Tableware
Mid-19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Tableware
Brass, Enamel
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Ceramic
Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Tableware
Enamel
Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Tableware
Enamel
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century English Antique Tableware
Silver
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Majolica
1920s Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Brass
1920s Danish Vintage Tableware
Silver
Early 19th Century British Antique Tableware
Sheffield Plate
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Alpaca
1920s Danish Vintage Tableware
Silver
1920s Danish Vintage Tableware
Silver
Mid-19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Tableware
Brass, Enamel
Late 19th Century Swiss Antique Tableware
Silver
19th Century European Antique Tableware
Silver
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver
Early 19th Century British Antique Tableware
Pewter
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
1920s British Vintage Tableware
Gold, Enamel
1920s European Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Nickel
1880s German Jugendstil Antique Tableware
Silver Plate, Metal, Silver
Late 19th Century German Jugendstil Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century Neoclassical Antique Tableware
Sheffield Plate, Copper
19th Century American Rococo Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Brass
Late 19th Century American Aesthetic Movement Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Tableware
Porcelain
1920s German Vintage Tableware
Gold
1920s Chinese Other Vintage Tableware
Metal
Late 19th Century European Antique Tableware
Silver
Late 19th Century English International Style Antique Tableware
Silver Plate, Stainless Steel
Late 19th Century Russian Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver
Early 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sheffield Plate
1870s Scottish Regency Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1860s English Neoclassical Revival Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1920s British Arts and Crafts Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century Chinese Export Antique Tableware
Porcelain
Early 19th Century American Federal Antique Tableware
Silver
1840s French Art Deco Antique Tableware
Wool, Silk
19th Century American Rococo Antique Tableware
Silver
1920s European Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Glass, Art Glass
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Stainless Steel
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Glass
Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Tableware
Enamel
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Tableware
Pewter
19th Century Japanese Antique Tableware
Porcelain
1890s American Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1890s American Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Stainless Steel
1920s Danish Vintage Tableware
Silver
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Glass
Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Tableware
Brass
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Tableware
Enamel
1840s French Rococo Antique Tableware
Porcelain
Late 19th Century English Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
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.