A centrepiece or centerpiece is an important item of a display, usually of a

table setting Table setting (laying a table) or place setting refers to the way to set a table with tableware—such as eating utensils and for serving and eating. The arrangement for a single diner is called a place setting. It is also the layout in which ...

. Centrepieces help set the theme of the decorations and bring extra decorations to the room. A centrepiece also refers to any central or important object in a collection of items."centrepiece" Macquarie Dictionary (Revised Third Edition), Macquarie Library Pty Ltd (2001), Sydney. Traditional types for the very formal dining table include the

epergne An epergne ( ) is a type of table centerpiece that is usually made of silver but may be made of any metal, glass or porcelain. An epergne generally has a large central "bowl" or basket sitting on three to five feet. From this center "bowl" ra ...

, with branching arms ending in bowls, and the surtout de table, in English reserved for a long tray, often with mirrors as the surface, on which candles, sculptures and other objects are placed.

Purpose

On the table, a centrepiece is a central object which serves a decorative purpose. However, centrepieces are often not too large, to avoid difficulty with visibility around the table and to allow for the easier serving of dishes. Other centrepieces are often made from flowers, candles, fruit, or candy. Centrepieces are a major part of the decoration for a

wedding reception A wedding reception is a party usually held after the completion of a marriage ceremony as hospitality for those who have attended the wedding, hence the name reception: the couple ''receive'' society, in the form of family and friends, for t ...

, being used widely at wedding receptions with flowers being the most popular form of centrepieces. Weddings, baby showers, engagement parties, anniversary parties and birthdays often have some form of centrepiece. Formal functions in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

can sometimes have very elaborate centrepieces, which can span the entire length of the table. At

holiday A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...

times, including

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...

, and

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

, homes are often decorated with holiday centrepieces. File:Epergne, Thomas Pitts I, London, 1761 - Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art - DSC08880 (cropped).JPG, Silver

, London, 1761 File:Museum Lüneburg Tafelaufsatz@20150722 01.JPG, Silver, 1843, for the Crown Prince of Hanover File:Surtout de table en forme de rocher.jpg, French

faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major ad ...

, 1860 File:France Surtout de table.jpg, French

ormolu Ormolu (; from French ''or moulu'', "ground/pounded gold") is the gilding technique of applying finely ground, high-carat gold– mercury amalgam to an object of bronze, and for objects finished in this way. The mercury is driven off in a kiln le ...

, later 19th century

References

{{Wiktionary, centrepiece Serving and dining Tableware