Tableware
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Resin
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Porcelain
1870s English Antique Tableware
Copper
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Marble
1980s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal
1950s European Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Teak
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century American Post-Modern Tableware
Metal
Late 18th Century English Neoclassical Antique Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Brass
Early 1900s Austrian Jugendstil Antique Tableware
Brass
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
1930s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1980s Hungarian Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century American Modern Tableware
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Resin
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Spanish Hollywood Regency Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century British Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Resin
19th Century British Antique Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Brass
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Gold Plate, Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Tableware
Porcelain
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tableware
Crystal, Bronze
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
2010s Tableware
Stainless Steel
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Enamel
2010s Italian Tableware
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Leather, Ceramic
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Majolica
Early 20th Century Italian Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century German Art Deco Tableware
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Metal
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
1960s Unknown Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Bakelite
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Quartz
1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Glass, Wood, Olive
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1850s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
1910s Vintage Tableware
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Carrara Marble
2010s Italian Tableware
Crystal, Silver
19th Century American Aesthetic Movement Antique Tableware
Silver Plate, Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
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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Perhaps best known as a Revolutionary War hero, Revere was also an accomplished silversmith, and this pot is now available on 1stDibs.
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