Tableware
Early 20th Century German Edwardian Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century British Antique Tableware
Ceramic
20th Century German Folk Art Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Tableware
Stainless Steel
1970s American Chinoiserie Vintage Tableware
Silver
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Tableware
Silver Plate
1920s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s Russian Empire Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
1940s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Teak
Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
Fruitwood
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century German Brutalist Tableware
Metal
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1890s Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Tableware
Blown Glass
1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Brass
Early 20th Century Tableware
Silver
2010s Mexican Tableware
Stone
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Baroque Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century English Georgian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Indian Late Victorian Tableware
Silver, Brass
Mid-20th Century British Modern Tableware
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Metal, Silver Plate
1970s English Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1980s French Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Russian Antique Tableware
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Country Tableware
Ceramic
1980s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
1980s Austrian Modern Vintage Tableware
Silver, Steel
Late 19th Century German Neoclassical Antique Tableware
Silver
1950s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century English Art Deco Tableware
Chrome
1860s Austrian Biedermeier Antique Tableware
Metal, Silver
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century French Tableware
Crystal, Bronze
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Asian Tableware
Wood
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
1910s Danish Art Nouveau Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Copper, Iron
2010s British Minimalist Tableware
Wood, Walnut, Bentwood
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Gold
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
1960s Italian Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal, Silver Plate
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Tableware
Silver Plate
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Brass
1910s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1950s French French Provincial Vintage Tableware
Earthenware
Late 19th Century English Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Dutch Antique Tableware
Porcelain
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
Mid-20th Century Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century Antique 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.
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