Tafel met muziekstandaards en ronde tafel after 1784

This print, “Tafel met muziekstandaards en ronde tafel,” currently residing in the Rijksmuseum, offers a glimpse into the cultural life of its time through furniture design. Likely created in the 18th century, a period marked by elaborate social rituals and the patronage of the arts, the print showcases designs for music stands integrated into tables and round tables, reflecting the era's emphasis on music as a form of social engagement. The designs evoke questions of class and leisure. In what spaces, and for whom were these tables made? The act of making music, reading, and gathering was a privilege afforded to a select group of individuals. Music, then, was both a pastime and a marker of status and education. Consider the role of music and design in shaping social identities and cultural values, and how they both reflect and shape societal structures. What does it mean that these objects are rendered in a flat plane instead of in real life?