Editing Tableware (section)

===Table decoration===
[[File:Zuckerplastik zur Freiheitsidee 1880 Zucker-Museum.jpg|thumb|Sugar sculpture (1880)]]
Tableware is generally the functional part of the settings on dining tables but great attention has been paid to the purely decorative aspects, especially when dining is regarded as part of entertainment such as in [[banquet]]s given by important people or special events, such as State occasions.<ref name=Savage>{{cite book|last1=Savage|first1=George|title=Dictionary of Antiques|url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofanti0000sava|url-access=registration|date=1970|publisher=Barrie & Jenkins|location=London|isbn=0214652459|pages=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofanti0000sava/page/419 419–420]|edition=[2nd rep.]}}</ref> Table decoration may be ephemeral and consist of items made from confectionery or wax; substances commonly employed in Roman banqueting tables of the 17th century. During the reign of [[George III of the United Kingdom]], ephemeral table decoration was done by men known as "table-deckers" who used sand and similar substances to create [[marmotinto]] works (sand painting) for single-use decoration.<ref name=Savage/> In modern times, ephemeral table decorations continue to be made from sugar or carved from [[Ice sculpture|ice]].

The [[porcelain]] figurine began in early 18th-century Germany as a permanent replacement for [[sugar sculpture]]s on the dining table.

In wealthy countries, table decorations for the aristocracy were often made of precious metals such as [[silver-gilt]]. The model ship or [[nef (metalwork)|nef]] was popular throughout the Renaissance. One of the most famous table decorations is the ''[[Cellini Salt Cellar]]''. Ephemeral and silver table decorations were sometimes replaced with porcelain after it was made in Europe from the 18th century onwards.