Tableware
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century German Folk Art Tableware
Porcelain
Late 20th Century European Post-Modern Tableware
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Cambodian Tableware
Rattan
Late 19th Century English Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
18th Century British George III Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Tableware
Silver Plate
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
1930s American Vintage Tableware
Gold
Early 20th Century Swedish Art Nouveau Tableware
Metal, Silver Plate
1750s British George II Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1990s French Tableware
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Tableware
Enamel
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century Unknown Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver, Enamel
20th Century American Victorian Tableware
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary English Tableware
Ceramic
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Russian Antique Tableware
Silver
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Tableware
Crystal, Metal, Silver, Silver Plate
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Metal, Gold Plate
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s Spanish Arts and Crafts Vintage Tableware
Copper
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Gold Leaf
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
Late 19th Century German Neoclassical Antique Tableware
Silver
1980s British Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century British Chinoiserie Antique Tableware
Faience
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Tableware
Cotton
1930s French Brutalist Vintage Tableware
Wood
1760s English Georgian Antique Tableware
Creamware, Pottery
1960s German Other Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s French Vintage Tableware
Glass
Late 19th Century English Chinoiserie Antique Tableware
Lacquer
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Italian Tableware
Silver
1950s British Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1990s French Louis XVI Tableware
Silver Plate
1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Swedish Tableware
Stainless Steel
20th Century Tableware
Silver Plate
2010s Tableware
Copper, Enamel
1950s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1940s American Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s English Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
Late 19th Century Austrian Renaissance Revival Antique Tableware
Enamel, Ormolu
1910s Vintage Tableware
Gold, Enamel
20th Century 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.
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.