Staging the Table in Europe 1500–1800

Staging the Table in Europe 1500–1800 provides a window into the culinary spectacles created during Europe’s early modern period. The exhibition explores the dining customs and practices of the time through gloriously illustrated books used by servants in the wealthiest households. The manuals include instructions for carving meats, fishes, and fruits and folding napkins into elaborate sculptural forms. Images from the books are displayed alongside the material culture of the table: rarely seen table linens and carving knives and forks made of precious materials. Together, these words, pictures, and things provide a glimpse of the ephemeral world of the early modern table.

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Learn more at https://www.bgc.bard.edu/exhibitions/exhibitions/109/n-a.