Tafellaken met Lodewijk XIV en Maria Theresia van Oostenrijk c. 1660 - 1668

Editor: Here we have an intricate linen tablecloth from around 1660-1668, titled "Tafellaken met Lodewijk XIV en Maria Theresia van Oostenrijk," meaning "Tablecloth with Louis XIV and Maria Theresa of Austria," currently at the Rijksmuseum and made by an anonymous artist. Its ghostly, almost bleached-out figures give it a rather surreal quality. What story does this tablecloth tell, do you think? Curator: Ah, this isn't just a tablecloth, it's a piece of political theatre, woven in linen! Imagine, royalty displayed not on a wall, but on a table! To be clear, this would have only been for royalty, the only person who could display an image of themself *on a tablecloth* *was* royalty. That it’s linen gives it a soft, ephemeral feel, as if the power itself is fading – or maybe more slyly, enduring beneath the daily grind. How’s that for some subtle Baroque swagger? What do you suppose the impact might have been on, say, a visiting dignitary, gazing down at their soup and subtly recognizing his own subjugation? Editor: That's a compelling idea! So it's less about commemorating history and more about *performing* power, in a very domestic way. Curator: Precisely! Power isn’t just in portraits; it’s woven into the very fabric—literally!—of daily life. Each meal becomes a re-enactment, a silent pledge of allegiance, don't you think? Almost like those family holiday napkins we pull out to commemorate a favorite season. Only those seasons represent royalty, war, marriage, and influence. I wonder where they put the gravy? Editor: Now I'm imagining future historians analyzing my pizza-stained band t-shirts for clues about my era's power structures. Curator: Haha, and I bet they’d learn more than they bargained for. Though perhaps they, too, will look rather surreal by then, bleached by time. Editor: True! So much more than a tablecloth! I’ll never look at textiles the same way. Thanks for shedding some light!