Tableware
Late 20th Century German Tableware
Porcelain
Early 1900s Danish Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century English Georgian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century French Other Antique Tableware
Silver, Bronze
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1920s Danish Vintage Tableware
Silver
Mid-19th Century American Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century British Antique Tableware
2010s Italian Tableware
Linen
Early 1800s Danish Empire Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Tableware
Metal
20th Century Italian Modern Tableware
Cotton
Late 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century French Napoleon III Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 1900s Primitive Antique Tableware
Wood, Coconut, Reclaimed Wood
1990s Tableware
Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1750s British George II Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century French Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
2010s Swedish Modern Tableware
Steel
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Wood
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Mirror, Murano Glass
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver
1910s Arts and Crafts Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1950s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century Folk Art Antique Tableware
Copper, Tin
1960s British Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
Early 2000s German Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1780s English George III Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1880s British Antique Tableware
Cut Glass
1950s American Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Turkish Islamic Tableware
Silver
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Gold
1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
1880s English Aesthetic Movement Antique Tableware
Silver
20th Century English Edwardian Tableware
Silver
Early 20th Century English Tableware
Faience
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Tableware
Sheffield Plate
Late 19th Century American Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1860s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Art Deco Tableware
Metal
20th Century American Modern Tableware
Silver Plate, Bronze
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
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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