Elegant Eating : Four Hundred Years of Dining in Style - Hardcover

Glanville, Philippa

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1851773371 ISBN 13: 9781851773374

Publisher: V&a Publications, 2002

Synopsis

Surveying the art of fine dining in Europe from the 16th century to the present, this book concentrates on the art of decorating the table, following the courses of a grand dinner from cocktails to dessert. From flowers and garlands to porcelain, silverware and centrepieces, the many different items created for eating and drinking in style are shown in a rich variety of settings. Introductory sections on dining ceremony and furnishing set the scene, which moves from grand palaces with sumptuous 18th- and 19th-century table settings, to the bare oak favoured by William Morris, or more intimate private dining rooms and stylish modern interiors. Unusual illustrations, ranging from Elizabethan spice dishes, Italian baroque ice sculpture and Georgian novelty tablewares to emphatically modern Scandinavian ceramics, are shown alongside a wealth of paintings, historical photographs and original designs revealing an astonishingly rich visual heritage. Expert curators and art historians draw on a range of sources such as diaries, novels and manuals of polite behaviour to evoke a vanishing world of arcane etiquette, elegance, luxury and taste. International in outlook, "Elegant Eating" combines a rich array of individual items used to dress the table - many from the collections at the V&A - and authentic historical settings to give them context. In addition, set piece table layouts in the historic manner have been specially created for this book, which should be an inspiration to anyone with an interest in style and interior design. Surveying the art of fine dining in Europe from the 16th century to the present, this book concentrates on the art of decorating the table, following the courses of a grand dinner from cocktails to dessert. From flowers and garlands to porcelain, silverware and centrepieces, the many different items created for eating and drinking in style are shown in a rich variety of settings.

About this title

About the Author

Philippa Glanville is a leading expert on the history of dining. She is the author of Silver in Tudor and Early Stuart England and editor of Silver (both published by V&A Publications). Formerly Head of the Metalwork Department at the V&A, she is now Academic Director of Waddesdon Manor and Consultant Curator to the Gilbert Collections, Somerset House. Hilary Young is a curator in the Department of Ceramics and Glass at the V&A and is a leading expert on English Porcelain. His publications include English Porcelain 1745-95: Its Makers, Design, Marketing and Consumption (1999), and editor of The Genius of Wedgwood (1995), the catalogue to the exhibition of the same title.

Review

Concentrates on the art of decorating the table, following the courses of a grand dinner from cocktails to desserts. From flowers and garlands to porcelain silverware and centrepieces, the many different items created for eating and drinking in style are shown in a rich variety of settings.

Edition details

• Publisher: V&a Publications
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1851773371
• ISBN 13: 9781851773374
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 144