Gustavian Blue

Swedish Gustavian Table

Swedish Blue Painted Chest Of Drawers

Blue Painted Side Table

Blue Nightstand

Antique Blue Cabinet

Gustavian Style Chest Of Drawers

Category

Antique Early 19th Century Russian Gustavian Candelabras

Materials

Crystal, Marble, Bronze

Antique Mora Clock Swedish Early 1800s Blue Gold Star Motif Grandfather

$2,623

Antique Mora Clock Swedish Early 1800s Blue Gold Star Motif Grandfather

Unavailable

H 32.5 in W 32 in D 18 in

Pair of 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Painted Chests

Located in Encinitas, CA

Pair of antique Swedish Gustavian painted chests in lovely blue paint with carved border around beautiful faux grey marbled top.

Swedish Carved Relief in Blue and Gilt Rectangular Over Door Panel, 1800s

Unavailable

H 20.5 in W 33 in D 2.5 in

Swedish Carved Relief in Blue and Gilt Rectangular Over Door Panel, 1800s

Located in West Palm Beach, FL

Swedish Gustavian rectangular Relief Carved and Giltwood Panel with a plaster centerpiece of a woman's profile within foliate scrolls and a gilded border. Adopted for hanging.

Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier Swedish Gustavian Decorative Art

Materials

Wood, Plaster, Paint

Bjørn Wiinblad, Pair of Large Blue/White Horseback Rider Candlestick in Faience

Unavailable

Sold

H 75.5 in W 30 in D 18.75 in

Antique Narrow Swedish Gustavian Blue Corner Cabinet, circa 1840

Located in Round Top, TX

It has recently been given a soft blue painted finish, gently distressed to maintain the Gustavian look of the piece.

Materials

Wood

Swedish painted side table

Sold

H 29 in W 36.5 in D 24 in

Swedish painted side table

Located in New York, NY

Swedish Gustavian blue painted table, Early 19th Century, with a rectangular top above a single frieze drawer raised on square tapered legs.

Swedish Period Gustavian Sideboard in Original Pale Blue Paint

Sold

H 40.56 in W 47.25 in D 18.9 in

Swedish Period Gustavian Sideboard in Original Pale Blue Paint

Located in Jesteburg, DE

Swedish period Gustavian buffet sideboard in original paint, reeded carving scraped back to original color, Sweden, circa 1790

Category

Antique Late 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Sideboards

$18,000

H 93 in W 54.5 in D 29 in

18th Century Swedish Gustavian Two Part Painted Secretary

Located in Rio Vista, CA

Grand late 18th century Swedish gustavian period two-part secretaire cabinet or bookcase crafted from pine and beech. The substantial case has a gracefully curved or arched pediment ...

Category

Antique 18th Century European Gustavian Secretaires

Materials

Iron

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Gustavian Blue For Sale on 1stDibs

At 1stDibs, there are many versions of the ideal gustavian blue for your home. Each gustavian blue for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using wood, softwood and pine. Whether you’re looking for an older or newer gustavian blue, there are earlier versions available from the 18th Century and newer variations made as recently as the 21st Century. A gustavian blue, designed in the Folk Art, Mid-Century Modern or Neoclassical style, is generally a popular piece of furniture. Carl Malmsten each produced at least one beautiful gustavian blue that is worth considering.

How Much is a Gustavian Blue?

Prices for a gustavian blue start at $499 and top out at $25,000 with the average selling for $4,452.

A Close Look at Gustavian Furniture

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.