Banquets

The exhibition on Banquets, as seen through the collections of the Museum of Huesca, was held for International Museum Day in 2014 on the theme of Museum Collections Make Connections.

The narrative is kept alive and relevant so that we may understand the archaeological and fine art collections that are the museum's lifeblood.

It reflects human needs and this centuries-long ritual within a social, everyday, and religious context.

Prehistoric Times

The concept of belonging to a group appeared in the Paleolithic era. Gathering around a table and sitting near a cozy fire were the beginnings of successful survival strategies against the outside world.

This practice gradually became a ritual, with groups of people discussing the human and religious topics that affected them. Remains found in shelters and caves in the province of Huelva, now in the museum, are evidence of this.

The development of agriculture and livestock farming in the Neolithic period (6,000–2,500 BCE) was accompanied by the use of ceramics and, later, of metalworking. Both contributed to gatherings centered around food.

The settings in which these gatherings took place became more elaborate as a result, with new utensils such as Neolithic and Bronze Age beakers and vessels used as containers.

The large bell beaker found in the Drólica Cave is an exceptional example of this. It is spherical in shape with a narrow neck. Its surface is covered in spatula-like markings and decorated with bands and grooved lines.

It would have been used as a vessel, probably for liquids, and was useful for storing provisions.

Some researchers have suggested that this type of vessel would have been used for alcoholic drinks. Given the object's volume—around 2,100 fluid ounces—it was almost certainly intended for group use.

Iberian Era

The Museum of Huesca also houses objects that are evidence of banqueting as a social event in the Iberian culture.

The invention of the potter's wheel meant that Iberian ceramics were of a quality and level of perfection that had never been seen before.

Particularly interesting items in the collections include the painted ceramics, generally featuring plant-like and geometric motifs in wine-like tones, such as in this calathos ceramic vase which was used as a vessel.

Roman Era

Banqueting in Ancient Rome was an opportunity for a host to demonstrate their generosity, culture, and wealth.

In the classical world—in both Greece and Rome—wine and food were used to enliven conversations, word play, and performances of music and dance.

Plato's Symposium, written in around 380 BCE, narrates a dialog on love that takes place in a banqueting scene, with quotes including: “Every action in and of itself is neither beautiful nor ugly; the things we are doing now, drinking, eating, conversing; none of this is in itself beautiful, but it can become that way, according to how it is done. It is beautiful if done in accordance with the rules of honesty; and ugly if not done in accordance with these rules.”

We know that the Romans had a wide range of cooking equipment, thanks to the pots, bowls, trays, and jugs that archaeologists have discovered over the years. Two main types have been identified: the fine tableware known as terra sigillata, and the more humble-looking slipware.

Amphorae for transporting wine, oil, and salted meat and fish are evidence of the Empire's commercial activity.

The numerous ceramic objects decorated with banqueting scenes also tell us about the Romans' banqueting habits.

Banquets were held for a variety of reasons: to commemorate ceremonial, social and family events, and celebrations, funerals, military victories, or political agreements.

In the story of the beheading of St. John the Baptist, as told by the evangelists Matthew and Mark, the events unfold at Herod's banquet.

Salome, the daughter of Herod's wife, requests St. John's head as a prize for dancing at the banquet. She is encouraged by her mother, who is eager to take revenge on John the Baptist because he did not approve of her marriage.

The panel painting housed in the Museum of Huesca depicts the entire scene. The beheading of John the Baptist is shown in the background, with Salome and the executioner; while in the foreground, we see the banquet with Herod and his wife alongside Salome, now carrying the tray with the head of the deceased.

The banquet is the focal point around which the characters are arranged; it is the place in which the events unfold, and the backdrop for the entire scene.

The table is an essential element for a banquet in our culture.

This table is made from walnut wood and comes from the Colegio de Santiago, where it was used by pupils as a refectory table, and later as a table in the Council Room of the Huesca's town council.