$11,566
H 9 in W 17 in D 7.5 in
Royal Blue Porcelain and Gilt Bronze Inkwell and Pen Tray in the Louis XVI Taste
Located in London, GB
An Ensemble de Bureau in the Louis XVI Taste Constructed using gilt bronze, and 'Sevres' style porcelain having 'Bleu de Roi' borders, and hand painted with polychrome foliate and...
Ormolu, Bronze
Unavailable
H 2.56 in W 11.03 in D 3.35 in
A rare Duesbury & Kean period Derby Porcelain Pen Tray c.1810
By Derby
Located in Exeter, GB
A very rare Duesbury & Kean period Derby Porcelain Pen Tray c.1810. The rectangular shape tray with scroll-moulded handles and lions paw feet, boldly painted trompe l'oeil style wit...
Porcelain
Antique French Ormolu & Sevres Porcelain Pen Tray, 19th Century
Located in London, GB
This is a wonderful antique French ormolu pen tray, mounted with three Bleu Celeste Sevres porcelain plaques that have been beautifully gilded and painted with floral bouquets, C 187...
Ormolu
Unusual Feather Shaped Pen Tray
Located in Essex, MA
Unusual Old Paris or Possibly Italian Porcelain Pen Tray in The Shape of a Feather
Porcelain
Antique Meissen Pen Tray in Hand Painted Porcelain with Merchants
Located in København, Copenhagen
Antique Meissen pen tray in hand painted porcelain with merchants and gold decoration, 19th century.
Porcelain
Sold
H 2.37 in Dm 3.55 in
Meissen Blue Onion Inkwell and Pen Tray in Hand-Painted Porcelain, Approx. 1900
Located in København, Copenhagen
Meissen Blue Onion inkwell and pen tray in hand-painted porcelain. Approx. 1900.
Porcelain
Chamberlains Worcester Pen Tray, ‘Claremont’, circa 1820
By Chamberlains Worcester
Located in Gargrave, North Yorkshire
Chamberlains Worcester porcelain pen tray, circa 1820. Painted to the centre, with a titled view of ‘Claremont’, Esher, Surrey.
Porcelain
Royal Copenhagen Art Nouveau Bat Pen Tray #457
By Royal Copenhagen
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Royal Copenhagen Art Nouveau bat pen tray #457. Measures 22 cm and is in good condition. Marked a second, as it has a glaze bubble that has burst.
Porcelain
Royal Copenhagen Art Nouveau Bat Pen Tray No 457
By Royal Copenhagen
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Royal Copenhagen Art Nouveau bat pen tray No 457. Measures 22 cm / 8 21/32 in. Has a small chip on one ear.
Porcelain
Royal Copenhagen Art Nouveau Bat Pen Tray
By Royal Copenhagen
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Royal Copenhagen Art Nouveau bat pen tray #457. Measures 22cm and is in good condition. Marked a second, as it has a glaze bubble that has bust.
Porcelain
$163,296
H 80.71 in W 36.23 in D 15.75 in
Empire Style Vitrine Cabinet with Integral Clock by Eugene Brunet
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A very fine Amboyna wood and gilt-bronze empire style vitrine cabinet with a glazed front and sides. The cabinet is mounted all over with superb quality well chiselled gilt-bronze mo...
Ormolu
$2,100
H 6 in W 7 in D 5 in
19th Century French Empire Cloisonné Bronze Jewelry Casket with Velvet Interior
Located in North Miami, FL
19th century French Empire cloisonne bronze jewelry casket with blue velvet interior By: unknown Material: bronze, velvet, enamel, metal, copper Technique: gilt, cloisonné, champlev...
Bronze, Enamel, Metal, Copper
French 19th Century Silver Plated Casket
Located in London, GB
The whole casket is richly decorated. Standing on lions paw feet adorned with baroque motifs the scene on top depicts cupid stood beside two lovers (possibly) Daphne and Apollo. The ...
Silver Plate
$9,850Sale Price|23% Off
H 5.25 in W 26 in D 22 in
A French 19th-20th Century Ebonized Wood & Plated Surtout de Table Centerpiece
By Gianmaria Buccellati
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine French 19th-20th century neoclassical revival style ebonized wood and figural silver plated mounted plateau Surtout de Table centerpiece in the manner of Buccellati. The ...
Wood
$163,296
H 90.95 in W 61.03 in D 77.56 in
IMPORTANT BISHOP JAMES STANLEY 1508 KING HENRY VII ENGLiSH OAK TUDOR TESTER BED
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this very rare and highly important, Museum quality, English Tudor King Henry VII Oak tester bed made for an...
Oak
$65,000
H 56 in W 98 in D 72 in
19th Century French Empire Queen Bed in Mahogany & Bronze, Swan Design
Located in Queens, NY
French Empire-style mahogany and bronze and gilt trimmed queen size bed with swan design (includes: headboard, footboard, rails). (19th Century reproduction of Josephine Bonaparte's ...
Bronze, Gold Leaf
$84,950 / set
H 42 in W 28 in D 17.63 in
Pair of French Napoleon III Figural Ormolu and Porcelain Mounted Side-Cabinets
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine pair of French Napoleon III figural ormolu and porcelain (probably Sevres) mounted tulipwood Meuble A Hauteur D'Appui. The rectangular shaped body fitted with a white mar...
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
$197,317 / set
H 44.5 in W 30 in D 19.5 in
Rare Pair of 19th Century Cabinets by Grohé with a Noble Italian Provenance
Located in London, GB
An Important Pair of Cabinets By Grohé Frères of Paris From a Noble Genoese Family Constructed primarily from matched tulipwood throughout, with purpleheart and bois de rose bandin...
Ormolu
$129,276
H 45.28 in W 32.68 in D 16.54 in
Pair of Gilt-Bronze Mounted Ebonised Meubles D'appui by Mathieu Béfort
By Mathieu Béfort
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A pair of French gilt-bronze mounted and ebonised meubles d'appui, by Mathieu Béfort dit Béfort Jeune. Each has a vert maurin marble top above a cupboard door applied with large ...
Bronze
$38,900
H 21.75 in W 18 in D 18 in
French 19th Century Louis XVI St. Ormolu Centerpiece Attributed to Henry Dasson
By Henry Dasson
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A stunning and extremely high quality French 19th century Louis XVI st. ormolu centerpiece attributed to Henry Dasson. The centerpiece is raised by an exceptional and most decorative...
Ormolu
$45,000 / set
H 42 in W 12 in D 12 in
Magnificent French Empire Napoleonic Sevres Porcelain Gilt Bronze Pedestals Pair
By Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres
Located in New York, NY
An exceptionally large and magnificent pair of French Empire Napoleonic Sèvres porcelain gilt bronze mounted pedestals. These are a exceptionally beautiful pair of 19th century 24-ka...
Onyx, Bronze
$94,015Sale Price|20% Off
H 18.31 in W 13 in D 1.97 in
Paolo di Giovanni Sogliani - Processional Cross Florence, around 1515
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Paolo di Giovanni Sogliani (Florence 1455-1522) Processional Cross Florence, around 1515 Enameled, chiseled, engraved, stippled, and gilded copper; wooden core ; Inscription: "OPA...
Copper, Enamel
Large Empire-Style Ormolu and Malachite Centre Table
Located in London, GB
Large Empire-style ormolu and malachite centre table French, 20th Century Height 85cm, width 165.5cm, depth 85.5cm This superb centre table pairs vibrant malachite with classical o...
Malachite, Ormolu
19th Century Swiss Gold Musical Vinaigrette
Located in New Orleans, LA
This early 19th century Swiss gold vinaigrette has the charming addition of a musical mechanism. The entire box is crafted of 14-karat yellow gold enveloped in delicate engine-turned...
Gold, Enamel
$20,412
H 30.71 in W 10.24 in D 9.06 in
Sèvres Style Porcelain Mounted Jewellery Box on Stand Attributed to Giroux
By Alphonse Giroux et Cie
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A fine transitional style gilt-bronze and Sèvres style porcelain mounted Jewelry box on stand, attributed to Alphonse Giroux. This exquisite petite jewelry box on stand has a hing...
Porcelain, Wood
French Onyx and Enamel Miniature Table Cabinet
Located in London, GB
This elegant dressing table cabinet uses precious materials on a delicate scale, resulting in a piece that is both practical and luxurious. The cabinet is crafted in green onyx a...
Onyx, Marble, Ormolu, Bronze, Enamel
Today you’re likely to bring out your antique and vintage porcelain in order to dress up your dining table for a special meal.
Porcelain, a durable and nonporous kind of pottery made from clay and stone, was first made in China and spread across the world owing to the trade routes to the Far East established by Dutch and Portuguese merchants. Given its origin, English speakers called porcelain “fine china,” an expression you still might hear today. "Fine" indeed — for over a thousand years, it has been a highly sought-after material.
Meissen Porcelain, one of the first factories to create real porcelain outside Asia, popularized figurine centerpieces during the 18th century in Germany, while works by Capodimonte, a porcelain factory in Italy, are synonymous with flowers and notoriously hard to come by. Modern porcelain houses such as Maison Fragile of Limoges, France — long a hub of private porcelain manufacturing — keep the city’s long tradition alive while collaborating with venturesome contemporary artists such as illustrator Jean-Michel Tixier.
Porcelain is not totally clumsy-guest-proof, but it is surprisingly durable and easy to clean. Its low permeability and hardness have rendered porcelain wares a staple in kitchens and dining rooms as well as a common material for bathroom sinks and dental veneers. While it is tempting to store your porcelain behind closed glass cabinet doors and reserve it only for display, your porcelain dinner plates and serving platters can safely weather the “dangers” of the dining room and be used during meals.
Add different textures and colors to your table with dinner plates and pitchers of ceramic and silver or a porcelain lidded tureen, a serving dish with side handles that is often used for soups. Although porcelain and ceramic are both made in a kiln, porcelain is made with more refined clay and is stronger than ceramic because it is denser.
On 1stDibs, browse an expansive collection of antique and vintage porcelain made in a variety of styles, including Regency, Scandinavian modern and other examples produced during the mid-century era, plus Rococo, which found its inspiration in nature and saw potters crafting animal figurines and integrating organic motifs such as floral patterns in their work.
Simple or sophisticated, equipped with console, cart or custom cabinetry, these stylish bar areas deserve a toast.
After synthetic dyes changed fashion, home goods and printed matter, it was only a matter of time till glass caught up.
Faye Toogood and John Pawson are among the list of plate designers.
Top interior designers show — and tell — us how to create delectable spaces for hosting dinner parties.
Perhaps best known as a Revolutionary War hero, Revere was also an accomplished silversmith, and this pot is now available on 1stDibs.
Clever objects like these make feasting even more festive.
Get to know the innovators behind the pottery countercultural revolution.
Glass slippers might be the stuff of fairytales, but glass handbags? Artist Joshua Raiffe has made them a reality, and they're far less delicate than you might imagine, but just as dreamy.