The salt cellar “Duck” presented in the museum’s collection is a container carved from wood in the form of a bird (duck) with a short tail, a long neck, by which the salt cellar was held when moving, and a decorated head with a beak and inlaid glass eyes. The lid has not been preserved.

The history of the production of wooden tableware goes back to ancient times, as such material can be found everywhere, almost anyone can master the skills of a carver, and wood processing requires the most primitive tools, for example, made of stone and bone. Over time, however, the craft of the carver stood out and became in demand, because it was important to make not just a utilitarian object, but also decorate it, carve a pattern. Moreover, the dishes had to be without flaws and pleasing to the eye with the correctness of shapes and general harmony. Making dishes was a real creative process, a genuine art, in which the imagination of Russian craftsmen manifested itself.

Along with clay, wooden tableware dominated the everyday life of the inhabitants of the Russian state until the appearance of mass and affordable earthenware, porcelain and metal tableware in the middle of the 19th century. However, especially in rural areas, wooden utensils continued to be used until the middle of the 20th century. The most common wooden items of dining kitchen utensils were bowls, ladles, spoons, and salt cellars.

Salt has always been highly valued as an indispensable addition to any dish and as a preservative. This attitude was partially applied to the salt cellar. A full salt cellar was a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Salt and a salt cellar were often used in various rituals, especially wedding ones. To this day, it is carried out with a loaf to meet the newlyweds. In the dowry of a girl, there used to always be a salt cellar as a symbol of housewifery and as part of her native home, which a woman brings to her husband’s house when creating a family.

This appearance of a salt cellar, like this one has, is especially characteristic of the peasants of Pomerania and the entire Russian North. The duck was perceived here as a symbol of family happiness and well-being.