Tableware
Mid-20th Century German Beaux Arts Tableware
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Marble
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Tableware
Ceramic
19th Century French Antique Tableware
Silver
Early 20th Century Japanese Tableware
Copper, Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Marble
1970s British Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1950s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Argentine Modern Tableware
Ceramic, Pottery, Clay
Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Tableware
Glass
18th Century English Georgian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Stainless Steel
20th Century Spanish Tableware
Silver
Mid-19th Century German Aesthetic Movement Antique Tableware
Silver
1950s British Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal
1790s English George III Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Minimalist Tableware
Stone
20th Century German Art Nouveau Tableware
Silver Plate, Nickel
20th Century French French Provincial Tableware
Brass, Copper, Tin
1930s Danish Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Pewter
20th Century Tableware
Stainless Steel
19th Century British Victorian Antique Tableware
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Chrome
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stoneware
Early 20th Century American Renaissance Revival Tableware
Sterling Silver
1950s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Marble
1940s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Tableware
Other
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Teak
1870s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Tableware
Cotton, Linen
2010s Tableware
Copper, Enamel
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Metal
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Danish Post-Modern Tableware
Onyx
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1850s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
Early 1900s Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century American Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
Late 19th Century German Baroque Antique Tableware
Porcelain
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Glass
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century German Minimalist Tableware
Ceramic
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s English Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
20th Century Danish Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Colombian Tableware
Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Carrara Marble
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.





