Tableware
1810s Hungarian Antique Tableware
Silver
20th Century Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1720s English George I Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century English Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century English Art Deco Tableware
Chrome
Mid-20th Century British Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1990s French Tableware
Porcelain
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
1950s Unknown Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Brass
1770s English George III Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s French Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Porcelain, Stoneware
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Murano Glass
1870s British Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1780s English George III Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Maiolica
Late 20th Century German Tableware
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Tableware
Copper, Enamel
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1940s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
18th Century British George III Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Italian Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s American Chinoiserie Vintage Tableware
Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Crystal
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Teak
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s Spanish Arts and Crafts Vintage Tableware
Copper
1980s Bauhaus Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel, Chrome
1950s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century British Chinoiserie Antique Tableware
Faience
1890s English Regency Revival Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Tableware
Wood
1970s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Crystal
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Tableware
Copper, Enamel
1940s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1910s German Vintage Tableware
Silver
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
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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