Tableware
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Tableware
Gold
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Marble
20th Century Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 1900s Russian Antique Tableware
Silver
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Brass
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
19th Century Japanese Edo Antique Tableware
Pottery
20th Century French Neoclassical Tableware
Ceramic, Porcelain, Paint
Mid-20th Century Regency Tableware
Silver Plate
2010s American Modern Tableware
Blown Glass
Late 19th Century English Antique Tableware
Crystal
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Tableware
Silver Plate
1970s French Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
2010s Italian Tableware
Porcelain
1980s German Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Fabric
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century German Beaux Arts Tableware
Gold Plate
20th Century Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s English Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Colombian Tableware
Rattan
1920s American Louis XIV Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s Indian Vintage Tableware
Brass
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Silver
Mid-20th Century American Tableware
Ceramic
1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1810s Unknown Antique Tableware
Silver
1940s German Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Romanian Modern Tableware
Wood
1750s British George II Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Grand Tour Tableware
Iron
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Crystal
1950s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Italian Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Blown Glass
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century English Arts and Crafts Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century English Antique Tableware
Sheffield Plate
1870s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1890s French Antique Tableware
Crystal, Gold
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Metal
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Tableware
Brass
1920s Italian Other Vintage Tableware
Glass
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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