Furniture and Furnishings to Show the Perfect Image: Domestic Decoration in Catalonia in 1700.

Abstract

Building  on  the  most  public  aspects  of  daily  life,  as  well  as  on  the  most private  practices  in  the  public  arena,  the  18th-century  catalan  aristocracy,  like that  of  the  rest  of  Europe,  shaped  new  ways  of  showing  itself  and presenting itself  to  the  world.  The  creation  of  a  lavish  masque  had  in  the  arrangement  of inhabited  architectures  the  ideal  circumstances  to  build  a  perfect stage  set. Private  architectures,  always  perceived  as  constantly-evolving  occupied  spaces, as a reflection of the  personalities, tastes and fashions of a particular period, as multifaceted  scenarios  for  actions,  duties,  desires  and  functions:  in short  a ―composed  work‖.  Images  of ornato and atrezzo,  where  dressing  the  body, discovering tempos in  the  exercise  of  relations  and  strolling  through  furnished spaces are the backbone of an accomplished geography of inhabitation.