Skip to main content

Tea Sets

2,066
244
18
to
269
1,338
838
2,328
2,190
2,271
1,176
1,147
1,546
320
Tea Sets For Sale
Antique 19pc Japanese Nippon Moriage Eggshell Porcelain Dragonware Tea Set c1920
Located in Big Flats, NY
Antique 19-Piece Japanese Nippon Hand Painted Moriage Eggshell Porcelain Dragonware Tea Set c1920 Measures- Creamer cup: 4''H x 3.5''W x 4.5''D; Sugar Bowl: 5''H x 4''W x 5.5''D; Wa...
Category

Early 20th Century Japanese Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain, Paint

Vintage Tea Caddy Box Conch Shell Art & Craft Flower Chicken Hand Painting
Located in Hampshire, GB
Vintage wooden Tea Caddy Box Conch Shell Oriental Flower and Chicken Hand Painting Impressive Flame Brown Mahogany Double Tea Caddy of Outstanding Quality, Workmanship, and compact ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Turkish Arts and Crafts Tea Sets

Materials

Metal, Brass

Breakfast Set Cup with Saucer and Plate, Damaged
Located in Chorzów, PL
Ancient cup with a saucer and saucer Origin: Denmark Signed Kobenhavns Porcellains Maleri Damaged cup in the middle of the crack visible in the ph...
Category

1950s Danish Neoclassical Vintage Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Vintage Johann Haviland Bavaria Coffee Tea Set
Located in W Allenhurst, NJ
Beautiful Crocus pattern. Soft pastels. Johann Haviland Bavaria Tea Set to include service for 10: Coffee Pot Tea Pot Creamer & Sugar 10 Cups 12 Saucer...
Category

Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Flight Barr & Barr Teacup, Regency Imari Pattern, ca 1815
Located in London, GB
This is a colourful teacup and saucer made by Flight Barr & Barr around the year 1815. The set is decorated with a bright Imari design in the Regency taste. This teacup would have f...
Category

1810s English Regency Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Le Volte Celesti, Six Contemporary Decorated Tea Cups with Plates
Located in Milano, Lombardia
From the encounter between the historical archives of the Duomo di Milano and the imagery of Grand Tour by Vito Nesta, this unique collections of porcelains and fabrics were born. “Le Volte Celesti” creates, through the use of some historical sketches of frescoes dedicated to the naves of the Duomo, some geometric, almost kaleidoscopic games. Buyers, through the purchase of these collections, will contribute to the restructuring of the spiers of the Duomo as part of the proceeds will be donated to the Veneranda Fabbrica for this purpose. Set of 6 tea cups and plates.
Category

2010s Italian Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Antique Edwardian Design Style Sterling Silver Teapot
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Edwardian English sterling silver teapot in the Design style; part of our diverse teaware collection. This exceptional and rare antique E...
Category

Early 1900s British Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Sterling Silver

Spode Indian Tree Cup and Saucer
Located in Asheville, NC
This is an absolutely fabulous antique Copeland Spode Indian tree cup and saucer. It is a spectacular example of Spode porcelain with rust and orange...
Category

18th Century and Earlier English Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Vintage Tea Tray Oriental Flower and chicken Hand Painting Wooden Serving Tray
Located in Hampshire, GB
Satinwood Tea Tray Oriental Flower and Chicken Hand Painting Serving Tray with Handle. Decorative objects for your home decor. Impressive Flame Brow...
Category

Mid-20th Century Turkish Arts and Crafts Tea Sets

Materials

Paste, Fruitwood, Oak, Paint

Chelsea-Derby Chocolate Cup Set, Gilt Stripes, Puce Flowers, Rococo 1770-1775
Located in London, GB
This is a beautiful chocolate cup set made by Chelsea-Derby between 1770 and 1775, which was the Rococo era. The set consists of a cup, a saucer and a cover, and is decorated in a st...
Category

1770s English Rococo Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

WMF Silver Plate Coffee Pot Sucrier and Milk Jug, c1925
Located in Tunbridge Wells, GB
WMF Silver Plate Coffee Pot Sucrier and Milk Jug, c1925 Additional information: Date : c1925 Period : Victoria or Edward VII (Emperor Wilhelm II) Marks : GUST.L.HAUER - FRANKFURT A....
Category

20th Century German Victorian Tea Sets

Materials

Silver

Japanese Kutani Ware Painted Shozo Gilt Tea Set of 6, Pot and Cups in Porcelain
Located in Miami, FL
Japanese Kutani Ware Painted Shozo Gilt Tea Set of 6, Pot and Cups in Porcelain Offered for sale is a set of Japanese Kutani Ware Porcelain Hand-painted Shozo Gilt Teapot...
Category

Mid-20th Century Japanese Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Beautiful ART DECO coffee set tea set silver plated, 1930s
Located in Saarburg, RP
Coffee/tea set - 1930s This coffee set from the 1930s is in the typical style of the streamline modern. It includes a coffee pot, teapot, sugar bowl, creamer and a handled tray. Th...
Category

1920s French Art Deco Vintage Tea Sets

Materials

Metal, Silver Plate

Tête-à-tête, Tea Service, Sèvres Porcelain, Napoleon III Period.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Tête-à-tête, Tea service, Sèvres porcelain, Napoleon III period. Tea service, tête-à-tête in 19th century Sèvres porcelain, Napoleon III period, rich painted and gilded decoration o...
Category

19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

French porcelain Coffee / Tea Service for 10 People
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Nice coffee or tea service from the first half of the 20th century for 10 people. Beautiful porcelain quality, white with fine gold edging and gold patterns on each piece. High Porce...
Category

Early 20th Century Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Samuel Alcock Solitaire Tea Set, Beige, Pale Yellow and Flowers, ca 1833
Located in London, GB
A solitaire tea set consisting of a teapot with cover and a trio consisting of a teacup, a coffee cup and a saucer, in “rustic loop” shape, with beige ground with rich pale yellow an...
Category

1830s English Rococo Revival Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Antique Victorian Miniature Doulton Three Piece Tea Set
Located in Suffolk, GB
Antique Victorian Miniature Doulton Three Piece Tea Set having a salt glaze with silver edging. A charming example in perfect condition Dimensions: Teapot Height 10 x Width 6 x D...
Category

19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Ceramic

Haughwout & Co. Silver Helmet Medallion 5-Piece 19th Century Tea Coffee Set
Located in New York, NY
E. V. Haughwout & Co. silver soldered, mid-19th century 5-piece tea and coffee set in the Helmet Medallion pattern, consisting of: - a coffee pot measuring 11 1/2" in height by 9'' by 6'' - a teapot measuring 8 1/2'' in height by 10 1/2'' from handle to spout - another teapot measuring 9'' in height by 10'' by 6'' - a sugar bowl measuring 7 1/2'' in height by 8'' by 5 1/2'' - a waste bowl measuring 4'' in height by 5 1/2'' in diameter Each piece bears hallmarks and a monogram as shown. E. V. Haughwout was a fashionable emporium, which sold imported cut glass and silverware as well as its own hand painted china and fine chandeliers. It attracted many wealthy clients – including Mary Todd Lincoln, who had new official White House china...
Category

Mid-19th Century American Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Silver, Silver Plate

Tea set model 149 by WMF
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Silver-plated bronze tea and coffee set, 5 pieces, model 149. Made by the WMF-Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik (1853 to the present). “Art Nouveau Domestic Metalwork, from Wurttem...
Category

Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Bronze

Belleek Cabaret Tea Set, Cream Cob Lustre, Erne, Victorian, 1890s
Located in London, GB
This is an extremely rare Belleek cabaret set for two, or "tête-à-tête", made in the Erne series brought out in the 1890s. The items carry the 2nd Black Mark, used between 1891 and 1926. The set consists of a teapot, a milk jug, a sugar bowl, two teacups and saucers, and a large matching tray. This set is very fine and with its restrained cream-white colour it would make a wonderful wedding gift! If you ever thought Belleek fine china looks, sounds and feels unique, you are right. There is a back story to this extraordinarily fine Irish eggshell porcelain, which has an unusually high amount of "frit" and therefore is thinner and finer than any other china. Pottery in Belleek (in the now Northern-Irish area of Fermanagh) had started in 1849 with John Caldwell Bloomfield, who was a wealthy land owner. During the Irish famine he realised that unless he would find a way for his tenants to make a profit off the land, they would starve. Agriculture had become impossible due to the agricultural diseases. This caused millions to starve and more millions to leave. As an amateur mineralogist, John Caldwell Bloomfield realised that his land had exactly the right mineral deposits to be used as clay for porcelain. He involved several investors and scientists and after many years of research, trial, error, the building of a railway line to import coal from England, and building a factory, the Belleek pottery resulted, employing the local people and soon producing the finest china made with clay from the Belleek area. What had started as a way to fend off famine among the local tenants had became a story of incredible success by the 1880s as Queen Victoria fell in love with the fine white china and the many homely, slightly bizarre but nature-loving designs; this was different from English tradition, yet it was very much to the taste of the British who had developed a real love for home-made fine china since it was introduced in the late 18th Century. Belleek not only brought out many tea services, but started a new tradition of intricately woven porcelain baskets. Soon the English nobility started to place big orders and the pottery is still flourishing today and selling its wares the world over, while in England most potteries have long disappeared. Belleek made many cabaret services, often called breakfast services or "tête-à-tête" services; these were used to carry breakfast tea up to the bedroom. Queen Victoria bought one in the Echinus style during a visit to the factory in the 1860s, and ever since Belleek's cabaret services have been in great demand. Nowadays there are very few of these left and it is rare to find a full service like this. The Erne series was named after the river right besides the Belleek factory. This river forms the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, with the factory on the Northern Irish end of the bridge at Belleek. The pattern seems to be a play on the baskets and nets of the fishermen who once fished the abundant trout and salmon on the river Erne and the lake that belongs to it. The items carry the second Black Mark, which was used between 1891 and 1926, however the very fine quality of the porcelain indicates that most pieces of the set are more likely to be from the 1890s than from the 20th Century. You will see that the shade of cob lustre is different on each item; this is normal for Belleek tea sets...
Category

Late 19th Century Northern Irish Victorian Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Hand Carved Wood Teapot by Terry Evans
Located in Fort Washington, MD
This is a stunning hand-carved wooden teapot by Terry Evans. The craftsmanship is quite detailed, with intricate patterns and a smooth finish that highl...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Organic Modern Tea Sets

Materials

Wood

C. 1930s Vintage Ercuis French Art Deco Tea or Coffee Set- 4 Pieces
Located in Ross, CA
Gorgeous Art Deco silver plated tea or coffee set made in France in the 1930 by Ercuis. The handles are Macassar ebony and every piece is marked on the bottom with the Ercuis stamp. ...
Category

1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tea Sets

Materials

Silver Plate

Beautiful and charming Pewter Teapot from the 19th Century
Located in Knivsta, SE
Beautiful and charming Pewter Teapot from the 19th Century. Richly decorated with stripes. Wear consistent with age and use (see photos)
Category

19th Century European Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Pewter

Majolica Porcelain Conch Set
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Set of Majolica conch motif ceramics including twelve teacups and plates, three teapots, one sugar bowl, four spouted vessels and salt & pepper shaker s...
Category

1950s Vintage Tea Sets

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica, Porcelain

Antique Teapot, Exclusive Silver Floral English Mid-century Coffee Pot
Located in Hampshire, GB
An antique tea set and a silver-plated teapot that is beautifully designed and created are suitable for elegant serving. With lid pressed, cast and cha...
Category

1920s English Rococo Vintage Tea Sets

Materials

Silver, Silver Plate, Sterling Silver, Silver Leaf

MCM Russel Wright Tea Service in Robin's Egg Blue
Located in Austin, TX
Mid-century lifestyle influencer, Russel Wright believed, 'The table was the center of the home.' Now with ‘Mid-Mod’ all the rage again, Russel Wright’s American Modern Collection o...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Tea Sets

Materials

Pottery

Beautiful Rare Shape Antique Old Paris Porcelain Coffee Tea set ca 1850-1880
Located in BAAMBRUGGE, NL
Beautiful, Rare shape model, Old Paris porcelain coffee tea set with coffee filter attachment and cup and saucers with monogram! The coffee filter only fits the large coffee (tea) p...
Category

1860s French Empire Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Meissen, Green Ivy Vine. Set of three tea cups and saucers. Mid-20th C.
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Meissen, Green Ivy Vine, a set of three tea cups and saucers. Mid-20th century. Marked. Perfect condition. Mixed factory qualities. Cup: Diameter 9.8 cm. without handle x Height 4.8 cm.
Category

Mid-20th Century German Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Early 20th Century Georg Jensen Art Nouveau Style ''Blossom'' Sterling Tea Set
Located in Chicago, IL
This exquisite and rare Georg Jensen (1866-1935) tea set is exemplary of the Art Nouveau style gloriously celebrating natural elements, specifically the magnolia blossom. The flower ...
Category

Early 20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tea Sets

Materials

Sterling Silver

Samuel Alcock Teacup and Milk Jug, Pale Yellow, Gilt and Flowers, ca 1824
Located in London, GB
A teacup and saucer with milk jug in the “melted snow” shape with double drop handles, pale yellow ground with rich gilt and cobalt blue acanthus pattern and finely painted flower re...
Category

1820s English Regency Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Porcelain Tea Bowls Vintage Blue and White with Japanese Silvered Hexagon Teapot
Located in Lomita, CA
This assembled set of vintage tea bowls and a silvered or zinc 19th Century teapot from Japan is unusual. The set that came from an estate auctio...
Category

Late 19th Century East Asian Japonisme Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Zinc

Beautiful Antique Old Paris Porcelain Coffee service - France 1850-1880
Located in BAAMBRUGGE, NL
Beautiful antique Old Paris porcelain (Porcelaine de Paris) coffee tea service from ca 1850-1880! Very delicately hand decorated with gold...
Category

1860s French Empire Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Rorstrand Carl-Harry Stålhane , Sweden 1960
Located in Bronx, NY
Carl-Harry Stålhane Rörstrand tea pot Sweden, 1960. Simple beauty that shows its colors in the glaze depending on the light almost matte dusty ash black with rust red pattern.
Category

1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tea Sets

Materials

Ceramic

6pc Sheffield Design Community Ascot Silver Plate Tea Coffee Serving Set
Located in Dayton, OH
Mid century 6 piece Sheffield Design Reproduction by Community silver plate tea set, including a large handled / footed tray, tea pot and coffe...
Category

Mid-20th Century Tea Sets

Materials

Metal

Royal Doulton White Blue Gold Coffee or Tea Demitasse Cup & Saucer, circa 19th C
Located in New York, NY
A very special English Royal Doulton for luxury retailer Davis Collamore & Co LTD, espresso coffee or tea demitasse cup and saucer set, ci...
Category

Late 19th Century English Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Gold

Antique Meiji Period Japanese Hirado Sugar Pot with Flower Appliques, 19th Cen
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
This is a nicely shaped and decorated Sugar pot. A handmade, hand painted porcelain item with overglaze and underglaze Blue enamel. It has beautiful white porcelain. The flower appl...
Category

19th Century Japanese Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

1940s Sterling Silver Tea Set Sheffield Great Britain
Located in Münster, DE
Tea set, teapot, milk jug, sugar pot, 8-sided basic shape, standing on four feet, 925 sterling silver, Sheffield 1946, hallmarked. A wonderful set in late Art Deco style, perfect for...
Category

1940s British Art Deco Vintage Tea Sets

Materials

Sterling Silver

Set of 6 Antique Chinese Porcelain Tea Chine de Commande Qianlong Period, 18thC
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A very nice example of chine de commande style with sepia and pink color. 1 bowl (broken one) is different. Additional information: Material: Porcelain & Pottery Emperor: Qianlong (...
Category

18th Century Chinese Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Tea Ceremony Box
Located in New York, NY
The lidded rectangular wooden box painted in black and red with cartouches of Court figures and floral decoration; opening to reveal eight dishes.
Category

20th Century Chinese Tea Sets

Materials

Wood

Antique Teapot, Exclusive Silver Art Deco English Mid-century Coffee Pot
Located in Hampshire, GB
An antique Art Deco tea set and silver-plated teapot beautifully designed and created suit elegant serving. With lid pressed, cast and chased vaulted lid. Coffee pot, Height 26 cm. S...
Category

1920s British Hollywood Regency Vintage Tea Sets

Materials

Metal, Silver, Silver Plate, Sterling Silver, Sheet Metal, Silver Leaf

Alka Kunst Bavaria 1960s ceramic tea set
Located in Premariacco, IT
Glazed ceramic tea set consisting of 13 pieces: 1x teapot, 1x sugar bowl, 1x milk jug, 5x saucers and 5x cups. Teapot measurements: W 25cm D 15cm H 17cm Cup measurements: W 12cm D 1...
Category

1960s German American Classical Vintage Tea Sets

Materials

Ceramic

Vereco, France. Six-person tea set in amber glass. Modernist design.
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Vereco, France. Six-person tea set in amber glass. Modernist design. From the 1970s. Marked. In good condition with minimal signs of use. Cup: D 10.8 cm without handle x H 6.0 cm. Sa...
Category

1970s French Modern Vintage Tea Sets

Materials

Glass

19th Century English Pewter Tea Service
Located in Austin, TX
Dating to 1870 and made in Sheffield, England, a locale well known for its silver design and production, this is an extremely well-preserved three-piece pewter and brass tea service....
Category

Mid-19th Century English High Victorian Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Brass, Pewter

Japanese Antique Cast-Iron Tea Pot 'Hexagon' 1980s
Located in Paris, FR
This kettle was made in 1980s, in Showa era. The cast iron kettles like this item are called 'Tetsubin' in Japan. It can be put on the fire or an ind...
Category

1880s Japanese Showa Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Iron

Antique English George III Copper Gooseneck Bird Spout Coffee Tea Kettle 12"
Located in Dayton, OH
Late 18th century George III copper tea / water / coffee kettle with right angle gooseneck / bird spout, fixed brass handle with turned ceramic / porcelain grip and mushroom shaped porcelain finial...
Category

Late 18th Century George III Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Copper

Gunnar Nylund - Rörstrand - Teapot
Located in MAASTRICHT, LI
Product Description:  Gunnar Nylund, one of Sweden's leading ceramic artists, lived and worked all over Scandinavia being involved with Bing & Gröndahl in Denmark, Rörstrand in Swede...
Category

1950s Swedish Vintage Tea Sets

Materials

Earthenware

Art deco tea set, 1940's
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Silver colored tea pot, with milk can and sugar pot. Teapot: 25 x 9 x 20 cm (LxWxH) Milk can: 14.5 x 6 x 10cm (LxWxH) Sugar pot: 20 x 9 x 10cm (LxWxH)
Category

1940s Dutch Art Deco Vintage Tea Sets

Materials

Metal

Puiforcat (Hermes) - 6pc. Original French Art Deco 950 Sterling Silver Tea Set
Located in Wilmington, DE
Direct from Paris, A Superb 6pc. 20th Century Original French Art Deco 950 Sterling Silver Tea Set by the World's Premier French Silversmith "Puiforcat" Currently Owned by Hermes, St...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Deco Tea Sets

Materials

Sterling Silver

Seletti "Hybrid-Eufemia" Coffee Cup with Saucer in Porcelain
Located in Doral, FL
From its very first year in 1964, Seletti in Cicognara, Mantova, has followed its principle of professionality service and constant research to strive for betterness innovation and o...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Antique Victorian Sterling Silver Hot Water or Coffee Jug
By John Aldwinckle & James Slater
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
A fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver hot water / coffee jug; an addition to our diverse silver teaware collection....
Category

1880s English Victorian Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Silver, Sterling Silver

Karolina Porcelain Coffee Service, Poland, 1950s / 1960s
Located in Chorzów, PL
Porcelain coffee set, a rare design of the Karolina set from the mid-twentieth century. The service includes a jug, milk jug, sugar bowl, 6 cups and 6 saucers. One saucer has more...
Category

1950s Polish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Servizio da caffè post moderno di Mas Italy
Located in Torino, IT
Particolare servizio da caffè dallo stile post moderno  disegnato da Massimo Materassi per Mas Italy. Il design orientale accostato alle forme e alle geometrie attribuibili al gusto...
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Tea Sets

Materials

Ceramic

Corona Set of 2 Gold Tea Cups with Saucers
Located in Milan, IT
This opulent set of two tea cups with saucers will make a sophisticated addition to an afternoon break. Fashioned of white ceramic, each piece is marked by an elegant gold rim.
Category

2010s Italian Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Samuel Alcock Solitaire Tea Set, Cobalt Blue, Gilt Vines and Flowers, ca 1825
Located in London, GB
A solitaire tea set consisting of a teapot with cover, a milk jug and a small cup and saucer, in “melted snow” shape, the cup with double drop handle, with deep cobalt blue ground, r...
Category

1820s English Regency Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Ardmore handmade African Ceramic Tiger Teapot
Located in North Miami, FL
Immerse yourself in the captivating allure of the Tiger Teapot, a masterpiece of South African Ceramic Art. Crafted by the skilled hands of Sfiso Mvelase, this teapot boasts lifelike...
Category

2010s South African Modern Tea Sets

Materials

Ceramic

Coalport Teapot England Early 19th Century Circa 1805
Located in Katonah, NY
This Coalport teapot features an "Old Oval" shape and was manufactured in the early 19th century, circa 1805. It is adorned with an all-around band of ...
Category

Early 19th Century English Neoclassical Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Antique Old Paris Porcelain - Porcelaine de Paris Tea Service with Monogram
Located in BAAMBRUGGE, NL
Stunning beautiful antique Old Paris porcelain (Porcelaine de Paris) tea service from the Louis Philip period 1830-1850. The sleek shape and style of the tableware is characteristic...
Category

1840s French Empire Antique Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Japanese Meiji Period Cloisonne Enamel Tea Set
Located in Newark, England
Extensively Decorated with Traditional Japanese Images The Tea Set comprises of fifteen pieces including six cup and saucers, a lidded teapot, a lidded sugar pot and a milk jug. The...
Category

Early 20th Century Japanese Meiji Tea Sets

Materials

Metal, Enamel, Metallic Thread

Antique, New and Vintage Tea Sets

Ready to serve high tea and brunch for your family and friends? Start with the right antique, new or vintage tea set.

Tea is a multicultural, multinational beverage and isn’t confined to any particular lifestyle or age group. It has humble beginnings, and one of its best-known origin stories places the first cups of tea in 2700 B.C. in China, where it was recognized for its medicinal properties. Jump ahead to 17th-century England, when Chinese tea began to arrive at ports in London. During the early 1800s, tea became widely affordable, and the concept of teatime took shape all over England. Today, more than 150 million people reportedly drink tea daily in the United States.

Early tea drinkers enjoyed their beverage in a bowl, and English potters eventually added a handle to the porcelain bowls so that burning your fingers became less of a teatime hazard. With the rise in the popularity of teatime, tea sets, also referred to as tea service, became a hot commodity.

During Queen Victoria’s reign, teakettles and coffeepots were added to tea services that were quite large — indeed, small baked goods were served with your drink back then, and a tea set could include many teacups and saucers, a milk pot and other accessories.

During the early 1920s, a sterling-silver full tea service and tray designed by Tiffany & Co. might include a hot-water kettle on a stand, a coffeepot, teapot, a creamer with a small lip spout, a waste bowl and a bowl for sugar, which the British were stirring into tea as early as the 18th century.

But you don’t have to limit your tea set to Victorian or Art Deco styles — shake up teatime with an artful contemporary service. If the bold porcelain cups and saucers by Italian brand Seletti are too unconventional for your otherwise subdued tea circle, find antique services on 1stDibs from Japan, France and other locales as well as vintage mid-century modern tea sets and neoclassical designs.

Recently Viewed

View All