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.