Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
1990s Mexican Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Malachite, Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ebony, Macassar
1980s Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Brass
20th Century French Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Crystal
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Art Glass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Crystal
2010s European Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Clay
1990s German Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
1980s British Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Silver Plate
20th Century German Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
1960s French Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Silver Plate
1990s American Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic, Pottery
2010s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Copper
1980s Austrian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Silver, Steel
1980s British Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Sterling Silver
2010s Dutch Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Marble
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
2010s Central American Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Stainless Steel
1960s French Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
20th Century German Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Crystal
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Sterling Silver, Enamel
1960s French Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Sterling Silver
20th Century German Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Murano Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Metal
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1960s French Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic, Earthenware
Mid-20th Century Mexican Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Silver
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Late 20th Century American Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Cotton
Early 2000s Mexican Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Silver Plate
2010s Mexican Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Resin
1980s American Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
20th Century British Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Pottery, Stoneware