$3,535 / set
H 1 in W 1 in D 1 in
Royal Windsor by Towle Sterling Silver Flatware Set Service 24 Pieces
By Towle Silversmiths
Located in Big Bend, WI
Royal Windsor by Towle sterling silver flatware set - 24 pieces. Great starter set! This set
Sterling Silver
$4,610 / set
H 1 in W 1 in D 1 in
Royal Windsor by Towle Sterling Silver Flatware Set for 8 Service 42 Pieces
By Towle Silversmiths
Located in Big Bend, WI
Royal Windsor by Towle sterling silver flatware set of 42 pieces. This set includes: Eight knives
Sterling Silver
$5,099 / set
H 1 in W 1 in D 1 in
Royal Windsor Gold by Towle Sterling Silver Flatware Set for Six Service Vermeil
By Towle Silversmiths
Located in Big Bend, WI
Royal Windsor Gold by Towle sterling silver flatware set - 24 pieces. This set is vermeil
Sterling Silver
$6,762 / set
H 12 in W 18 in D 18 in
Royal Windsor by Towle Sterling Silver Flatware Set for Eight Service 53 Pieces
By Towle Silversmiths
Located in Big Bend, WI
Beautiful Royal Windsor by Towle sterling silver Flatware set, 53 pieces. This set includes: 8
Sterling Silver
$8,759 / set
H 1 in W 1 in D 1 in
Royal Windsor by Towle Sterling Silver Flatware Service 12 Dinner Set 66 Pieces
By Towle Silversmiths
Located in Big Bend, WI
Beautiful Royal Windsor by Towle sterling silver dinner size flatware set of 66 pieces. This set
Sterling Silver
$4,866 / set
H 0.1 in W 0.1 in D 0.1 in
Wedgwood by International Sterling Silver Flatware Service Set 40 Pieces
By International Silver
Located in Big Bend, WI
Beautiful, heirloom quality Wedgwood by International sterling silver flatware set - 40 pieces. This set includes: Eight knives, 8 3/4". Eight forks, 7 1/4". Eight salad forks, 6 1/...
Sterling Silver
$12,000 / set
H 9.85 in W 20.08 in D 14.57 in
Mappin & Webb Cutlery Set for 12 People. England, Early 20th Century
By Mappin & Webb
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Mappin & Webb silver plate cutlery set for 12 people, England, early 20th century. Complete for 12 people. A total of 130 pieces: 12 large knifes, 12 large forks and 12 large s...
Silver Plate
$20,000Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 13 in W 21.26 in D 17.72 in
Silver 800 Cutlery Set for 12 People, Düsseldorf, Germany, Late 19th Century
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Silver 800 cutlery set for 12 people. Düsseldorf, Germany, late 19th century. Jugendstil period. Complete for 12 people. A total of 164 pieces: 12 large knifes, 12 large forks and 1...
Sterling Silver
$9,850
H 18 in W 24 in D 24 in
A Fine Early 20th Century 152 Piece Austrian Flatware Set by Berndorf Alpacca
By Berndorfer Metallwarenfabrik
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Fine Early 20th Century 152 Piece Austrian Dinnerware Flatware Set by Berndorfer Metallwaaren-Fabrik, stamped 'Berndorf Alpacca', The Neoclassical Revival style set of Alpacca flat...
Alpaca, Wood
$95,950 / set
H 12 in W 18 in D 18 in
Chrysanthemum Tiffany Sterling Silver Flatware Set Service 255 pcs Fitted Chest
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Big Bend, WI
Chrysanthemum (c1880) originally called Indian Chrysanthemum .Tiffany's luxurious Chrysanthemum silver was designed in 1880 by Charles Grosjean. With its flowing curves, swirling ve...
Sterling Silver
$87,595
H 1 in W 1 in D 1 in
San Lorenzo, Tiffany & Co. Sterling Silver Flatware Set 340 Pcs in Fitted Chest
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Big Bend, WI
San Lorenzo was introduced by Tiffany & Co. in the year 1916. Named for Florence's Church of San Lorenzo, its shield and paneling are typical of Renaissance Revival design. This nobl...
Sterling Silver
Fabergé Silver Service
By Fabergé
Located in New Orleans, LA
This extraordinary 128-piece service by Fabergé is a rare treasure in more ways than one. Enclosed in its original oak chest, the exquisite service remains complete and in pristine c...
Silver
Antique Sterling Silver Canteen of Cutlery for Twelve Persons
By Viners 1
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
A magnificent, fine and impressive, comprehensive antique George V English sterling silver Sandringham pattern flatware service for twelve persons - boxed; an addition to our canteen...
Silver, Sterling Silver
$5,975 / set
H 12 in W 18 in D 18 in
Trousseau by International Sterling Silver Flatware Set for 8 Service 45 Pieces
By International Silver
Located in Big Bend, WI
Trousseau by International Sterling silver flatware set - 45 pieces. This set includes: 8 knives, 9 1/8" 8 forks, 7 1/4" 8 salad forks, 6 1/2" 8 teaspoons, 6" 8 cream soup spoons, ...
Sterling Silver
$43,243 / set
H 0.1 in W 0.1 in D 0.1 in
Antique Custom Engraved by Tiffany Sterling Silver Flatware Set Service 67 Pcs
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Big Bend, WI
Edward Moore, designer of this pattern, dominated the first era of Tiffany made flatware and designed several full lines of sterling patterns. Moore's father manufactured for Tiffany...
Sterling Silver
Gorham Sterling Silver Flatware Service, 764 Pieces
By Gorham
Located in New Orleans, LA
This monumental American sterling silver flatware service by Gorham epitomizes the stately glamour of turn-of-the-century dining. A total of 705 pieces in the beloved Versailles patt...
Sterling Silver
$39,529 / set
H 12 in W 18 in D 18 in
French 950 Sterling Silver Flatware Set Service 175 Pieces in Large Fitted Chest
Located in Big Bend, WI
Outstanding monumental French 950 silver dinner size high quality Louis XV style Flatware set - 175 pieces. This set includes: 12 Dinner Size Knives, pointed, 9 7/8" 12 Large Din...
Sterling Silver
Tiffany & Co. Colonial Silver Flatware Service for 12
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in New Orleans, LA
Sterling Silver Flatware Service for 12 Tiffany & Co. This exquisite 180-piece sterling silver flatware service for 12 by Tiffany & Co. is crafted in the distinguished Colon...
Sterling Silver
Tiffany & Co. San Lorenzo Silver Flatware Service, 248 Pieces
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in New Orleans, LA
This extensive 248-piece sterling silver flatware service was crafted by the legendary Tiffany & Co. in the classic San Lorenzo pattern. Inspired by and named after the famous Fl...
Sterling Silver
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.