Neoclassical Knife Boxes
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.
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Knife Boxes
Wood
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Knife Boxes
Brass
Early 19th Century Irish Antique Neoclassical Knife Boxes
Mahogany
1780s American Antique Neoclassical Knife Boxes
Brass
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Knife Boxes
Brass
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Knife Boxes
Wood, Mahogany
1780s English Antique Neoclassical Knife Boxes
Mahogany
18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Knife Boxes
Leather, Wood
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Knife Boxes
Boxwood, Mahogany
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Knife Boxes
Walnut
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Knife Boxes
Wood
Late 18th Century British Antique Neoclassical Knife Boxes
Walnut
18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Knife Boxes
Wood
1750s English Antique Neoclassical Knife Boxes
Brass
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Knife Boxes
Cherry
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Knife Boxes
Cherry
