Basalt Ewers
Antique Early 19th Century English Neoclassical Pottery
Stoneware
Antique Mid-19th Century English Neoclassical Vases
Ceramic, Porcelain
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Antique Early 1800s English Neoclassical Pottery
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Antique Late 18th Century English Neoclassical Pottery
Stoneware
Antique Late 18th Century English Neoclassical Pottery
Stoneware
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Israeli Classical Roman Antiquities
Pottery
Antique 19th Century English Urns
Ceramic, Stoneware
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Italian Classical Greek Antiquities
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Antique Early 19th Century Indian Anglo-Indian Metalwork
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Antique 19th Century French Grand Tour Candelabras
Bronze
Antique Early 19th Century English Neoclassical Pottery
Pearlware, Pottery
Antique Early 19th Century English Neoclassical Pottery
Pearlware, Pottery
Antique 1790s English Neoclassical Pottery
Stoneware
Antique 1780s English Neoclassical Pottery
Stoneware
Antique Early 19th Century English Egyptian Revival Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 19th Century English Neoclassical Dinner Plates
Pearlware, Pottery
Antique Early 19th Century American Primitive Floor Lamps
Iron
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Antique 19th Century Table Lamps
Stone
Antique 19th Century English Neoclassical Porcelain
Bronze
Antique 1840s British Neoclassical Vases
Antique Mid-19th Century English Neoclassical Figurative Sculptures
Stoneware
Antique 1840s British Neoclassical Jars
Ceramic
Antique Late 19th Century English Neoclassical Vases
Stoneware
Antique Mid-19th Century English Neoclassical Decorative Bowls
Stoneware
Antique Mid-19th Century Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain
Antique 19th Century Porcelain
A Close Look at neoclassical Furniture
Neoclassical design emerged in Europe in the 1750s, as the Age of Enlightenment reached full flower. Neoclassical furniture took its cues from the styles of ancient Rome and Athens: symmetrical, ordered, dignified forms with such details as tapered and fluted chair and table legs, backrest finials and scrolled arms.
Over a period of some 20 years, first in France and later in Britain, neoclassical design — also known as Louis XVI, or Louis Seize — would supersede the lithe and curvaceous Rococo or Louis XV style.
The first half of the 18th century had seen a rebirth of interest in classical antiquity. The "Grand Tour" of Europe, codified as a part of the proper education of a patrician gentleman, included an extended visit to Rome. Some ventured further, to sketch the ruins of ancient Greece. These drawings and others — particularly those derived from the surprising and rich archaeological discoveries in the 1730s and ’40s at the sites of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum — caused great excitement among intellectuals and aesthetes alike.
Neoclassical furniture is meant to reflect both grace and power. The overall appearance of neoclassical chairs, tables and cabinetry is strong and rectilinear. These pieces are, in effect, classical architecture in miniature: chair and table legs are shaped like columns; cabinets are constructed with elements that mirror friezes and pediments.
Yet neoclassicism is enlivened by gilt and silver leaf, marquetry, and carved and applied ornamental motifs based on Greek and Roman sculpture: acanthus leaves, garlands, laurel wreaths, sheaves of arrow, medallions and chair splats are carved in the shapes of lyres and urns. Ormolu — or elaborate bronze gilding — was essential to French design in the 18th and 19th centuries as a cornerstone of the neoclassical and Empire styles.
As you can see from the furniture on these pages, there is a bit of whimsy in such stately pieces — a touch of lightness that will always keep neoclassicism fresh.
Find antique neoclassical furniture today on 1stDibs.