Louis XV Scientific Instruments
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.
1780s French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Silver Plate
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Iron, Metal
Early 18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Copper, Iron
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Ormolu
Early 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Paper
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Giltwood, Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Iron
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Gold Leaf
Late 19th Century British Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Giltwood
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Wood
Late 19th Century English Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Natural Fiber, Birdseye Maple, Pine
1890s Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Wood
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Wood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Metal, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Paper
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
1890s French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Glass, Wood, Giltwood, Paint
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Giltwood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Wood
1750s French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Paper, Wood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Wood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Glass, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Metal
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Wood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Scientific Instruments
Giltwood