The contemporary focus on the visual appeal of haute cuisine has led to a re-evaluation of the chef's role and the types of tableware used.
In a similar manner to how an expert framer can suggest the most suitable frame for a painting, a knowledgeable paint seller can advise on the purchase of brushes, unfading colours, and canvases made from the finest Belgian linen.
A coppersmith, despite being a humanist, is well-positioned to advise the chef on which porcelain dishes, crafted from the finest kaolin, are most suitable for receiving the chef's ingenious gastronomic preparations.
Indeed, if today preference is given to the use of dishes devoid of frills and ornamental motifs, it is precisely because the function of the vessel is akin to that of a blank canvas in painting. The rim or band of the dish represents a separation between the chef's creation and the surrounding world (tablecloth, glasses, cutlery, etc.). Furthermore, the dish's rim serves a similar function to that of an anonymous mat. The colouring of the rim can influence the chromatic effect of the food presentation, either precluding or conditioning its overall balance.
This affords considerable latitude to photographic images of food, as contemporary haute cuisine emulates the haute couture system.
In the iconographic representation of dishes, there is a factor that plays a highly relevant role: the proportion between the food and the inner part of the dish, the well, which accommodates the food and defines its combinatorial possibilities.
The image of the canvas suggests a further comparison: just as a large canvas demands a subject of adequate presence, so too the usable surface of the plate and the size of the foods must obey the same criterion of proportionality.
These principles were not invented yesterday; in fact, they have been around for quite some time. As early as 1930, Filippo Tomaso Marinetti, the founder of the Futurist movement, proposed that chefs should "conceive an original architecture for each dish so that all people may be tempted to eat not only good food, but also works of art." He further suggested that the decoration of the table should be harmonious with the flavours and colours of the dishes.
The arrangement of food on a plate is now conceived in a manner that exemplifies the beauty of empty spaces. This is not merely a formal exercise for its own sake; rather, it is a tool for expressing the proportions between the vessel, the space occupied by the food, and the empty spaces. These proportions vary depending on the season, the food, and the colour of the tableware.
In conclusion, the techniques of setting the table are inextricably linked to culinary techniques. Consequently, the various solutions arise as a consequence of adjustments and choices made in the preparation of dishes. In essence, scenic innovation is always the final effect of a previous gastronomic discourse that provides the occasion and the premise.
Eugenio Medagliani, Humanist Calderaio