27 March 2022

Fashion of tableware and politics through the centuries seen at the exhibition 'Treasures of the Imperial Table' at Schloss Hof and Schloss Niederweiden in Lower Austria (19 March - 1 November 2022)

Recently, Fashion.at visited the exhibition 'Treasures of the Imperial Table' ('Kaiserliche Tafelschätze') in Schloss Niederweiden and Schloss Hof in Lower Austria. Schloss Niederweiden , the hunting palace planned by architect Fischer von Erlach in the late 17th century and Schloss Hof with its impressive palace and spacious baroque garden were both once owned by Prince Eugene and later by Maria Theresia (mother of Marie Antoinette). The two destinations are located at a distance of about 5 minutes by car. Fashion.at started the tour at Schloss Niederweiden where the greatest part of the exhibition is on show. The entry to both palaces costs 19.- Euros (combined ticket).

Hof and Niederweiden are known for presenting the treasures of Austria which are administered traditionally by official bodies named nowadays 'Bundesmobilienverwaltung' (federal furniture administration) which, for example, provides the red carpets or tableware for official state receptions. The time span of the exhibition 'Treasures of the Imperial Table' focuses on the fashion of table culture of style periods of the 18th to the 19th century, from Baroque to Historicism. One room in Niederweiden is dedicated to the Neo-French centerpiece from the middle of the 19th century. The golden table sculptures are introduced as examples of the second Rococo which became fashionable during Historicism. The lush forms of the table objects, which refer to the heyday of Rococo in the 18th century, were an ideal expression of the neo-absolutist orientation of the reign (began 1848) of young emperor Franz Joseph who cultivated the fashion of 'business meals' which took place several times a week such as explained at the accompanying text at the beginning of this chapter of the exhibition. The context of table culture and politics is also evident in the hand-written placements of VIPs - especially representatives of ruling houses - for the conversation with the emperor.

Image: View of Neo-French table centerpieces presented at the exhibition 'Treasures of the Imperial Table' in Schloss Niederweiden. Photo: © SKB / Wolfgang MoMo Handl.
On each piece of the Neo-French set made of gilded bronze, extremely elaborately designed scenes with hunting motifs can be discovered in rich sculpting work. Despite the expansive and seemingly impractical forms, the Neo-French table centerpiece is extremely functional - because the voluminous parts had to be placed quickly and flexibly combinable on the table for the respective occasion. At the exhibition room, the placement of the table centerpieces is shown with a video on a large screen.

At Schloss Hof, the main focus is on tableware during the reign of Maria Theresia, especially the fashion of collecting porcelain which began trending in the 17th century. The European aristocracy was fascinated by the decor and vessel shapes of the items exported from Asia. The fragile objects became status symbols in baroque palaces representing wealth and taste.

The exhibition with special events such as guided tours including organized dinners is open since 19th March and can be visited until 1st November 2022.