Regency Decorative Objects
Like France’s Empire style, Regency-style furniture was rooted in neoclassicism; the characteristics of its bedroom furniture, armchairs, dining room tables and other items include clean lines, angular shapes and elegant details.
Dating roughly from the 1790s to 1830s, antique Regency-style furniture gets its name from Prince George of Wales — formally King George IV — who became Prince Regent in 1811 after his father, George III, was declared unfit to rule. England’s Regency style is one of the styles represented in Georgian furniture.
George IV’s arts patronage significantly influenced the development of the Regency style, such as the architectural projects under John Nash, which included the renovation of Buckingham House into the formidable Buckingham Palace with a grand neoclassical facade. Celebrated designers of the period include Thomas Sheraton, Henry Holland and Thomas Hope. Like Nash, Hope instilled his work with classical influences, such as saber-legged chairs based on the ancient Greek klismos. He is credited with introducing the term “interior decoration” to English with the 1807 publishing of Household Furniture and Interior Decoration.
Although more subdued than previous styles like Rococo and Baroque, Regency interiors incorporated copious use of chintz fabrics and wallpaper adorned in chinoiserie-style art. Its furniture featured fine materials and luxurious embellishments. Furniture maker George Bullock, for instance, regularly used detailed wood marquetry and metal ornaments on his pieces.
Archaeological discoveries in Egypt and Greece informed Regency-era details, such as carved scrollwork, sphinxes and palmettes, as well as the shape of furniture. A Roman marble cinerary chest, for example, would be reinterpreted into a wooden cabinet. The Napoleonic Wars also inspired furniture, with martial designs like tented beds and camp-style chairs becoming popular. While the reddish-brown mahogany was prominent in this range of pieces, imported woods like zebrawood and ebony were increasingly in demand.
Find a collection of antique Regency tables, seating, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
19th Century European Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Chestnut, Paint
Mid-19th Century English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Metal, Brass
19th Century Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Early 1900s Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Brass
20th Century American Regency Decorative Objects
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Regency Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 19th Century Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Velvet, Ebony, Fruitwood, Mahogany, Walnut
19th Century Indian Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Marble
1890s English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Copper
Early 18th Century English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Birdseye Maple
Early 19th Century French Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Giltwood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Bronze, Enamel
19th Century English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
1820s British Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Wood
19th Century English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Porcelain
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
Mid-19th Century British Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Walnut
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Wood
1990s Vietnamese Regency Decorative Objects
Wood
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Brass
1820s British Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Wood
1820s British Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Wood
Early 19th Century European Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Ivory, Tortoise Shell
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Satinwood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Bronze, Ormolu
1850s English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Regency Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1820s English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Boxwood, Rosewood, Satinwood, Walnut
Late 20th Century Philippine Regency Decorative Objects
Brass
1810s British Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Shell
Early 20th Century French Regency Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1820s European Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Brass
20th Century English Regency Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century English Regency Decorative Objects
Brass
1810s English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Bronze, Ormolu
1810s British Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Wood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Brass
19th Century English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Bronze
Mid-19th Century British Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Wood
19th Century English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Satinwood
Mid-20th Century American Regency Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Brass, Copper
Mid-20th Century Italian Regency Decorative Objects
Plaster
Early 17th Century Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Brass
Late 20th Century American Regency Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Regency Decorative Objects
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Tortoise Shell, Mother-of-Pearl
20th Century Italian Regency Decorative Objects
Metal
Mid-20th Century Afghan Regency Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Ivory, Tortoise Shell
1820s English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century British Regency Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American Regency Decorative Objects
Terracotta
Early 19th Century European Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Brass, Enamel
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Crystal, Ormolu
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Decorative Objects
Mahogany