A talk by Milan Svoboda from the dining room of the Château of Konopiště on reconstructing a dessert banqueting table, service à la française style, and the culture of dining and table setting in 17th and 18th centuries.
A Baroque table with its pomp and monumental decorations boldly reflected the splendour of the surrounding gardens and architecture. Little of the tableware remains today but in 2021, to mark The Year of the Nobility of the Enlightenment, the curators and food historians at Konopiště have resurrected a small fraction of the forgotten art of Baroque table setting, as well as some Baroque tastes and flavours.
Milan Svoboda specialises in history of dining and table setting and is one of the authors of the exhibition at Konopiště. He lectures at the Charles University, Prague.
Images © M. Svoboda