Tableware
2010s Mexican Minimalist Tableware
Stone
Late 19th Century French Japonisme Antique Tableware
Gold
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century North American Tableware
Silver Plate
1920s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century British Antique Tableware
Porcelain
19th Century Indian Other Antique Tableware
Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1880s American Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
2010s Italian Queen Anne Tableware
Silver
Mid-18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Tableware
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Steel, Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century German Tableware
Wood, Oak
1910s Danish Art Nouveau Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Swedish Tableware
Stainless Steel
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1720s English George I Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1770s English George III Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s American Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1870s English Antique Tableware
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary English Tableware
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Brass
2010s Italian Art Deco Tableware
Silver
1920s English Art Nouveau Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century American Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal
18th Century English Georgian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
1960s Italian Vintage Tableware
Steel
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century German Baroque Antique Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century American Victorian Tableware
Silver Plate
1990s Austrian Post-Modern Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s Danish Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver, Enamel
20th Century Unknown Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Tableware
Iron
1910s British Vintage Tableware
Sheffield Plate
1750s British George II Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1770s English George III Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-19th Century Italian Baroque Antique Tableware
Porcelain
1770s English George III Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Rosewood
Late 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Japanese Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Chinese Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic, Stoneware
20th Century Austrian Tableware
Brass
1950s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1980s French Modern Vintage Tableware
Crystal
1950s Vintage 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.
Read More
Paul Revere Crafted This Silver Coffee Pot 250 Years Ago
Perhaps best known as a Revolutionary War hero, Revere was also an accomplished silversmith, and this pot is now available on 1stDibs.
From Arne Jacobsen to Zaha Hadid, Top Designers Tackle Tableware
Clever objects like these make feasting even more festive.