Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
With clean lines and muted colors, antique Gustavian furniture is understated and elegant. It represents a more restrained version of the transition from Rococo to neoclassicism that was happening in France under Louis XVI. The style developed under Swedish King Gustav III, who reigned from 1771 until his assassination in 1792, and his son Gustav IV, who ruled until 1809. Although Gustavian furniture is mostly used to refer to pale painted cabinets, commodes, armchairs and other items, it involved a range of influences.
Gustavian-style furniture was inspired by discoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum as well as the grandeur of European palaces like Versailles, with local softwoods such as pine and birch. There was also an emphasis on natural light; crystal chandeliers and large mirrors played a role in radiating the fleeting daylight of winter, giving it a distinctive aesthetic.
Where earlier furniture was curvy and florid, this new era was more architectural, with tapered and fluted legs and rectangular and oval shapes. Luminous gilt contrasted with the palette of soft blues on upholstery and painted surfaces. Leading furniture builders included Gottlieb Iwersson, Louis Masreliez and Erik Öhrmark. The latter, a French-born Swedish decorator, designed the Sulla chair, a seat that was demonstrative of technical skill and precise craftsmanship and drew on Greek klismos chairs. Masreliez’s Sulla chair was made by Öhrmark and featured decorative ornamentation produced by Jean-Baptiste Masreliez, Louis’s younger brother.
While the wealthy had furniture carved with neoclassical details like scallops and rosettes, more affordable options were adorned with faux finishes that mimicked marble and stenciled patterns. The simple elegance of Gustavian furniture would have a long impact on Swedish design, informing the 20th-century appreciation for function and form. In the 1950s, IKEA mass-produced copies of a Gustavian commode designed by cabinetmaker Georg Haupt, who created pieces for the Royal Palace, making the furniture a fixture of everyday Swedish life.
Find a collection of antique Gustavian seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
1790s Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
1780s Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Pine, Giltwood
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
Early 20th Century Italian Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Gesso, Glass, Wood
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Glass, Giltwood
1790s Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Marble
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Marble
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood, Mirror
1780s Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror
2010s English Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood, Gesso
1950s French Vintage Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Paint, Wood, Gesso
1960s Italian Vintage Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Gesso, Mirror, Giltwood
1910s French Vintage Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Gold Plate, Iron
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Late 18th Century French Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
Early 1900s French Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Wood, Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary English Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Paint, Gesso, Wood
19th Century American Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood, Mirror
1770s Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
1770s Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
1790s Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
1790s European Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
1780s Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
1780s Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
Early 20th Century Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Mahogany
19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Carrara Marble
18th Century and Earlier Swedish Antique Gustavian Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood