Tableware
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Metal, Chrome
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Crystal, Metal
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1950s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Crystal
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Tableware
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Teak
Mid-20th Century Austrian Art Deco Tableware
Metal, Sterling Silver, Nickel
19th Century English Antique Tableware
Bronze
19th Century English Antique Tableware
Brass
Late 19th Century French Chinoiserie Antique Tableware
Ormolu
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
Late 19th Century Dutch Antique Tableware
Porcelain
1930s French Vintage Tableware
Glass
1880s British Victorian Antique Tableware
Mahogany
1880s French Country Antique Tableware
Copper, Iron
1930s French Vintage Tableware
Glass
1930s American Vintage Tableware
Gold
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Pewter
1940s British Vintage Tableware
Silver
Mid-20th Century German Bohemian Tableware
Stainless Steel
1860s British Victorian Antique Tableware
Copper
Late 19th Century Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Steel
Early 19th Century English George III Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s European Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
1930s Danish Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s German Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
1870s American American Classical Antique Tableware
Brass
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century American Tableware
Porcelain
1930s Austrian Vintage Tableware
Metal, Silver, Nickel
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Tableware
Porcelain
1860s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s Danish Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Tableware
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Tableware
Pewter
1960s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
1930s German Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Crystal, Metal, Silver Plate
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Leather, Acrylic
1950s Danish Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Brass
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Brass
1960s European French Provincial Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Aluminum
1940s Anglo-Indian Vintage Tableware
Brass
1960s English Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic, Clay, Earthenware
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass, Copper
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Teak, Glass
Mid-20th Century Swiss Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Bakelite
Mid-19th Century American Antique Tableware
Silver
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.