Today, we think of a banquet and our mouths water at the thought of delicacies, abundance and fun.
But in the Renaissance, a banquet was a rather serious affair, involving extensive preparations, a respectable menu, theatrical displays, music, dancing and even a joust!
The wedding banquet organised for the union between Alfonso II Duke of Ferrara and Barbara of Habsburg, held on a cold December day in 1565, went down in history. Everyone talked about it for years.
A workshop in Faenza made hundreds of majolica tiles with the coat of arms of the newlyweds, while cutlery and silver basins were placed on the tables of the guests. A memorable representation of chivalry excited the spirits of those attending the ceremony, and even the room for the long lunch was set up in an original way.
The guests found themselves immersed in a seabed with brocaded rocks and cushions embroidered with gold leaf. The servants had turquoise liveries also embellished with golden scales, tablecloths and centres were embroidered with the tumultuous waves of the deepest sea, populated by sea monsters, as frightening as they were rich in detail. The napkins were carefully folded in the shape of the most varied types of fish and the table seemed to live a life of its own while the glasses and jugs reflected the flickering of gold, crystals, silver threads and blue satins.
Unfortunately, bad luck struck the wedding immediately: the banquet was suddenly interrupted by the news of the death of Pope Pius IX and Barbara, the bride, died shortly afterwards of tuberculosis without leaving an heir.
But the memory of the wedding feast was certainly difficult to erase from the memory of everyone who attended the unique event.
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