"Coming from the Oven" / "Camino del horno" ca. 1830, Valencia, Spain Museo Nacional de Cerámica y de las Artes Suntuarias González Martí, Valencia

The decoration of the 18th century Spanish kitchen revealed as much about daily life as the vessels and utensils within it. During this era Felipe V, the first Spanish Bourbon king, and his court embraced the fashion and social customs of the French court at Versailles. One characteristic of this period was an emphasis on decoration and filling rooms and walls with light and air. In many areas of Spain, tilework replaced earlier, heavy leather hangings (guadamaciles). Once again tile began to invade all parts of a building—as it had in Islamic Spain—only now the decoration was not geometric and floral, but figurative. Entire walls of palaces and grand homes were covered in pictorial tilework, illustrating scenes of domestic and courtly life-- themes that were also popularized in the French and Spanish paintings of Watteau, Boucher and Goya. Interior walls depicted domestic scenes, and most popular were those of the kitchen.

Kitchen in Manises, Valencia / Cocina Valenciana de Manises 18th century, Spain Photograph courtesy of the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas, Madrid

The kitchen here is based on one from 18th century Valencia that is reconstructed in its entirety in the Museo de Artes Decorativas in Madrid. The scenes depict the dueña, or lady of the house, inspecting trays of food held by the household staff. The vessels include pitchers, bowls, mortars, spice jars, plates, and porringers, all of which would have been found in an 18th century Spanish kitchen.