Tableware
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Wood
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
1980s North American Post-Modern Vintage Tableware
Lucite
Late 19th Century Belgian Late Victorian Antique Tableware
Cotton
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Crystal
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Wood
Early 1900s American Neoclassical Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Chinese Modern Tableware
Metal, Aluminum
20th Century Japanese Showa Tableware
Wood
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s English Regency Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1990s Mexican Organic Modern Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Resin
1960s French Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Tableware
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Tableware
Resin
20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stone, Silver Plate, Copper
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Glass
20th Century Italian Post-Modern Tableware
Plastic
2010s Tableware
Marble
2010s Dutch Modern Tableware
Marble
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Earthenware
19th Century French Empire Revival Antique Tableware
Bronze
Mid-20th Century German Tableware
Porcelain
Late 18th Century European Antique Tableware
Bronze
2010s Italian Tableware
Linen
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Brass
20th Century French French Provincial Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Italian Baroque Tableware
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Blown Glass
Mid-19th Century French French Provincial Antique Tableware
Earthenware
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Dutch Tableware
Silver
Early 2000s French Romantic Tableware
Porcelain
2010s Dutch Modern Tableware
Travertine
Late 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Portuguese Organic Modern Tableware
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s Dutch Modern Tableware
Travertine
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Ceramic, Clay
Early 20th Century French Empire Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century French Empire Revival Tableware
Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century English Tableware
Silver Plate, Stainless Steel
2010s Dutch Modern Tableware
Marble
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Porcelain
1920s French French Provincial Vintage Tableware
Ceramic, Faience
20th Century Tableware
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Tableware
Iron
Mid-20th Century English Tableware
Porcelain, Paint
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Alpaca
19th Century Russian Antique Tableware
Silver, Enamel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Tableware
Glass
1970s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Pewter
1820s English Antique Tableware
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Tableware
Iron
1960s English Vintage Tableware
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Tableware
Iron
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Ceramic
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
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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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