CANVASES, CARATS AND CURIOSITIES

Field sports were also an integral part of life for any landed gentleman, especially one with an estate like Pemberley, whether it be fox hunting and shooting, fishing or horseback riding. These pursuits were intrinsically bound up with land ownership and rural identity, as hunts were organized and hosted by the head of an estate.

Hunting required specialized equipment: finely made flintlock pistols, powder horns to hold gunpowder and a leather riding uniform. These objects were often custom-made and passed down through generations, becoming both practical tools and heirlooms. Although Austen never writes of Darcy in the middle of a hunt, his status as a man of property implies his participation in these traditional, elite pastimes.

Estate activities were also an opportunity for masculine camaraderie. When Elizabeth tours Pemberley with her aunt and uncle, she runs into Mr. Darcy, whom she did not expect to be home. While on a promenade, “she heard Mr. Darcy invite [her uncle], with the greatest civility, to fish there as often as he chose while he continued in the neighbourhood, offering at the same time to supply him with fishing tackle, and pointing out those parts of the stream where there was usually most sport” (ch. 43). In that way, Mr. Darcy perfectly played the part of ‘gentleman,’ understanding the quiet rituals of hospitality and expectations that came with owning an estate like Pemberley.

Part of that responsibility included entertaining guests who attended the hunt. Also known as a social table, this horseshoe-shaped furnishing was specially designed for serving beverages during a party or fox hunt. Crafted of mahogany, it is ingeniously configured to be used in a multitude of fashions. If it is used outdoors during a hunt, the brass rail bars can be removed to allow a member of the hunt staff to serve the hunters before or after the hunt. The table can also function as a serving table, as it includes a center leaf that can be installed to create a demi-lune surface.

The Polished Pursuit of Intellectualism

A prominent thematic thread woven throughout Pride and Prejudice is the act of reading. As a character, Elizabeth Bennet is painted as an avid participant and ardent supporter of reading. When Lady Catherine de Bourgh criticizes Mr. Bennet for not hiring a governess for his daughters, Elizabeth counters by sharing how her father encouraged reading. Austen herself grew up amongst her father’s extensive library collection of over 500 books, with the freedom to enjoy whatever she chose. Indeed, the word “library” is used 23 times in the novel, especially in connection with Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley.

In the Georgian and Regency periods, bibliomania took England’s gentlemen by storm, turning book collecting into a mark of intellectualism and propriety. As explored in the last P&P blog, Caroline Bingley shares her prerequisites for an accomplished woman with Elizabeth, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy adds that “All this she must possess, and to all this she must add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading”(ch. 8).

Caroline compliments Mr. Darcy for his exquisite library at Pemberley Hall, to which he responds that the collection has been built by generations of the illustrious Darcy family. Moreover, Mr. Darcy shares his horror at some well-to-do families' neglect of library collections. In doing so, Mr. Darcy reminds the group of his family’s gentlemanly lineage and signals his own participation in the era's cultural standard of a well-read, intellectually refined gentleman.

In the tradition of elite English households, selecting the furnishings and design of a library was also integral to constructing a family’s intellectual legacy. Who wants to look at a book or folio if it isn’t displayed in a stunning work of cabinetry? Certainly not Mr. Darcy.

The folio cabinet (below) is a tour de force of Regency bibliomania made tangible in exceptional craftsmanship. The rosewood table features beautifully carved torsade columns, with a swirling acanthus motif that is echoed in the intricate band of bronze inlay on its surface. Its striking top rests upon its two-tiered base, which holds two lockable doors with trellised brass grilles on all sides. The refined caliber of the inlay work and superior form are characteristic of the artisan’s genius, who is the famed cabinetmaker George Bullock.

Silver and Porcelain: The Art of Entertaining

While the estate’s leisurely activities shaped a gentleman’s public persona, the drawing room and dining table were equally vital stages for performing refinement. When Elizabeth dines at Rosings Park, Austen spares no expense describing the classy meal. She writes, “The dinner was exceedingly handsome, and there were... all the articles of plate which Mr. Collins had promised”(ch. 29). She goes further that Lady Catherine “seemed gratified by their excessive admiration” of their meal’s rich display, “especially when any dish on the table proved a novelty to them”(ch. 29).

What was served, how it was served and in what vessels all mattered. The objects used in hosting, from gleaming silver tea services to delicate porcelain sets, played a central role in creating the atmosphere of refinement expected in elite households.


Dining Customs and Tableware

Formal meals, especially dinners, were governed by rules of presentation and propriety. As evidenced in Lady Catherine’s meal, table settings during the Regency period involved multiple courses and elaborate place settings. Silver dishes, cutlery, and serving vessels were matched with porcelain plates, soup tureens and sauce boats. The more pieces, the merrier, as it reflected the taste and financial means of the host.

Tableware often bore family crests or monograms, subtly reinforcing lineage and status. Such is the case with Paul Storr’s Set of 12 Ambassadorial Salvers. Used to serve food or drinks, the rims are finely engraved with two distinguished armorials: the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (denoting their ambassadorial status) and the crest of Charles William Stewart, later the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, accompanied by the motto of the Order of the Bath.

His personal armorial on the salvers includes the motto Metuenda Corolla Draconis ("The dragon is to be feared"), symbolizing his formidable presence both on the battlefield and in diplomatic circles. The inclusion of the Royal Coat of Arms suggests these salvers were a gift from the monarch, further elevating the owner’s prestige.

More opulence in high-class entertaining is evident in the design of this cast ormolu epergne, a dining table centerpiece for holding fruit or flowers. Three imposing sphinxes support each corner, reflecting the fascination with Egyptian antiquity brought about by the Napoleonic campaigns of the late 18th century, while scrolling foliate arms elegantly raise four antique cranberry glass dishes. Such a centerpiece was decorative and declarative, as it meant to impress guests with its grandeur and underscore the host’s worldliness.

Another essential piece of dining room furniture between the mid-18th and mid-19th centuries was the wine cellarette. Though not typically made of silver or ceramic, these wood chests were often displayed beneath a sideboard or side table where dining guests could easily view the evening’s selections. A refined Regency-era cellarette in our collection boasts a sarcophagus form made from rich mahogany and added ebonized accents. The lion paws evoke the claw feet furniture associated with Thomas Chippendale. Fit for six bottles of wine, the cellarette allows the host to serve a wide variety of wine and spirits directly from the comfort of the dining room. Another popular beverage presented to guests in any respectable English household was tea.

Tea Service and Its Social Significance

The ritual of teadrinking was (and is still) central to English social life— taking tea was both an everyday routine and a formalized social occasion for hosting and gossiping. A proper tea service would include a teapot, sugar bowl, cream jug, tea caddy and slop bowl, which would have held the dregs of tea cups. Tea sets, especially those made of porcelain and silver, were prized possessions and frequently imported from China or crafted in renowned English factories like Wedgwood or Worcester.

John Bridge’s exquisite tea set embodies the opulent style of the Regency era. The bodies of all three in the set are adorned with large-scale repoussé scrolls, grape clusters and foliage, reflecting bold naturalistic elements. Twisted twig handles enhance the sugar bowl and creamer, while the teapot features a striking handle that morphs into a snakehead with insulators. The set stands on a delicate conch shell feet. 

In winter months, it was also common to serve “grog,” a libation of rum mixed with hot water. A rare, round-shaped rum kettle crafted by Wedgwood would have served the body-warming tipple. Comprised of black basalt and featuring a molded bail handle and glazed interior, a “Sybil” figure of a seated woman covered head-to-toe in a shroud sits atop the kettle lid and serves as its knob finial.

Aligned with the neoclassical style, terra-cotta red and white encaustic enamel bands of anthemion, or palms, decorate the entire piece in a clear homage to Ancient Greek pottery. Whether tea or grog, such ceremonies would have enforced the hostess’s role as the moral and aesthetic center of the home, and even minor breaches in etiquette could be socially telling.

Whether through the elegance of a tea service, the symbolism of a portrait, or the quiet ritual of offering a guest the best fishing tackle, the objects of Mr. Darcy’s world reflected the unspoken rules of Regency society. Seeing the objects that would have made up the lives of the beloved Bennets makes it easier to understand exactly how intense the social pressure to maintain status and wealth was. In Austen’s world, as in Regency life that she depicted so well, it was not just what you said or did, but what you owned and displayed that told the real story.

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