Chambord through the art of the table

Chambord (Loir-et-Cher). Four tables set, four refined meals to tell the story of four centuries of culinary practices. In Chambord, what appears to be simple staging is the result of significant research and reconstruction work. For its first major exhibition in more than seven years, the castle retraces a history of gastronomy that is as fascinating as it is complex to reconstruct, due to very often incomplete sources. “The XVIe culinary century, we know it very little”, insists Virginie Berdal at the first table of this culinary journey: the interpretation of a supper that François I could have given in honor of the Emperor Charles V, during his visit to Chambord on December 18, 1539. “No source mentions this hypothetical meal, but this moment allows us to evoke the arts of the table during the Renaissance. We therefore had to deal with current knowledge on the ceremonial of a meal in the 16the century “continues the research and scientific project manager at the Chambord national domain, who designed the exhibition with Loïc Bienassis, from the European Institute of Food History and Cultures (IEHCA).

Under the sculpted vaults of the castle, a “French-style service” is displayed on an ornate tablecloth, recreated from an original kept at the Cluny Museum. In the next room, the dinner given during Louis Because here, the bias is not to claim absolute accuracy (impossible to achieve), but to adopt a scientific interpretation approach. The exhibition, in this sense, succeeds in making the richness of the subject accessible to as many people as possible. The scenography focuses on immersion, both through the very realistic fake dishes and the olfactory and sound devices that punctuate the visit. But the most impressive remains the 183 pieces of goldwork, modeled from old drawings then recreated in the form of a 3D print by the Aristeas agency. Reconstructions which take on their full value precisely because neither the tableware of François I nor that of the Sun King’s gold have reached us.

Although the reproductions are numerous, they restore what has disappeared without eclipsing the heritage objects and preserved sources. An original table plan shows the arrangement of dishes during the dinner at Chambord in 1685. The third table, which evokes the café room of the Marshal of Saxe in the 18th century, showcases Queen Marie Leszczynska’s precious Meissen porcelain tea and chocolate set. Finally, for the gala dinner given in honor of the Prince and Princess of Wales, on November 9, 1988, it was the iconic dress worn by Lady Diana which made the journey from the Fashion Museum of Santiago de Chile.