Tableware
1970s Swedish Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Ceramic
Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Tableware
Enamel
Early 19th Century American American Classical Antique Tableware
Silver
Late 19th Century German Jugendstil Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s Vintage Tableware
Murano Glass
Late 19th Century German Antique Tableware
Porcelain
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
1970s Swedish Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
Late 19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Tableware
Brass, Enamel
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Tableware
Ceramic, Majolica
Early 19th Century British Antique Tableware
Pewter
Early 19th Century Neoclassical Antique Tableware
Sheffield Plate, Copper
Early 19th Century British Antique Tableware
Sheffield Plate
19th Century French Other Antique Tableware
Silver, Bronze
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sheffield Plate
Late 19th Century Swiss Antique Tableware
Silver
Mid-19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Tableware
Brass, Enamel
Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Antique Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century French Antique Tableware
Porcelain
1970s Italian Vintage Tableware
Chrome
1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
19th Century European Antique Tableware
Silver
Mid-19th Century French Antique Tableware
Ceramic
1970s Philippine Bohemian Vintage Tableware
Shell
Late 19th Century Russian Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
Late 19th Century European Antique Tableware
Silver
1870s Scottish Regency Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Tableware
Enamel
Late 19th Century English International Style Antique Tableware
Silver Plate, Stainless Steel
Late 19th Century American Aesthetic Movement Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
1880s French Napoleon III Antique Tableware
Metal, Silver
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Brass
1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
Late 19th Century English Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
1970s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Early 19th Century American Federal Antique Tableware
Silver
1860s English Neoclassical Revival Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century American Rococo Antique Tableware
Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Stainless Steel
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Tableware
Pewter
1970s Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Bronze, Nickel
Early 19th Century English Egyptian Revival Antique Tableware
Porcelain
1890s American Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1840s French Art Deco Antique Tableware
Wool, Silk
Late 19th Century English Antique Tableware
Silver
1890s American Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s French Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
19th Century Chinese Export Antique Tableware
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Tableware
Enamel
19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Antique Tableware
Metal, Silver, 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.