Tableware
Mid-20th Century Dutch Tableware
Metal, Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Belgian Tableware
Metal
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Oak
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
1930s English Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Hollywood Regency Vintage Tableware
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Tableware
Silver Plate
1970s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
Mid-20th Century Art Deco Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Victorian Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Victorian Tableware
Silver Plate
2010s Thai Art Deco Tableware
Marble
1970s British Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Swiss Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Metal, Chrome
Early 20th Century English Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century German Tableware
Stainless Steel
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Tableware
Crystal
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Ironstone
1970s Italian Hollywood Regency Vintage Tableware
Brass
2010s Tableware
Stoneware
19th Century American Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century American Aesthetic Movement Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s Italian Modern Vintage Tableware
Alpaca
Late 19th Century German Antique Tableware
Silver
1910s British Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Gold Plate, Brass
2010s Organic Modern Tableware
Stoneware
Early 20th Century Edwardian Tableware
Silver Plate
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Metal, Gold Plate
1840s Scottish Gothic Revival Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Crystal
2010s Italian Tableware
Quartz, Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century German Black Forest Tableware
Metal
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Tableware
Stainless Steel, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Brass, Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Silver Plate, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Guatemalan Tableware
Cotton
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Opaline Glass
20th Century Tableware
Porcelain
1940s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
1920s British Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Arts and Crafts Tableware
Murano Glass
20th Century French Other Tableware
Stainless Steel
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Aluminum
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Glass, Plastic
2010s Italian Tableware
Porcelain
19th Century English Late Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Iron
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Guatemalan Tableware
Cotton
Late 20th Century Italian Other Tableware
Fruitwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Arts and Crafts Tableware
Murano Glass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
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.