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One of the first images that started me thinking about picnic-like meals in the SCA's period was this tapestry. The scene is refered to as a "Repas Champetre" which more or less translates to "meal in the fields".
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This is a French tapestry from Tournai, from the 3rd quarter of the 16th c. A group of shepherds and shepherdesses appear to have been joined by a few well-dressed men and women for a picnic on the grass. This is part of an entire genre of "pastoral" scenes depicting shepherds, but often including what appear to be higher class individuals or sometimes combining pastoral and hunting scenes.
Just some initial notes on items of interest in the scene:
Types of people
The diners are seated on the ground around a spread tablecloth. There are multiple dishes placed on the cloth with various types of food and drinks.
On the table
Items being held and manipulated by the diners
Drink
Background activities (mostly being performed by shepherds and others in lower-class dress)
Les Fastes de la Tapisserie du XVe au XVIIIe Siècle. 1984. Institut de France. Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris. Plate 3
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