Tableware
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
1860s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
1840s French Antique Tableware
Porcelain
1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1970s Finnish Vintage Tableware
Other
19th Century European Antique Tableware
Porcelain
1820s British Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
1860s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Mother-of-Pearl
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
Mid-19th Century French Art Deco Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Early 1800s English George III Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
1970s German Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
1810s English Regency Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century Antique Tableware
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century English Adam Style Antique Tableware
Silver, Sheffield Plate
1970s Thai Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Nickel, Bronze
1970s Finnish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1850s Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1870s British Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Other
1970s North American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1890s French Belle Époque Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
1970s German Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
19th Century Antique Tableware
Agate
19th Century Japanese Edo Antique Tableware
Copper
1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Tableware
Porcelain
1890s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century British Antique Tableware
Silver
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Metal, Silver, Sterling Silver
19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Tableware
Silver
1820s English George IV Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal, Stainless Steel
Late 19th Century French Japonisme Antique Tableware
Gold
1970s German Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
19th Century German Antique Tableware
Porcelain
Late 19th Century German Antique Tableware
Porcelain
1970s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1970s Finnish Vintage Tableware
Other
1890s French Art Deco Antique Tableware
Crystal
1890s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-19th Century French Art Deco Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-19th Century Art Deco Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
1880s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century German Antique Tableware
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century 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.