Courtly Pleasures

Table Decorations as a Reflection of Baroque Society

By: Gun-Dagmar Helke, Hela Schandelmaier

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Hardcover | 7 October 2025

At a Glance

Hardcover
200 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
28.6 x 22.6 x 2.4

Hardcover

RRP $140.00

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The publication Courtly Pleasures explores how porcelain figurines and miniature landscapes served as table decorations from the Baroque to early 19th century.

Scenes of gardens and of love, idyllic hunting parties, picturesque farms, and lifelike animal figurines in porcelain were popular motifs in table decoration from the Baroque to the beginning of the 19th century. These 'worlds in miniature' were intended to initiate conversation among the table guests and of course attest to the discerning taste of the hosts. The decorative pieces were, for all intents and purposes, part of the furnishing scheme and finished off the room's interior as a total work of art down to the last detail. Central to this was the artisanal sophistication and the perfect mastery of the latest techniques, which breathed new life into the miniatures.

Following on from Courtly Companions: Pugs and Other Dogs in Porcelain and Faience, now Courtly Pleasures presents the most beautiful table decorations produced by a variety of manufactories including Meissen, Frstenberg, Delft or Vienna all from the abundant treasures of a southwest German private collection. In addition, the authors place the pieces in their historical context by taking a look at Baroque table culture or exoticised depictions of foreign countries.

Text in English and German.

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