.png)
Setting the table is one of those routine activities that we rarely revisit. Plate, cutlery, and glass: this is the fundamental triad that unites meals in the Western tradition and which, in its simplicity, is the fruit of centuries of rituals, practices, and customs. Nevertheless, with these simple things, we can aim to amaze diners and give representation our house.
From ancient times until the Renaissance, the main aspect of the meal was conviviality and therefore dishes were shared by several guests during the meal, even on the most solemn occasions. During this period, however, the individual use of glasses began to spread, as did earthenware and glassware, although the custom of not using cutlery remained.
The table, often a wooden board resting on trestles, could be set in different parts of the house and covered with a tablecloth and trays for the dishes (fun fact: the tablecloth is the only element that has always been present, since the days of ancient Rome), while the pottery was displayed in the sideboard. This furnishing element had an important function: from the 16th-17th centuries onwards, the so-called sideboard services became widespread, these were services made of precious and elaborate materials which were displayed on the sideboards during banquets to testify to the social prestige of the hosts.
In the following centuries, the focus shifted from conviviality to ostentation, up to the more baroque solutions of the 17th and 18th centuries, where the absolute protagonist became the surtout, our modern centerpiece. Made of silver or vermeil, it was often commissioned to great artists and adorned with figures of gods, mythological characters, fountains, and other scenographic decorations.
During this period the individual use of plates started spreading around both for reasons of hygiene and etiquette. This change led in the eighteenth and especially in the nineteenth century to a substantial spread of services as we know them today, composed of several stylistically homogeneous elements. In the nineteenth century, in particular, the Romantic influence was also felt in the production of these articles and the reference to distant times and places became increasingly evident: the fashion for oriental services began, or with shapes and decorations that recall classical mythology.
As time went by, this tendency towards ostentation slowly gave way to a new model of service, defined as Russian style, which envisages a way of serving food that is very close to the current one, with the table already completely set and the guests taking their seats before the food is served. The table went from being a removable element to the focal point of dining rooms, a place of comfort and social affirmation favored by the bourgeoisie.
In the 20th century, we see the strengthening of certain trends and tastes that had already begun to spread, such as the practice of having services and other table elements designed by established artists: this is the case of Gio Ponti's productions for Ginori or Krupp, Aldo Tura's for Macabo, Fornasetti, and many others. This surprising century also saw the introduction of new rituals and, consequently, new objects such as cocktail shakers or thermos flasks.
What most characterizes the last century is its eclectic character: never as in this handful of decades has mankind been able to produce styles and suggestions so distant from each other, a sea of inspiration in which each of us can immerse ourselves to take inspiration and find our own expressive language.
Being able to make your guests breathe the desired atmosphere, transmit their own taste and create small narrations are the objectives that, if achieved, indicate the success of a mise en place and a pleasant evening with friends.
