Tableware
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century English George IV Antique Tableware
Ceramic, Creamware, Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary Slovenian Hollywood Regency Tableware
Crystal
2010s Argentine Modern Tableware
Ceramic, Pottery, Clay
1960s Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
Mid-19th Century Chinoiserie Antique Tableware
Ironstone
1950s Danish Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1950s French Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
1860s Austrian Biedermeier Antique Tableware
Metal, Silver
Mid-20th Century Swedish Gustavian Tableware
Wood, Paint
Early 20th Century Swedish Gustavian Tableware
Wood, Paint
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1940s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Metal, Aluminum
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Clay
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Blown Glass
Late 20th Century Finnish Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century German Tableware
Silver Plate
1870s American Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century German Post-Modern Tableware
Porcelain
1930s Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver, Enamel
Late 20th Century French Tableware
Crystal, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Glass
20th Century French Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century French Japonisme Antique Tableware
Ceramic
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Tableware
Blown Glass
1970s French Brutalist Vintage Tableware
Nickel
Late 20th Century British Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Modern Tableware
Crystal
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Platinum
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century British Victorian Tableware
Ceramic
1950s Belgian Hollywood Regency Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century American Country Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Russian Other Tableware
Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Tableware
Iron
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Gold
1940s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic, Majolica
19th Century American Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century English International Style Tableware
Sterling Silver, Stainless Steel
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1850s German Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
Metal
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Crystal
20th Century German Art Nouveau Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
Crystal, Silver Plate, Brass
1930s German Bauhaus Vintage Tableware
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Tableware
Cotton, Linen
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Glass
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1980s British Modern 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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