The history of the antique sideboard.
The antique sideboard, known in our times as kitchen or dining room furniture, is the piece of furniture in which food, crockery, dinnerware sets and table furnishings are kept. A brief hint on the reason for this name is very interesting; the ancient cupboard ( that in italian language has double meaning sideboard-belief ) as we know it today, was born in Emilia Romagna around 1600; originally it was a long and narrow piece of furniture placed in the banquet halls, where above all the foods offered to diners were arranged in plain sight, this mostly in noble families or in any case very wealthy.
Before the banquet began, a servant of the host family also called a ‘master creditor’, dressed in a particular livery that distinguished him from the other servants, entered the banquet hall and his task was to‘act as a sideboard’,he had the task of tasting all foods before they were served to guests, so as to reassure that they were not poisoned. Having ascertained this, he then had the task of announcing: ‘Madam and Gentlemen, a belief service is offered to you’.
Having ascertained this, he then had the task of announcing: ‘Madam and Gentlemen, a belief service is offered to you’. At that point the guests were served and the banquet began. It was an obligation for the master believer to remain present for the entire duration of the banquet, to ensure the goodness of the dishes and above all to demonstrate that they were healthy and not poisoned. The term “belief – credenza“ then passed to indicate the piece of furniture.
The Antique Sideboard Today.
The antique sideboard or madia (sideboard cabinet), has had an evolution in its structure, transforming itself from a simple support for dishes with a linear shape, to a much more refined one, with doors, windows, drawers, up to being embellished with more or less precious details, according to the various styles that have followed one another from 1600 to today’s times.
Today perhaps this piece of furniture is one of the most characteristic in any home. In fact, we can find the simplest sideboards in rustic-peasant style, the more elegant ones with precious woods and inlays, those painted and rich in gold motifs. Today, in addition to being a useful piece of furniture for storing food, bottles, tablecloths, it is widely used in the most elegant environments such as dining rooms to exhibit porcelain, silverware, sterling and valuable objects.
In Lacole Casa Italiana website you will find, in addition to a vast selection of ancient materials for renovation, such as ancient floors, ancient stone and marble fireplaces and ancient marble and stone sinks and tubs, antique sideboards of various styles and eras. Click here to access it.
