Louis XV Seating
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.
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Seating
Wood, Nutwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Linen, Mahogany
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Fruitwood
1990s Italian Louis XV Seating
Leather, Wood
1990s American Louis XV Seating
Textile, Giltwood
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Velvet, Cane, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Textile, Foam, Wood
Late 20th Century Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Cane, Walnut
1880s French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Giltwood
1950s American Vintage Louis XV Seating
Walnut
Late 20th Century Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century Unknown Louis XV Seating
Wood
19th Century Antique Louis XV Seating
Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Leather, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Walnut, Linen
1940s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Wood
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Linen, Wood, Paint
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Walnut
1990s American Louis XV Seating
Wood
20th Century Louis XV Seating
Maple, Upholstery
20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Textile, Upholstery, Cane, Wood, Oak
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Cane, Hardwood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Beech
Early 20th Century Louis XV Seating
Cotton, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Louis XV Seating
Upholstery
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Paint
20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Wood
Early 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Beech
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century American Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Silk, Upholstery, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Walnut
1960s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Walnut
20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Cotton, Walnut
1860s French Antique Louis XV Seating
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
1880s French Antique Louis XV Seating
Walnut
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Fruitwood, Upholstery
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Fabric
20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Upholstery
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Velvet, Cane, Oak
Early 20th Century Italian Louis XV Seating
Walnut, Upholstery
1940s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Giltwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Louis XV Seating
Cotton, Polyester, Mahogany, Down
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Beech
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Paint
1970s American Vintage Louis XV Seating
Walnut
1950s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Brass
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Textile, Oak
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Fruitwood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Velvet
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Fruitwood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Walnut
1930s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Linen, Wood, Paint
20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Leather, Giltwood, Wood
1950s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Walnut
19th Century Antique Louis XV Seating
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Wood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 20th Century Louis XV Seating
Brass
1850s French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Walnut