Tableware
Mid-20th Century French Tableware
Ceramic
1770s English George III Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1780s English Neoclassical Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Brass
1880s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1910s English Vintage Tableware
Britannia Standard Silver
1790s English George III Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century French Tableware
Ceramic
2010s Spanish Brutalist Tableware
Aluminum, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Ceramic
2010s Italian Tableware
Steel
20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Ceramic
2010s Italian Tableware
Steel
2010s Italian Tableware
Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Brass
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal
1960s English Georgian Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1940s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Walnut
2010s Italian Tableware
Marble, Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Tableware
Stainless Steel
Late 19th Century Swedish Art Deco Antique Tableware
Crystal, Gold Plate, Silver, Sterling Silver
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Wood
Late 20th Century Philippine Bohemian Tableware
Brass
1980s Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
Early 20th Century British Edwardian Tableware
Crystal, Sterling Silver
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century French Tableware
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Irish Edwardian Tableware
Crystal, Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
20th Century French Hollywood Regency Tableware
Porcelain
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Brass
20th Century Portuguese French Provincial Tableware
Porcelain
19th Century German Antique Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Silver Plate
2010s American Tableware
Textile
Late 20th Century French Louis XV Tableware
Metal
2010s Tableware
Textile
2010s American Tableware
Velvet, Acrylic
1970s Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
20th Century Art Deco Tableware
Silver Plate
2010s French Tableware
Silver
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Maple, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Resin
1890s European Belle Époque Antique Tableware
Silver
2010s Tableware
Gold Plate, Brass
2010s French Tableware
Gold
20th Century French French Provincial Tableware
Brass, Copper, Tin
1930s Danish Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Tableware
Ceramic, Majolica
Mid-20th Century French Tableware
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American American Colonial Tableware
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century American Japonisme Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Tableware
Ceramic
20th Century American Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Indian Late Victorian Tableware
Silver, Brass
Antique and Vintage Tableware
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.