Menukaart Château de Haarzuijlens 1896

This is a menu card for a luncheon at Château de Haarzuijlens, designed by Mathieu Lauweriks. The menu’s art nouveau styling gives us some clues as to its dating. Art nouveau arose in the 1890s, responding to the industrial age with naturalistic, curvilinear forms. Note how this card uses fluid lines and organic motifs, framing the space for the food listings. We see a stylized depiction of the castle’s coat of arms at the bottom. It is an artifact of wealth, created for a Dutch noble family, the Van Zuylen van Nijevelt family, who owned the castle. Consider the social context: the late 19th century saw a growing divide between the wealthy elite and the working class. Art Nouveau, while aesthetically innovative, often served as a marker of status. The study of similar artifacts and estate records could further illuminate the culture of Dutch aristocracy at the turn of the century.