Tableware
1960s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1970s English Vintage Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
1920s Danish Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver
Early 1900s Danish Antique Tableware
18th Century English George III Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
1940s English Other Vintage Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century German Rococo Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Fabric
Mid-20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Majolica, Pottery, Ceramic
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1850s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
1930s Swiss Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1870s British Aesthetic Movement Antique Tableware
Porcelain
1910s Dutch Vintage Tableware
Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1920s Danish Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1940s Danish Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass, Wire
1850s European Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1830s English William IV Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
20th Century Hungarian Tableware
Porcelain
1920s English Vintage Tableware
Silver, Britannia Standard Silver
Early 20th Century Tableware
Metal
Late 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1850s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Tableware
Blown Glass
2010s American Tableware
Linen
19th Century English Antique Tableware
Paste, Porcelain
1960s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century English Early Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver
1830s British Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s French Brutalist Vintage Tableware
Nickel
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Danish Tableware
Porcelain
Early 1900s English Aesthetic Movement Antique Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century American Art Nouveau Tableware
Fabric, Wicker
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Tableware
Faience, Ceramic
1850s Swedish Antique Tableware
Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1860s Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Brass
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Early 1900s English Edwardian Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century English Rococo Revival Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1950s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Porcelain
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
1930s English Other Vintage Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
1890s Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
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.