Tableware
1770s English George III Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Marble
1740s English George II Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 18th Century English Regency Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
18th Century English George II Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Tableware
Sterling Silver
1690s English Other Antique Tableware
Silver, Britannia Standard Silver
2010s American Tableware
Glass
1780s English George III Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Tableware
Crystal, Silver
18th Century English Georgian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s German Chinoiserie Tableware
Porcelain
1670s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Antique Tableware
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Marble
18th Century Turkish Antique Tableware
Copper
Early 18th Century French Louis XIV Antique Tableware
Silver
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Marble
17th Century German Rococo Antique Tableware
Vermeil, Silver
18th Century English Georgian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1740s British George II Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
18th Century English Georgian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1710s English George I Antique Tableware
Silver, Britannia Standard Silver
Early 18th Century English George I Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
18th Century Austrian Neoclassical Antique Tableware
Copper
18th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
18th Century English George III Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
18th Century English Georgian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
18th Century Austrian Rococo Antique Tableware
Porcelain
18th Century British Antique Tableware
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Marble
1780s English Georgian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
18th Century and Earlier Danish Louis XVI Antique Tableware
Silver
18th Century and Earlier English Antique Tableware
Silver
18th Century and Earlier Swedish Antique Tableware
Silver
18th Century and Earlier English Antique Tableware
18th Century and Earlier English Antique Tableware
Late 18th Century American American Colonial Antique Tableware
Pewter
Mid-18th Century German Rococo Antique Tableware
Porcelain
Late 18th Century Antique Tableware
Pewter
2010s British Tableware
Bronze, Stainless Steel
2010s American Art Deco Tableware
Silver Plate, Steel
2010s American Art Deco Tableware
Silver Plate, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Late 17th Century Italian Adirondack Antique Tableware
Stone
2010s Tableware
Art Glass, Blown Glass
18th Century English Georgian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s French Tableware
Porcelain
2010s South American Tableware
Rattan
2010s South American Tableware
Rattan
Early 18th Century French Baroque Antique Tableware
Brass
2010s Unknown Art Deco Tableware
Silver Plate, Steel
2010s Unknown Art Deco Tableware
Silver Plate, Steel
2010s Unknown Art Deco Tableware
Silver Plate, Steel
2010s American Art Deco Tableware
Silver Plate, Steel
18th Century English Georgian Antique Tableware
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.