Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
The style of 18th-century French furniture was guided by the court. When Louis XV, who reigned from 1715–74, focused royal life on the smaller salons of Versailles rather than its grand chambers, it transformed the aesthetics away from the imposing and angular furniture that characterized the style of Louis XIV. A broader focus on comfort and more delicate forms define antique Louis XV furniture, with nature-inspired carvings, wood inlays, curved cabriole legs, asymmetrical shapes and rounded oval seat backs. The furnishings changed throughout the king’s life, as he ascended to the throne as a child and then grew to establish his own tastes.
Pieces like the bergère, an upholstered armchair with a wide cushion that fit the flowing dresses in fashion at the time, reflected this more informal court. Introduced at the start of Louis XV’s reign, bergère chairs in this style were deeper and broader than other chairs of the period.
Louis XV tapestries and carpets tended to be floral and colorful, and design elements were borrowed from Asia. Dutch-born cabinetmaker Bernard van Risenburgh brought lacquer techniques influenced by Japan and China into his luxuriously made furniture. Along with its fine details, the furniture of the era also featured new innovations including mechanical devices. Jean François Oeben, a royal cabinetmaker, created such intricate pieces as a mechanical table for Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV’s mistress. It involved a sliding top and a writing surface that extended from its marquetry panels.
During the later years of Louis XV’s reign, there was a shift from the ostentatious rocaille style, part of the exuberantly decorative Rococo movement in Europe for which designers such as Nicolas Pineau and Juste-Aurèle Meissonier are known. The style under Louis XVI would return to boxier forms, but with a neoclassical touch inspired by the ancient world.
Find antique Louis XV bedroom furniture, seating, tables and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Ormolu
19th Century English Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Hardwood
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Ormolu
20th Century Spanish Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Mid-18th Century Unknown Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
1910s Danish Vintage Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Ormolu
1940s French Vintage Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1890s French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Ormolu
1940s Vintage Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Cocobolo
Late 20th Century Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Wood
1950s French Vintage Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
1960s French Vintage Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Mid-19th Century English Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Satinwood
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
1940s French Vintage Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Pine
Mid-19th Century English Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1880s French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Porphyry, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Walnut, Burl
1860s French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Bronze
1970s French Vintage Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
19th Century English Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Tulipwood
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
1980s American Vintage Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1960s French Vintage Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
1730s French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
1880s French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Cherry
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
1960s French Vintage Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Elm
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Ormolu
1760s French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Kingwood, Rosewood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Cherry
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Swedish Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze, Ormolu
1930s British Vintage Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Marble
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Porcelain, Mahogany, Walnut
1890s French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Kingwood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Oak, Poplar
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Wood, Paint
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze