Louis XV Furniture
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.
1910s Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Giltwood
1880s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
1750s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wool, Silk
1910s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Glass, Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Velvet, Oak
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
1880s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Oak
1890s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Early 2000s American Louis XV Furniture
Leather, Wood, Paint
1910s Italian Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Marble
1760s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Kingwood, Rosewood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Linen, Hemp, Cane, Wood, Down
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Textile
1870s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Oak
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Gold, Enamel
1950s Italian Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Harewood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Giltwood
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Marble
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century Polish Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Iron
1830s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Rosewood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood
1740s Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Brass
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Oak, Paint
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Wrought Iron
1880s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
18th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood
1910s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Glass, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Art Glass, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
Late 19th Century Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Crystal, Iron
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Glass, Mirror
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Brass
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Metal
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Velvet, Wood
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Palisander
1870s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century Louis XV Furniture
Brass, Wire
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble