THE ART OF TABLE LAYING IN HISTORY AND CULTURE




Venetian factory, Chalice, second half of the 16th century. Murano, Museo del vetro

Frans Francken the Younger, Supper at the House of Burgomaster Rockox, c. 1630–1635, detail.
Munich, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Alte Pinakothek

Top: Sebastian Vrancx, Banquet in the Garden of an Italian Palace, c. 1610–1620. Budapest, Szépművészeti Múzeum

Bottom: Giorgio Morandi, Still Life with Bottles and Glasses, c. 1952. Private collection

THE GLASS. AN ECLECTIC AND EXTRAVAGANT ITEM

Until the 18th century glasses were never placed on the table. Servants poured out drinks as and when requested, taking them to the diners at the table. Each cup was used by at least two or three guests. In the meantime, glasses of the same model but in different sizes began to be produced, each suited to a specific drink, and a small number of them were then placed around the table.
Individual glasses, accompanied by matching carafes and jugs, finally made their way onto the table as late as the first half of the 19th century. Each guest had more than one glass, from three up to six, in the same shape and with the same decoration, to be used according to the drink to be sipped. Even today a full set comprises a water glass, red wine glass, white wine glass, champagne glass, dessert wine glass and liquor glass.
Naturally, the variety of glasses and shapes stirred the imagination of designers and craftsmen. Glasses, often made from crystal, became coloured and engraved, with painted decoration, gilding and enamel, adapting to meet changing tastes.

Intriguing etiquette

DRINKING AT TABLE IN THE MIDDLE AGES

An auspicious ritual

SKÅL! WELL WISHES FROM THE NORTH

The glass

TABLE GAMES

Symbolic and religious significance

RÖMER

Prestigious museum pieces

SPLENDOUR AT TABLE

The art of Venetian glassmaking

MURANO CONQUERS EUROPE

A masterpiece of transparency

DESIGNER CRYSTALWARE

The quest for transparency

ENGLISH TECHNOLOGY AND INDUSTRY

Prestigious museum pieces

ELABORATE GLASS

Baccarat glasses and carafes

SYMBOL OF LUXURY

Consumer society

SUCCESS IN A GLASS

Solid and flamboyant

BOHEMIAN GLASSES

Party time/social media

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