A GILT BRONZE SALT IN LATE 16TH CENTURY MANNER, PROBABLY VENETIAN, 18TH CENTURY AND LATER With standing figure of Venus surmounting shells supported by kneeling figures, on swept triform base 27.5cm high, 13cm wide This particular form of salt (or sweetmeat dish) is unusual and relatively rare. The V&A museum has in its collection a pair of gilt bronze and silver salts of similar form but with Triton supports and sea horse embellishment (illustrated in Piero Pazzi, 'Introduzion al collezionismo di argenteria civile e metalli veneti antichi' (sec. XII-XVIII), 1993. In November 2010 Sotheby's Paris sold a 17th century Venetian silver salt with Neptune surmount, shell receptacles and kneeling figural base engraved with the arms of the Valier family (alias Valiero or Vallieri) of Venice. Condition Report: There are marks, knocks, scratches and abrasions consistent with age and use, some scuffs and knocks to the extremities and edges. We suspect this piece has been re-worked or altered, probably having been apart and rebuilt as one piece incorporating some later sections. The stepped hexagonal shaped base has rubbed gilding going under the three supporting figures suggesting that those figures were not on the base when that cleaning/rubbing occurred. The screw fixings with square nuts to the underside all appear to be later including the central stand holder; the stand shows signs of holes that do not match the current screw fixings - the figures possibly originally had different pins to fix them to the base. The baluster central support is later; as is a triangular section to the underside of the three shells; as could be the small shell directly under the feet of the top figure. The legs of the top figure possibly restored. There are some spots of dark discolouration to the figures and other areas and there are some small tear like fractures/cracks to the gilt metal for example to the hexagonal base and the base of the scrolls supporting the three main figures. All that said, many of these comments on condition are only apparent on close up inspection. Please refer to the additional images for a visual reference of condition. Condition Report Disclaimer