In the late 1700s and early 1800s,painters sometimes included 'staffages' in their work - human and animal figures that weren't the primary figure, but which added life to the work. 'Staffage' means 'accessories' or 'decoration' in German, or was used to describe figures that had no specific identity or legend,but which were included for compositional or decorative purposes.
It's the name German-born artist Steffi Klenz has chosen for her latest series, which was commissioned by Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery and features objects from its collection. Researching the museum's collections catalogue, and Klenz got interested in museum theory - the plan that objects are given equal status through the way an institution registers,describes, displays and cares for them, or gain their value through the way they represent our shared stories.
Source: bjp-online.com