Tableware
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Glass
Early 1900s English Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
2010s South American Tableware
Rattan
1980s Polish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
1920s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1980s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
15th Century and Earlier Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1950s Belgian Hollywood Regency Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
Metal
1940s Italian Vintage Tableware
Mirror
1980s French Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century French Hollywood Regency Tableware
Ceramic
1960s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Teak
Early 18th Century English George I Antique Tableware
Britannia Standard Silver
1790s English Neoclassical Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1870s British Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century American Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century English Tableware
Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century Mexican Tableware
Sterling Silver
1940s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Tableware
Wood
1760s English George III Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Crystal, Silver
Mid-20th Century Philippine Folk Art Tableware
Hemp
Late 20th Century Italian Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Lucite, Plexiglass
Mid-20th Century German Tableware
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Other Tableware
Porcelain
1930s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1950s American Other Vintage Tableware
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
1890s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s American Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Metal, Chrome
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s English Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
1910s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1940s Swedish Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver
1930s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century American Art Nouveau 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.
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