Antique Tableware Sets
1890s French Art Nouveau Antique Tableware Sets
Majolica
Late 19th Century Austrian Late Victorian Antique Tableware Sets
Glass
Early 20th Century German Antique Tableware Sets
Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Antique Tableware Sets
Silver
1910s European Antique Tableware Sets
Porcelain
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Antique Tableware Sets
Porcelain
1920s French Art Deco Antique Tableware Sets
Glass
1920s French Art Deco Antique Tableware Sets
Glass
Early 1900s Luxembourgish Art Nouveau Antique Tableware Sets
Majolica
Late 19th Century Dutch Antique Tableware Sets
Porcelain
1910s English Edwardian Antique Tableware Sets
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Danish Antique Tableware Sets
Silver
1890s Antique Tableware Sets
Copper
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Tableware Sets
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Japanese Antique Tableware Sets
Metal
19th Century French Antique Tableware Sets
Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Antique Tableware Sets
Silver Plate, Brass
Early 20th Century Mexican Antique Tableware Sets
Sterling Silver
1910s Danish Art Nouveau Antique Tableware Sets
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century British Edwardian Antique Tableware Sets
Sterling Silver
1860s British Victorian Antique Tableware Sets
Copper
19th Century Italian Art Deco Antique Tableware Sets
Sterling Silver, Brass
Early 20th Century German Jugendstil Antique Tableware Sets
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Tableware Sets
Bronze
Early 20th Century German French Provincial Antique Tableware Sets
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century French Antique Tableware Sets
Earthenware
Early 20th Century German French Provincial Antique Tableware Sets
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century German Edwardian Antique Tableware Sets
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Edwardian Antique Tableware Sets
Silver Plate
19th Century French Mid-Century Modern Antique Tableware Sets
Earthenware
1910s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Tableware Sets
Brass
Early 20th Century French Provincial Antique Tableware Sets
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century German French Provincial Antique Tableware Sets
Silver Plate
1860s English Victorian Antique Tableware Sets
Silver
1920s English Country Antique Tableware Sets
Pottery
1870s British Victorian Antique Tableware Sets
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Antique Tableware Sets
Silver
Early 20th Century American American Classical Antique Tableware Sets
Silver Plate
1920s European Antique Tableware Sets
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Unknown Art Deco Antique Tableware Sets
Silver Plate, Brass
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Antique Tableware Sets
Porcelain
1750s English Georgian Antique Tableware Sets
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s English Edwardian Antique Tableware Sets
Silver
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tableware Sets
Pearlware
Mid-19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Tableware Sets
Copper
Early 20th Century American Victorian Antique Tableware Sets
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century American Victorian Antique Tableware Sets
Silver Plate
1880s English Victorian Antique Tableware Sets
Silver, Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Tableware Sets
Faience
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware Sets
Ironstone
Late 19th Century English Antique Tableware Sets
Silver
1690s English Antique Tableware Sets
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Unknown Belle Époque Antique Tableware Sets
Silver Plate
1920s Chinese Other Antique Tableware Sets
Metal
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Antique Tableware Sets
Silver Plate
19th Century German Antique Tableware Sets
Silver
Late 19th Century British Edwardian Antique Tableware Sets
Sheffield Plate
1890s Antique Tableware Sets
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Edwardian Antique Tableware Sets
Silver Plate
1780s Spanish Antique Tableware Sets
Sterling Silver
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Antique Tableware Sets For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Antique Tableware Sets?
Finding the Right tableware for You
While it isn’t always top of mind for some, antique and vintage tableware can enhance even the most informal meal. It has been an intimate part of how we’ve interacted with our food for millennia.
Tableware has played a basic but important role in everyday life. Ancient Egyptians used spoons (which are classified as flatware) made of ivory and wood, while Greeks and Romans, who gathered for banquets involving big meals and entertainment, ate with forks and knives. At the beginning of the 17th century, however, forks were still uncommon in American homes. Over time, tableware has thankfully evolved and today includes increasingly valuable implements.
Tableware refers to the tools people use to set the table, including serving pieces, dinner plates and more. It encompasses everything from the intricate and elaborate to the austere and functional, yet are all what industrial product designer Jasper Morrison might call “Super Normal” — anonymous objects that are too useful to be considered banal.
There are four general categories of tableware — serveware, dinnerware, drinkware and, lastly, flatware, which is commonly referred to as silverware or cutlery. Serveware includes serving bowls, platters, gravy boats, casserole pans and ladles. Most tableware is practical, but it can also be decorative. And decorative objects count as tableware too. Even though they don’t fit squarely into one of the four categories, vases, statues and floral arrangements are traditional centerpieces.
Drinkware appropriately refers to the vessels we use for our beverages — mugs, cups and glasses. There is a good deal of variety that falls under this broad term. For example, your cheerful home bar or mid-century modern bar cart might be outfitted with a full range of vintage barware, which might include pilsner glasses and tumblers. Specialty cocktails are often served in these custom glasses, but they’re still a type of drinkware.
Every meal should be special — even if you’re using earthenware or stoneware for a casual lunch — but perhaps you’re hosting a dinner party to mark a specific event. The right high-quality tableware can bring a touch of luxury to your cuisine. Young couples, for example, traditionally add “fine china,” or porcelain, to their wedding registry as a commemoration of their union and likely wouldn’t turn down exquisite silver made by Tiffany & Co. or Georg Jensen.
It’s important to remember, however, that when you’re setting the dining room table to have fun with it. Just as you might mix and match your dining chairs, don’t be afraid to mix new and old or high and low with your tableware. On 1stDibs, find an extraordinary range of vintage and antique tableware to help elevate your meal as well as the mood and atmosphere of your entire dining room.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022To identify an antique tea set, look for hallmarks on the bottoms of the pieces. Handwritten markings indicate a set produced prior to the 19th century. You can also research the pattern to get a rough idea of when the maker manufactured it. Shop a range of expertly vetted antique tea sets on 1stDibs.
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