Winterthur Exhibition Studies Evolution of Flatware

Opens November 1, 2008

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. October 14, 2008

WINTERTHUR, DE, September 19, 2008. Long before the dish ran away with the spoon, flatware designs elevated the act of eating to the art of fine dining. Feeding Desire: Design and the Tools of the Table, 1500-2005, an innovative exhibition opening at Winterthur Museum & Country Estate on November 1, 2008, will showcase the remarkable designs and developments in flatware that have played an important role in the practical and presentation aspects of dining. The exhibition examines five centuries of European and American dining through the designs and functions of eating implements. Created and curated by Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, New York (a branch of the Smithsonian Institution), the show features 300 objects. At Winterthur, the exhibition is enhanced by Winterthur's extensive collection of prints, books, and manuscripts.

Organized along dining-related themes, such as "Dining on the Move," "Tools for Food," and "Dining as Celebration," Feeding Desire explores how even familiar objects like utensils can reveal a wealth of information about daily life and societal shifts. "Flatware is tied to changing ideas of taste, behavior, and fashion," says Anne Verplanck, Winterthur's curator of prints and paintings, "as well as to access to goods and raw materials through trade, shipping, and mining."

The exhibition spotlights the "biographies" of the most common tabletop tools: the knife, fork, and spoon. These utensils, which have long defined Western dining, provide beautiful, useful and civilized alternatives to using other rudimentary objects. Feeding Desire traces variations in social customs, cuisines, and decorative fashions to examine their origin and development.

From the sublime to the near-silly, the exhibition features remarkable variations on table tools. Extraordinary examples such as a Northern Italian traveling set with mother-of-pearl handles from 1590 will be on view, as will fanciful creations such as silver chopsticks by Tiffany and Co. and double- and triple-bowled spoons by contemporary designer Andre Zweiacker.

Other highlights include:

o Sets of traveling utensils used before the 1700s, when hosts first began providing dining implements for their guests, juxtaposed with contemporary portable dining gear, such as plastic sets for picnics and stainless steel sets designed for airline dining;

o A collection of unusual serving tools, created when certain foods became fashionable, such as an ice cream knife, olive fork, asparagus tongs, and a potato chip server;

o An exploration of the development of production methods, such as silver-plating, forging and gilding, and the role of newer materials, such as stainless steel and Bakelite;

o A section devoted to the 20th century that addresses themes such as the role of the designer and flatware as social commentary.

Related Events:

---|October 31, 2008-Preview Day for members

---|November 1, 2008- Distinctive Collections Tour

---|November 21, 2008-The Theater of the Table: A Winterthur Study Day. One-day conference featuring curators and experts Sarah D. Coffin, Anne Verplanck, Ann Wagner, Leslie Grigsby, Jeff Groff, and Jeanne Solensky. $275; members $225.

---|November 30, 2008, 6 p.m.-Brandywine Baroque concert: "Good Eating in Songs and Music." $25; members $20.

---|December 4, 2008, 3:30 p.m.-Coffee Tasting and Lecture: "The Americanization of Coffee." Michelle McDonald, assistant professor of history at Stockton College, NJ, discusses coffee history. Three area roasters offer tastings.

---|January 16, 2009-Tour the Winterthur period rooms for a new look at historic table settings and entertainments.

---|January 31, 2009-Family Day Special family fun featuring games, crafts, and demonstrations.

Catalogue

The exhibition is accompanied by a sumptuous catalogue. Feeding Desire: Design and the Tools of the Table, 1500-2005 (Assouline, 2006), written by Sarah D. Coffin, Ellen Lupton, and Darra Goldstein, contains contributions by numerous other leaders in the fields of design and the history of the table. The history of flatware unfolds in chapters with evocative titles such as "The Sexual Politics of Cutlery" and in more than 200 color illustrations.

Winterthur Museum & Country Estate-known worldwide for its preeminent collection of American antiques, naturalistic garden, and research library for the study of American art and material culture-offers tours, exhibitions, programs, and activities. Winterthur has been named one of the country's "10 great places of historic proportions" by USA Today and "one of the 10 grandest mansions in America" by Budget Travel. Open 10 am to 5 pm, Tuesday-Sunday (daily from November 22, 2008 through January 4, 2009 for Yuletide tours). Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Located on Del. Route 52, six miles northwest of Wilmington, Delaware, and five miles south of U.S. Route 1. Winterthur is committed to accessible programming. For information, including special services, call 800.448.3883, 302.888.4600, or TTY 302.888.4907. Online, visit www.winterthur.org.

Feeding Desire: Design and the Tools of the Table, 1500-2005, is organized by Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, and is sponsored by The Tiffany & Co. Foundation. Additional support from Mr. John H. Bryan, Crate and Barrel, and The Felicia Fund. Presented at Winterthur by DuPont and The Tiffany & Co. Foundation. Additional support from Potter, Anderson & Corroon, LLP.