Hello Bangga,,
This is a comment and not an answer, which a researcher may still post.
Linen - woven from fibers of the flax plant - has been known for
thousands of years. The word itself comes straight from Latin Linum
and Greek Linon.
Linen and wool are almost the only native woven materials in Europe,
linen being preferred for "body linen" - shirts, etc, and appreciated
because it can be washed and bleached (in the sun) to be white, and
was a symbol of purity.
In European art, the use of linen tableclothes can be traced back into
midieval times, I would venture to say, as far back as there are
representations of tables. The use of a clean table covering for
meals has added value if the table is rustic and used for other
purposes, or only a couple of boards resting on two trestles, which
can also be seen on old painting.
The word napkin dates back to 1420, and the alternate word, serviette,
from 1489, both coming from French, which would suggest that the items
were known there even earlier.
Linen is especially good for these uses because it is very absorbant,
soaking up drippings and for wiping one's hands, since in those days
fastidious use of knife and fork were common. The first English
mention of table forks is in 1463.
In principle, I am pointing out that linen tableware has been the
custom for a very long time. With the introduction of cotton to
Europe, and especially with the cheaper production of cotton woven
goods in the early 19th century, linen became the more expensive and
"up-market" material.
In America, this was, I think, even more the case, since cotton was
locally grown and cheaper to produce than linen, which was not grown
in such volume and requires many steps to separate the fibers. In
Europe, linen table ware is still used in many homes, at least for
festive occasions, that is to say, not just at the Nobel Prize dinner
or in noble houses.
Russia now produces 90% of the linen in the world, and its exports
have reduced the prices for coarser but quite attractive and very
useable table linen.
A story, as a final comment about linen "to symbolize fine dining appointments":
recently I was at a stand-up party and ventured to check the table
that had been moved into the living room for the buffet, lifting the
cotton table cloth. When I remarked to my English acquaintance that
it looked like a table from Ikea, he replied that in really fine
houses that had polished mahagony tables, tableclothes were not used,
the polished mahagony being a symbol of even finer dining
appointments.
I hope this has helped to answer your question. I could have added a
few links to support it, but that is tedious.
If you would like an answer with such, I am sure a researcher can supply them.
So, just polish up the mahagony, or spread a linen tablecloth, and
have a fine party. :)
Myoarin |
