawers can be used for salt or spices.