I found this title jotted in my drafts, and it has inspired a second post.

Occasionally I see humorous comments about the famous paintings of the Last Supper in which Our Lord and the Apostles are seated together at a long table, with everyone facing front. This seems so strange to the modern viewer that it inspires jokes. But it’s actually quite a common way of seating people, besides being simply a useful artistic form.

Here’s Mr. da Vinci’s famous version:

There are plenty of depictions with the group seated around a table on all sides, too. For example:

or:

or:

These may well be designed to fit within the illuminated letter, thus the careful arrangement of the table so that all the people can be seen despite the small space.

THAT said, there are real instances of people eating along one side of a table. This usually involves the food being served from the center of the dining hall with the tables arranged in long rows on each side, or the orientation of the tables to allow the diners to watch some important feature (for instance an important person’s table at the front of a great hall, or the entertainment being provided in the center or front of the room or on a stage).

In Brazil young couples sometimes sit on the same side of the table at restaurants so they can whisper, cuddle, and people watch while eating.

Here are a couple of illustrations of refectories in monasteries where the monks are eating on the same side of the table, and service is from the free (center) side. This is still found in some monasteries today.

And one of a royal banquet: