Tableware
19th Century French Rococo Antique Tableware
Gold
Mid-19th Century Chinoiserie Antique Tableware
Ironstone
1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
1980s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Tableware
Metal, Tôle
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Gold Plate, Brass
Early 20th Century German Tableware
Metal
1910s British Vintage Tableware
Sheffield Plate
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Irish Edwardian Tableware
Crystal, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Thai Chinoiserie Tableware
Bronze, Nickel
Early 20th Century English Tableware
Silver
Early 19th Century English Georgian Antique Tableware
Ironstone
2010s Chinese Modern Tableware
Metal, Aluminum
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Mother-of-Pearl
20th Century French Tableware
Glass
Late 17th Century Italian Baroque Antique Tableware
Maiolica
Mid-20th Century Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Majolica, Pottery, Ceramic
20th Century French French Provincial Tableware
Porcelain
Late 20th Century American Country Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Austrian Art Deco Tableware
Metal, Sterling Silver, Nickel
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Brass
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Brass, Silver Plate
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
Late 19th Century French Antique Tableware
Silver
20th Century French Tableware
Porcelain
Early 20th Century French Hollywood Regency Tableware
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Tableware
Stoneware
1960s Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century English Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Resin
20th Century French Tableware
Gold
1850s French Rococo Antique Tableware
Porcelain
Late 19th Century English Regency Antique Tableware
Wood
2010s Chinese Modern Tableware
Aluminum, Metal
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Earthenware
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Leather, Wood
Early 20th Century Tableware
Metal, Sterling Silver
1930s German Bauhaus Vintage Tableware
Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Resin
20th Century American Art Deco Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century British Antique Tableware
Ceramic
1960s Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
1860s Austrian Biedermeier Antique Tableware
Metal, Silver
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic, Pottery, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Resin
20th Century French Empire Tableware
Ceramic, Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Unknown Art Deco Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 1900s American Neoclassical Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
1940s Early Victorian Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Marble
2010s American Modern Tableware
Brass
1930s French Belle Époque Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Spanish Tableware
Bronze
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
19th Century French Antique Tableware
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century American Country Antique Tableware
Reclaimed Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Tableware
Travertine
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Leather, Walnut
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Marble
1970s American Chinoiserie Vintage Tableware
Silver
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Tableware
Silver
1920s French Art Nouveau Vintage Tableware
Crystal
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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