Tableware
1960s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Stained Glass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Stained Glass
1960s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1960s English Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Sheffield Plate
Early 1900s English Edwardian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s English Sheraton Antique Tableware
Mahogany
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
1960s Swedish Vintage Tableware
Silver
Early 1900s Danish Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
Silver
Early 1900s American Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1960s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Earthenware
Early 1900s Antique Tableware
Glass, Cut Glass
1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1960s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
1960s Danish Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
1960s Danish Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
1960s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Polish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Early 1900s Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
Early 1900s British Edwardian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Teak
1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
1960s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Italian Vintage Tableware
Silver
1960s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 1900s Chinese Antique Tableware
Silver
1960s Swedish Vintage Tableware
Silver
1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
Art Glass
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Glass
Early 1900s American Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s English Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Sheffield Plate
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Early 1900s American Antique Tableware
Cut Glass
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Wood, Wicker, Glass
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
1960s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Danish Vintage Tableware
Faience
1960s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Early 1900s German Jugendstil Antique Tableware
Crystal, Enamel
1960s Danish Vintage Tableware
Faience
1960s French Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
1960s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Earthenware
1960s 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.
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Perhaps best known as a Revolutionary War hero, Revere was also an accomplished silversmith, and this pot is now available on 1stDibs.
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Clever objects like these make feasting even more festive.