Tea at Trianon: Sculleries

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Sculleries

Sculleries are back. From Martha Stewart:

As a small room adjacent to the kitchen, a scullery has historically been used for cooking preparation and cleaning up, leading it to be commonly classified as an "overflow kitchen." It may also be used for storing kitchenware like plates, bowls, and silverware, plus kitchen gadgets and appliances. Sometimes, it has been used as a space for other housework like laundry and ironing.

Sculleries and butler's pantries serve similar purposes, but there are a few key differences. "A scullery historically served as a utility space for washing and cleaning kitchen items," says Emma Kemper, interior designer and founder of Emma Beryl Interiors. "It is frequently equipped with a sink and focused on practical tasks. In contrast, a butler's pantry is more of a storage and serving area, often located between the kitchen and dining room, facilitating the seamless serving of meals.”

A butler’s pantry is devoted to getting meals ready to serve so the actual kitchen remains polished. These were typically found in wealthier homes, estates, and manors and offered a convenient location to store the family’s fine china. Sculleries remain focused on the actual preparation of the meal and cleaning. "The scullery seems to be more 'back-of-the-kitchen,' perhaps akin to a mud room for the kitchen with a lot more storage," says John A. Buscarello, ASID, certified interior designer and professor at the New York School of Interior Design. (Read more.)