Tea Cup With Geisha Bottom
Early 20th Century Japanese Other Tea Sets
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Tea Sets
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Japanese Japonisme Tea Sets
Gold
20th Century Japanese Porcelain
Porcelain
Recent Sales
20th Century Japanese Japonisme Tea Sets
Ceramic, Porcelain, Paint
Vintage 1920s Japanese Japonisme Tea Sets
Gold
People Also Browsed
Antique Late 19th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Japanese Meiji Tableware
Porcelain
Antique Early 19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Porcelain
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Walnut
Antique Late 19th Century Italian Louis XV Sofas
Gold, Gold Leaf
20th Century Danish Other Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique 19th Century English Chinese Chippendale Vitrines
Glass, Mahogany
2010s British Louis XVI Sofas
Wood, Giltwood
Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Dinner Plates
Ironstone
Antique 1790s English George III Dinner Plates
Porcelain
20th Century German Regency Dinner Plates
Porcelain
Antique 18th Century French Baroque Figurative Sculptures
Oak
Vintage 1920s Danish Scandinavian Modern Bookcases
Mahogany
Antique Mid-19th Century English High Victorian Taxidermy
Other
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century English Dinner Plates
Porcelain
Finding the Right Tea-sets for You
Ready to serve high tea and brunch for your family and friends? Start with the right antique, new or vintage tea set.
Tea is a multicultural, multinational beverage and isn’t confined to any particular lifestyle or age group. It has humble beginnings, and one of its best-known origin stories places the first cups of tea in 2700 B.C. in China, where it was recognized for its medicinal properties. Jump ahead to 17th-century England, when Chinese tea began to arrive at ports in London. During the early 1800s, tea became widely affordable, and the concept of teatime took shape all over England. Today, more than 150 million people reportedly drink tea daily in the United States.
Early tea drinkers enjoyed their beverage in a bowl, and English potters eventually added a handle to the porcelain bowls so that burning your fingers became less of a teatime hazard. With the rise in the popularity of teatime, tea sets, also referred to as tea service, became a hot commodity.
During Queen Victoria’s reign, teakettles and coffeepots were added to tea services that were quite large — indeed, small baked goods were served with your drink back then, and a tea set could include many teacups and saucers, a milk pot and other accessories.
During the early 1920s, a sterling-silver full tea service and tray designed by Tiffany & Co. might include a hot-water kettle on a stand, a coffeepot, teapot, a creamer with a small lip spout, a waste bowl and a bowl for sugar, which the British were stirring into tea as early as the 18th century.
But you don’t have to limit your tea set to Victorian or Art Deco styles — shake up teatime with an artful contemporary service. If the bold porcelain cups and saucers by Italian brand Seletti are too unconventional for your otherwise subdued tea circle, find antique services on 1stDibs from Japan, France and other locales as well as vintage mid-century modern tea sets and neoclassical designs.
Read More
How a Craving for Color Revolutionized Glass
After synthetic dyes changed fashion, home goods and printed matter, it was only a matter of time till glass caught up.
1882 Ltd. Looks to the Future of Ceramics in the U.K. with an Eclectic Exhibition and Auction
Faye Toogood and John Pawson are among the list of plate designers.
20 Inviting Dining Rooms Perfectly Arranged for Entertaining
Top interior designers show — and tell — us how to create delectable spaces for hosting dinner parties.
Paul Revere Crafted This Silver Coffee Pot 250 Years Ago
Perhaps best known as a Revolutionary War hero, Revere was also an accomplished silversmith, and this pot is now available on 1stDibs.
From Arne Jacobsen to Zaha Hadid, Top Designers Tackle Tableware
Clever objects like these make feasting even more festive.
How the Chunky, Funky Ceramics of 5 Mid-Century American Artists Balanced Out Slick Modernism
Get to know the innovators behind the pottery countercultural revolution.
Ready for a Cinderella Moment? This Glass Handbag Is a Perfect Fit
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.
With Dansk, Jens Quistgaard Delivered Danish Simplicity to American Tables
When a visionary Copenhagen designer teamed up with an enterprising Long Island couple, Scandi-style magic landed in kitchens and dining rooms across the United States.