Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, USA.
Ronni Baer put together a wonderful exhibition with 75 first-class pieces by 17th-century Dutch artists. Vermeer, Rembrandt, Pieter de Hoogh and many other artists give us a glimpse of the different groups in society in the new Dutch Republic. Three table settings were displayed in cabinets to bring to life the 2D paintings on the walls. For this, Sanny lent the museum three 17th-century damask tablecloths and napkins from her private collection.
For the lowest classes, the table was set with a linen cloth with a simple motif. A beautiful linen damask tablecloth with a ‘scattered flowers’ design represented the middle classes. For the upper class, Sanny laid the table with the Orpheus damask – a must-have in 1650 for those who wanted to impress their guests.
The book ‘Class distinctions; Dutch painting in the age of Rembrandt and Vermeer’ was published by curator Ronni Baer to accompany the exhibition, with essays by Henk van Nierop, Herman Roodenburg, Eric Jan Sluijter and Marieke de Winkel. Sanny contributed an essay about the use of tablecloths and napkins in the different classes in society.
Sanny de Zoete developed the concept and arranged the display cases together with curator Alexandra van Dongen from Museum Boijmans-van Beuningen in Rotterdam.
Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, 7 October 2015 – 18 January 2016
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, 20 February – 22 May 2016
