DaraTheodora

Dinner Tables in Art You’re Unlikely to Sit At

Tables often embody social hierarchy. The “kid’s table” at Thanksgiving, social cliques grouped together during lunch at school, the location of your table in proximity to the newlyweds at the ritzy wedding dinner, etc. And they show power in art too, especially if there’s a fancy dinner service or a little peek at luxurious interiors.

I recently finished a piece with some characters around a table. And when I looked at a few famous tables in art history afterwards, I noticed how many people look miffed you’re there.

Here are some pieces with some real “You can’t sit with us!” energy.

1500s Tables You Can’t Sit At

Portrait of the De Moucheron family. Anon Artist. 1563. Place of origin: Antwerp. A very demure and large family are spread across a wide panel.
Portrait of the De Moucheron family. Anon Artist. 1563.
The Somerset House Conference, 19 August 1604. Juan Pantoja de la Cruz. 1604. Unknown artist. 11 men sit around a carpeted table coming towards the viewer.
The Somerset House Conference, 19 August 1604. Juan Pantoja de la Cruz. 1604.

The National Portrait Gallery created a fantastic interactive page on The Somerset House Conference. I recommend a visit.

1700s – 1800s Tables You’re Not Invited to Sit At

Portrait of an unknown family in the garden. Peter Jacob Horemans. 1765. Smart aristocratic family in a 18th century garden. They sit around a small tableclothed table.
Portrait of an unknown family in the garden. Peter Jacob Horemans. 1765.
The Members of the Hamburg Artist's Club. Günther Gensler. 1840. Men in an obscured room around a table.
The Members of the Hamburg Artist’s Club. Günther Gensler. 1840.

Fine at first glance, but the men in the top center look terrifying.

Satirical French print of three English people appearing to spit out their wine or vomit.
Mode Anglaise. Charles Philipon. 1824.
Pre-Raphaelite painting depicting Lorenzo and Isabella. Two lovers sit at the right of the table. A man on the left kicks a dog, and he's horribly almost coming out of his seat in doing so.
Lorenzo and Isabella. John Everett Millais. 1848-9.

This painting is ridiculously loaded with symbolism. I’m not sure I’d even want to be invited to this drama-filled table.

Speaking of Symbolism…

Fancy French artists and poets glowering at the viewer.
The Corner of the Table. Henri Fantin-Latour. 1872.

Paul Verlaine, on the left, looks like the baby on the left of the following:

Four babies with spoons eat condensed milk. They're peak scary Victorian advertising.
Ad for Eagle Brand Condensed Milk, 1887.

Spooky.

A sad woman sits at a table and looks directly at the viewer.
Young Woman at a Table. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. 1887.

Newer Tables

Five posh women play cards around a round table. Greek sculptures and servants surround them.
Soirée. Marianne von Werefkin. 1910.
A woman with an easel and her model sit around a table with fruit.
The Artist and her Model. Louise Catherine Breslau. 1910.
Chunky blocks of colors. A few women sit around a table.
Society at a Table. Aristarkh Lentulov. 1916.

The side-eye is strong, even with the abstraction.

Abstracted group of people. A few people sit around a table. One has her face in her hands.
Family Picture. Max Beckmann. 1920.
Large group of nonchalant people sit ad stand around a white table.
The Wedding of the Bohemian, Munch Seated on the Far Left. Edvard Munch. 1925.
Five fashionable wealthy women sit around a table. A butler brings in the next course. there's a huge window to the right of the painting.
Cocktails. Archibald Motley. 1926.
Muralist style of a group of 7 annoyed looking wealthy individuals. They all hold a gold ribbon.
Wall Street Banquet. Diego Rivera. 1928.

And finally, this absolute gem from the 1980s.

A flattened group of people sit around a tableclothed table.
Dinner Party. Sam Walsh. 1980.

Related posts:

Toulouse-Lautrec by Maurice GuibertToulouse-Lautrec and Montmartre’s Mass Appeal Why is Saint Sebastian So Smoking Hot? 13 Slightly Subversive Pieces at the National Gallery in Prague Lady with Hat and Feather boa, Gustav KlimtFabulous Hats in Art That I Must Have

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