Tableware
Late 19th Century American Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal
Mid-20th Century Japanese Anglo-Japanese Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century British Antique Tableware
Porcelain
2010s Modern Tableware
Crystal
Mid-19th Century European Grand Tour Antique Tableware
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Resin
1940s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Resin
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Brass, Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Resin
1920s British Vintage Tableware
Gold, Enamel
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Hungarian Tableware
Porcelain
1940s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century American Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1910s German Art Nouveau Vintage Tableware
Metal
1970s North American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1950s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1770s English George III Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century German Tableware
Metal, Silver Plate
Late 19th Century American Aesthetic Movement Antique Tableware
Ceramic
20th Century Tableware
Stainless Steel
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Resin
1920s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s French Space Age Vintage Tableware
Plastic
20th Century English Art Deco Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century English Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century British Victorian Antique Tableware
Ceramic
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Tableware
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Gold
2010s American Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1990s French Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century British Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
Early 1900s American Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Metal
1970s Vintage Tableware
Mirror
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Metal, Aluminum
2010s Mexican Minimalist Tableware
Stone
1940s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Tableware
Crystal, Metal, Silver, Silver Plate
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Brass
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Brass
1970s French Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
1880s English Aesthetic Movement Antique Tableware
Creamware
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century English Art Deco Tableware
Chrome
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.
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