Tableware
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Victorian Tableware
Silver Plate
Late 20th Century North American Tableware
Sterling Silver
1980s English Neoclassical Revival Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Bolivian Folk Art Tableware
Silver, Nickel
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s Danish Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver
Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
Art Glass
20th Century Tableware
Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century American Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century French Art Deco Tableware
Crystal, Brass
1930s Danish Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver, Stainless Steel
1930s Danish Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1980s Dutch Modern Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century English Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century German Art Nouveau Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s English Regency Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1980s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
1930s English Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Tableware
Metal
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Acrylic
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
Early 20th Century Swedish Art Nouveau Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
20th Century American Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Swedish Art Deco Tableware
Metal, Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century German Art Deco Tableware
Porcelain
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver
1960s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1920s English Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Plastic, Bakelite
Late 20th Century German Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Crystal
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century American Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Regency Tableware
Silver Plate
1960s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Tableware
Glass
20th Century Bolivian Folk Art Tableware
Silver, Nickel
20th Century English Georgian Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Tableware
Silver Plate
1930s English Louis XVI Vintage Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
Metal
1980s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Unknown Art Deco Tableware
Brass, Copper, Chrome
1960s German Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1960s American Vintage 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.