Tea Sets
Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Tea Sets
Porcelain
2010s Italian Tea Sets
Porcelain
2010s Italian Baroque Tea Sets
Ceramic
1960s German Art Deco Vintage Tea Sets
Gold Leaf
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Tea Sets
Porcelain
1810s English George III Antique Tea Sets
Porcelain
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tea Sets
Pottery
20th Century German Post-Modern Tea Sets
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Chilean Colonial Revival Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tea Sets
Silver Plate, Nickel
1980s Italian Art Deco Vintage Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
Early 18th Century German Other Antique Tea Sets
Porcelain
Early 1900s American Art Deco Antique Tea Sets
Silver, Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Spanish Art Deco Tea Sets
Silver
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tea Sets
Ceramic
20th Century Japanese Organic Modern Tea Sets
Ceramic
Late 19th Century German Renaissance Revival Antique Tea Sets
Silver
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Tea Sets
Porcelain
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tea Sets
Clay
18th Century English George II Antique Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Dutch Tea Sets
Silver
1950s French Rococo Vintage Tea Sets
Porcelain
1980s Japanese Modern Vintage Tea Sets
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Polish Tea Sets
Porcelain, Glass, Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Art Nouveau Tea Sets
Silver Plate
20th Century Modern Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Tea Sets
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Spanish Rococo Tea Sets
Silver
Early 18th Century English Queen Anne Antique Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
1990s Italian Modern Tea Sets
Blown Glass
1920s British Hollywood Regency Vintage Tea Sets
Metal, Silver, Silver Plate, Sterling Silver, Sheet Metal, Silver Leaf
18th Century German Antique Tea Sets
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Regency Antique Tea Sets
Vermeil, Silver
Late 20th Century Japanese Post-Modern Tea Sets
Ceramic, Pottery
Early 20th Century Persian Tea Sets
Silver
Late 19th Century French French Provincial Antique Tea Sets
Faience
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tea Sets
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Danish Tea Sets
Silver, Enamel
19th Century English Antique Tea Sets
Stoneware
18th Century English George II Antique Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
1990s American Post-Modern Tea Sets
Stoneware
Mid-18th Century Chinese Chinese Export Antique Tea Sets
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Tea Sets
Porcelain
1930s English Art Deco Vintage Tea Sets
Stoneware
1860s British Victorian Antique Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
20th Century Art Nouveau Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Antique Tea Sets
Silver
19th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Antique Tea Sets
Porcelain
18th Century Chinese Antique Tea Sets
Porcelain
1920s German Vintage Tea Sets
Porcelain
1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tea Sets
Porcelain
20th Century Tea Sets
Porcelain
1980s Japanese Post-Modern Vintage Tea Sets
Ceramic
2010s Palestinian Modern Tea Sets
Blown Glass
1830s English Rococo Revival Antique Tea Sets
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Tea Sets
Metal, Gold Plate
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tea Sets
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tea Sets
Glass
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.