Tableware
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century German Tableware
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
18th Century English Georgian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Vintage Tableware
Brass
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s English Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary English Tableware
Sterling Silver
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Metal
20th Century Danish Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver, Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Tableware
Metal, Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century American Art Deco Tableware
Silver
Early 20th Century North American Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Ceramic
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s American Art Deco Tableware
Silver Plate, Steel
19th Century English George IV Antique Tableware
Silver
1970s French Vintage Tableware
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1920s English Rococo Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century English Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Swedish Art Nouveau Tableware
Metal, Silver Plate
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Metal
1930s British Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1920s English Arts and Crafts Vintage Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic, Faience
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Argentine Art Nouveau Tableware
Silver Plate
1880s Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Victorian Tableware
Silver Plate
1930s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Silver Plate
1960s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Silver
1880s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Organic Modern Tableware
Steel
1940s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1940s German Neoclassical Vintage Tableware
Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Tableware
Ceramic
2010s Italian Tableware
Murano Glass
1950s American Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1940s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Silver Plate
1990s French Archaistic Tableware
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s Antique 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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