Tableware
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Metal
1850s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century German Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Nouveau Tableware
Brass, Nickel, Zinc
20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Wood
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Dutch Tableware
Silver
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Glass
1880s British Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1850s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1920s English Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Crystal, Silver
1990s English Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Brass
2010s Portuguese Organic Modern Tableware
Brass
2010s Italian Other Tableware
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Tableware
Linen
Early 20th Century Tableware
Wood
Mid-20th Century German Tableware
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Crystal, Silver
Early 20th Century American Art Nouveau Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Tableware
Silver Plate, Steel
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century English Tableware
Plastic, Cork
Early 1800s Dutch Antique Tableware
Silver
1880s English Industrial Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Silver
2010s Italian Tableware
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Tableware
Linen
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Metal, Chrome
Early 20th Century Dutch Tableware
Crystal, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Tableware
Leather
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Bulgarian Post-Modern Tableware
Clay, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Crystal, Silver
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Tableware
Silver
Late 20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
19th Century European Antique Tableware
Glass
1940s Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1840s English Gothic Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century French French Provincial Tableware
Brass
Mid-20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Majolica, Pottery, Ceramic
20th Century French Other Tableware
Silver
1930s Italian Modern Vintage Tableware
Alpaca
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century English Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century European Tableware
Silver
Early 18th Century European Antique Tableware
Silver
20th Century European Tableware
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary European Tableware
Silver
Early 18th Century European Antique Tableware
Silver
19th Century European Antique Tableware
Silver
19th Century European Antique Tableware
Silver
Early 18th Century European Antique Tableware
Silver
20th Century European Tableware
Silver
19th Century European Antique Tableware
Silver
20th Century European Tableware
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.
Read More
Paul Revere Crafted This Silver Coffee Pot 250 Years Ago
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.





