The History of Dinnerware

Times have sure changed. Generations ago, throughout the US, family meals meant sitting down around the dining room or kitchen table. Eating off a fine dinner set with a fork and knife, surrounded by a beautiful centerpiece was a nightly ritual. While this is rather rare in today’s age of “take out” and “in front of the TV”, it is still a great way to have a fine meal, enjoy stimulating conversation, and welcome in the evening hours.

Where did the “dinner set” originate? Let’s take a peek into the past to uncover the history.

Thousands of years ago, civilizations were often identified and defined by the pottery remains that were found by archaeologists at their various dig sites. The ancients often valued these possessions so much that they were buried with them!

We often call our fine dinnerware “China”, and there is a very logical reason for this. Dinnerware is more often than not made out of porcelain, and porcelain was invented by the Chinese over 1000 years. Although the emperors of the Song Dynasty get most of the credit for this invention, it was more likely invented during the Tang Dynasty. Half way through the Song Dynasty, about 1100 AD, this fine art had spread throughout the East. By 1400 it had worked its way to Europe.

In Europe, the cost of importing these items from China was very expensive. So expensive in fact that only the very rich could afford them. To compensate, the Europeans started to develop their own “China” factories. They modified the Chinese process a bit by using a different mixture of clays, etc. This resulted in a “softer China”, and it had a duller or softer tone. In England, around the time of the 1700’s, “Bone China” started to appear on the scene. It was made from a mixture of porcelain clays and bone ash.

Many of our most collectable and valuable dinnerware pieces are made not from porcelain, but from pottery. Sometimes referred to as “earthenware”, it was extremely popular decades ago during the 1950’s and 1960’s.

What is the most widely used pottery today? It’s called “Stoneware”, and it seems to be all round us. It has invaded our stores, our homes, and our restaurants. It is fired at very high temperatures until it is completely solid and able to hold liquids. The process for creating Stoneware originated in China about 3500 years ago. It’s interesting to note that some of the most sought after pieces were created in the Virginia and New England areas in the mid 1800’s.

If you’d like to learn more about dinner sets, some of the most popular ones, and where you can get them, check out www.DinnerSetReview.com