Neoclassical Decorative Objects
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.
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble
19th Century Irish Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Majolica
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Wood, Giltwood, Paint
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Silver Plate, Copper, Iron
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Silver Leaf
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Cement, Steel
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Crystal, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Porphyry, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Siena Marble, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century European Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Belgian Black Marble, Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Metal
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Scagliola
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Silver, Sterling Silver
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Porcelain
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Silver Leaf
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Ormolu
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Silver Leaf
20th Century Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Brass
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Giltwood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Porcelain
20th Century English Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Pottery, Stoneware
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Italian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Lapis Lazuli, Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Stoneware
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Iron, Nickel
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Metal, Enamel
20th Century Swiss Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Metal, Enamel
1840s French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Metal, Enamel
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Metal
1990s French Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
20th Century Belgian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Linen, Maple
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Composition