Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
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.
18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Stone, Marble
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Stoneware
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Creamware
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Marble, Bronze
Early 1900s German Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Silver Plate
1890s English Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century German Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
1890s English Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Gold, Bronze
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Quartz, Ormolu
1920s Belgian Vintage Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Silver, Brass
1770s Italian Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Maiolica
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Carrara Marble
1780s English Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Stoneware
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Murano Glass
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porphyry
Early 20th Century German Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
Early 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Limestone
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Onyx, Bronze
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Silver Plate
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Glass
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Bronze, Metal
1920s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Marble
1870s French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Ormolu, Bronze
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
1880s French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Marble, Metal
Early 20th Century German Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Alabaster, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Ceramic
2010s Italian Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Marble, Lapis Lazuli, Malachite, Bronze
Early 1800s Swedish Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porphyry
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Bronze
1980s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Murano Glass
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Bronze
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Marble, Brass, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
1860s German Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century Dutch Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
20th Century French Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Bronze
Early 19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Ormolu, Bronze, Enamel
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Marble
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Bronze, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Scagliola
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Ormolu, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Crystal, Ormolu, Bronze
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Tôle