Tableware
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Jade
Mid-20th Century French Modern Tableware
Glass
2010s Modern Tableware
Marble
20th Century Hungarian Baroque Tableware
Porcelain
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Tableware
Zinc
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Indian Modern Tableware
Cotton
Late 20th Century North American Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Ukrainian Modern Tableware
Steel, Copper
1880s Russian Louis XVI Antique Tableware
Stone, Bronze
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Glass
Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Tableware
Copper, Enamel
2010s Spanish Brutalist Tableware
Aluminum, Brass
1920s French Art Nouveau Vintage Tableware
Crystal
1930s French Art Nouveau Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Metal
1910s American Edwardian Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1920s Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal, Brass, Zinc
16th Century Persian Antique Tableware
Copper
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Colombian Tableware
Rattan
20th Century Post-Modern Tableware
Granite
2010s American Tableware
Resin, Birch
1880s Czech Antique Tableware
Crystal, Gold, Enamel
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Tableware
Cotton, Linen
1940s German Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Early 2000s German Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century French Tableware
Glass
2010s Italian Tableware
Quartz, Silver Plate
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver
Early 20th Century Japanese Japonisme Tableware
Porcelain
2010s Portuguese Organic Modern Tableware
Brass
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century German Brutalist Tableware
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Swedish Art Nouveau Tableware
Metal, Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Tableware
Cotton, Linen
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
20th Century Tableware
Silver
20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Pottery, Stoneware
2010s Modern Tableware
Crystal
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Tableware
Earthenware
Mid-20th Century German Tableware
Metal, Silver Plate
Early 20th Century English Late Victorian Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1810s Unknown Antique Tableware
Silver
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Lucite
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Metal
Early 19th Century European Georgian Antique Tableware
Silver
2010s Indian Modern Tableware
Cotton
19th Century Antique Tableware
Silver
Mid-20th Century German Tableware
Wood, Oak
1970s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate, Stainless Steel
1940s Italian Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Brass
19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Tableware
Porcelain
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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