Fragment of a Saltcellar

During the first half of the sixteenth century, Sapi craftsmen in Sierra Leone became famous for carving ivory objects for export to Europeans. This “saltcellar” actually was never meant to hold salt, but served as an ornamental pedestal cup. Now missing its lid, the cup originally had a series of four human figures—two males wearing trousers (most likely depictions of Europeans) and two nude females—alternating with four dogs around the base. Only fragments of these carved human and animal figures remain.