Neoclassical Console Tables
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.
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble, Steel
1780s Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble, Brass
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Giltwood, Wood
19th Century British Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble, Gold Leaf
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Onyx, Gold Leaf
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Breccia Marble
18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Alabaster, Marble, Gold Leaf
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Giltwood, Wood
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Maple, Walnut, Glass
19th Century Scandinavian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Mahogany
19th Century British Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Gold Leaf
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Rosewood, Fruitwood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Brass
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble, Gold Leaf
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble, Gold Leaf
18th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Wood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble, Gold Leaf
18th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Wood
1790s Swedish Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble
Early 19th Century British Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Gold Leaf
1770s Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble, Ormolu
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble, Silver Leaf
1790s Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Gold Leaf
1830s Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Carrara Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Bronze
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Console Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century French Neoclassical Console Tables
Brass, Steel
20th Century American Neoclassical Console Tables
Carrara Marble, Bronze, Iron
20th Century Neoclassical Console Tables
Cast Stone, Brass, Iron
Early 2000s American Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Console Tables
Leather, Ostrich Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble, Bronze, Iron
20th Century Swedish Neoclassical Console Tables
Wood
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble, Wrought Iron, Bronze, Brass
20th Century Neoclassical Console Tables
Paint, Wood
20th Century French Neoclassical Console Tables
Brass, Steel
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Console Tables
Wood, Giltwood