Tableware China Set
Early 20th Century Japanese Art Deco Tableware
Ceramic
Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Tableware
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Tableware
Silver
20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Tableware
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American Modern Tableware
Ceramic
Vintage 1980s English Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Chinese Tableware
Stainless Steel
Antique Late 19th Century British Chinoiserie Tableware
Faience
Early 20th Century Japanese Anglo-Japanese Tableware
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Tableware
Silver Plate
Antique Late 19th Century British Chinoiserie Tableware
Faience
Early 20th Century Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Tableware
Porcelain
Vintage 1980s Japanese Post-Modern Tableware
Early 20th Century German Louis XV Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Jade
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century British Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Chinese Tableware
Coral, Silver
Late 20th Century Chinese Modern Tableware
Cotton
Recent Sales
Vintage 1930s American Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Porcelain
Antique 19th Century English Tableware
Early 20th Century Tableware
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
Antique Late 19th Century English Tableware
Porcelain
Vintage 1930s Great Britain (UK) Art Deco Tableware
Late 20th Century French Tableware
Lacquer
Late 20th Century French Art Deco Tableware
Lacquer
Antique 19th Century Chinese Tableware
Marble
20th Century Sterling Silver
Silver
Mid-20th Century American Tableware
Porcelain
Antique Mid-18th Century Chinese Chinese Export Tableware
Porcelain
Antique 19th Century Chinese Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Italian Tableware
Ceramic
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Tableware
Silver
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Tableware
Brass
Antique 19th Century Chinese Tableware
Silver
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Tableware
Ceramic
1990s Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Porcelain
Vintage 1920s British Tableware
Gold
20th Century German Tableware
20th Century American Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century American Tableware
Porcelain
Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century English Baroque Tableware
Ceramic, Porcelain
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Vintage 1930s English Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century American Tableware
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Tableware
Enamel
Late 20th Century Tableware
Porcelain
Vintage 1940s Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Tableware
Porcelain
Vintage 1940s Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic, Glass
Antique 19th Century Victorian Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Victorian Tableware
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Victorian Tableware
Porcelain
Vintage 1970s Chinese Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Chinese Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic, Porcelain
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
20th Century English Hollywood Regency Tableware
Porcelain
Vintage 1930s English Art Deco Tableware
Pottery
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Porcelain
Antique Late 19th Century British Chinoiserie Tableware
Faience
Vintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Porcelain
Vintage 1950s German Modern Tableware
Ceramic, Porcelain
Late 20th Century English American Classical Tableware
Ceramic
Antique 1830s Chinese Tableware
Ceramic
2010s Chinese Tableware
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Thai Chinese Chippendale Tableware
Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Tableware
Silver
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Tableware
Silver
Mid-20th Century American Tableware
People Also Browsed
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Barware
Bronze
20th Century Art Deco Barware
Chrome
20th Century Art Deco Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Dining Room Chairs
Velvet, Walnut
2010s Italian Organic Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
2010s Italian Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass
Vintage 1930s German Art Deco Decorative Boxes
Brass, Steel
Vintage 1970s Swedish Chesterfield Sofas
Leather
Antique 19th Century Dutch Rococo Revival Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and...
Brass
Late 20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Iron
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Canvas, Velvet, Walnut
Late 20th Century French Art Nouveau Barware
Glass
20th Century Art Nouveau Table Lamps
Art Glass
Vintage 1970s English Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Chrome
Antique 17th Century Renaissance Cabinets
Wood, Paint
Tableware China Set For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Tableware China Set?
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.
- What is a set of china?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertNovember 2, 2021A set of china refers to a set of tableware. 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. A set of china is likely to include dinner plates, bread plates, cups and other items. Find antique and vintage china on 1stDibs.
- Are China sets worth anything?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertFebruary 22, 2021The value of China depends on the brand as well as the age of the set. Antique pieces from certain companies such as Lenox or Welmar, particularly if they are rare, will be of higher value than newer items from a brand that engages in mass production.
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