Tableware
1880s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
1790s George III Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
1980s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Danish Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Teak
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century American Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
1880s English Aesthetic Movement Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Colombian Tableware
Rattan
Late 19th Century English Chinoiserie Antique Tableware
Lacquer
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
1980s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
1820s Antique Tableware
Glass
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Baltic Minimalist Tableware
Stoneware
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
1970s Russian Empire Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
1910s Edwardian Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
1920s Czech Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Glass
20th Century Danish Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
1980s German Modern Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Japonisme Antique Tableware
Ceramic
1970s Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century French Tableware
Silver Plate
1860s French French Provincial Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Tableware
Zinc
Early 20th Century American Tableware
Crystal
1940s German Neoclassical Vintage Tableware
Silver
20th Century Danish Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver
1920s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Other
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century English Georgian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Other
1970s Philippine Bohemian Vintage Tableware
Shell
1890s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Crystal, Silver
20th Century Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver
1980s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Art 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.
Read More
Paul Revere Crafted This Silver Coffee Pot 250 Years Ago
Perhaps best known as a Revolutionary War hero, Revere was also an accomplished silversmith, and this pot is now available on 1stDibs.
From Arne Jacobsen to Zaha Hadid, Top Designers Tackle Tableware
Clever objects like these make feasting even more festive.