Menukaart op naam van Maria Steyns-Aubel c. 1880 - 1920

Curator: What first grabs you about this image? To me, it evokes a hushed elegance, a subtle invitation to a hidden world of culinary delight. Editor: Definitely seeing that Art Nouveau flourish. It’s like stepping into a late 19th-century salon, right? Let me set the stage for everyone: what we’re looking at here is a menu card, crafted sometime between 1880 and 1920. The inscription attributes it to a Maria Steyns-Aubel. Curator: And what an amazing artifact of graphic art this poster represents! I wonder what the designer had in mind? This striking contrast of brown and gold gives it that earthy yet sophisticated look. Notice how the geometric shapes blend with these free-flowing, organic forms. Editor: Structurally, the verticality commands the eye, pushing upward through layers of symbolic engagement. Let’s begin with the clear symmetry, divided by the central axis of that ornate urn brimming with suggestive stems and possibly budding flowers. Curator: I do see some eagles perched so majestically in profile on the side of the central vase… gives you an idea of heraldry, no? Editor: They serve, perhaps, to represent her family legacy—with all that classical detail surrounded by concentric rows and rounded shapes. See the little circles there, inside that main one? To me, the symmetry implies a balance and sophistication—echoed, then again, by this Art Nouveau tendency. Curator: Makes you dream about the menu behind this invitation... Lobster Thermidor or something with a fancy cream sauce! In an atmosphere scented with perfumes and laughter, all under soft, chandelier light… Editor: You see feasts; I see fonts! Check the type, at the card's foot: it roots us within that period through typeface. And yes, the ornate designs of menus definitely speak of social standing and culinary trends, which must be linked to artistic style. I imagine she treasured beauty and grace in everything she chose. Curator: Absolutely. I can just picture Madame Maria Steyns-Aubel holding this very card, greeting her guests. A snapshot into history through a design… Editor: It reminds us that everyday objects, like menus, are reflections of their era’s values. We reveal an aesthetic sensibility shaping all things both ordinary and special, I find it truly striking to think of what Maria wished to communicate to us.