Date: Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Time: 11:00 a.m.

Location: Zoom

About the Program:

Between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, a group of profusely illustrated books documented elite dining across Europe. They contain instructions for how to carve meats, fishes, and fruits with theatrical flourish; how to pleat and fold linen napkins into elaborate sculptural forms; maps depicting tablescapes of dishes and decorations; choreographies for servants; etiquette for dinners; dietary and health advice; banqueting recipes; and even magic tricks. Together with objects such as knives, forks, and folded linen centerpieces, these books enable us to imagine the dynamic culture of the early modern table.

The emergence and diffusion of illustrated carving and napkin folding manuals demonstrates a lively market for food knowledge that crossed geographic and cultural boundaries. Illustrations first published in Italy were incorporated into countless volumes addressed to trincianti (carvers) and scalchi (stewards), who were responsible for setting the table. Physical evidence tells us that these books enjoyed a broad readership of kitchen staff, patrons, and eventually historians, librarians, and book collectors, who preserved them from the ravages of time. This talk will revisit themes and objects featured in an exhibition that took place at Bard Graduate Center earlier this year called Staging the Table in Europe 1500 - 1800.

About the Presenter:

Deborah L. Krohn, Professor and Chair of Academic Programs at Bard Graduate Center, Head of Focus Project exhibitions. 

Professor Krohn received an A.B. cum laude in Art History/European Cultural Studies, and a M.F.A. in European Art from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in History of Art from Harvard University.

Questions: Ying Hirsh