Louis XIV Bookcases
As opposed to the styles that would follow from the other 18th-century French kings, Louis XV and Louis XVI, antique Louis XIV furniture is rigid and imposing. It expresses opulence — even its armchairs, with their upright backs, straight legs and lavish ornamentation, look like thrones. Authentic Louis XIV sofas, a then newly emerging iteration of seating, are fully upholstered and often feature decoratively carved frames of walnut, chestnut or oak.
When French King Louis XIV established his royal court at Versailles in 1682, he transformed what was once a hunting lodge into a palace that declared his wealth and power through its design. Until his death in 1715, he reigned with a spirit of excess and absolute political dominance. The “Sun King,” as he called himself, believed that France revolved around him as planets do the sun. Louis XIV adopted the sun as his emblem, decorating the grounds with symbols of the sun and Apollo, the Greek god of the sun. As he stated, “There is nothing that indicates more clearly the magnificence of great princes than their superb palaces and their precious furniture.” He was a child when he became king in 1643, only shaping his style after he became absolute monarch in 1661.
Reflecting trends in French Baroque art, Louis XIV furniture characteristics included exuberant decoration. There were gilded bronze details including shells, suns, grotesques, lions and classical references like acanthus leaves. The years of growth in the country’s manufacturing, such as the tapestries and cabinets made at Gobelins, led to design innovations. The commode replaced the chest as a storage device, with drawers and a surface that could double as a desk.
The materials were luxurious, such as the popular tortoiseshell veneer technique that leading cabinetmaker Pierre Golle used in his designs. André-Charles Boulle, who became royal cabinetmaker in 1672, was a masterful artist of marquetry, using inlays of ebony, exotic woods and mother-of-pearl.
Find a collection of antique Louis XIV bedroom furniture, chairs, tables and other pieces on 1stDibs.
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Oak, Paint
1790s French Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Brass
1880s French Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Wood, Rosewood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Cut Steel
Mid-19th Century Belgian Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Louis XIV Bookcases
Wire
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Brass
20th Century Louis XIV Bookcases
Wood, Beech
20th Century Louis XIV Bookcases
Brass
20th Century Louis XIV Bookcases
Brass
20th Century Louis XIV Bookcases
Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Glass, Oak
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Oak
Early 20th Century English Louis XIV Bookcases
Mahogany
19th Century British Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Pine
Early 20th Century French Louis XIV Bookcases
Brass
Late 19th Century American Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Glass, Mahogany
1870s English Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Mahogany
Early 20th Century American Louis XIV Bookcases
Glass, Mahogany
Early 20th Century Louis XIV Bookcases
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Wood, Paint
19th Century Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Wire
Mid-20th Century French Louis XIV Bookcases
Oak
1730s Vatican Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Maple, Rosewood, Walnut
1730s Italian Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Walnut
Early 20th Century Belgian Louis XIV Bookcases
Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Walnut
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Louis XIV Bookcases
Wood, Paint
Early 20th Century French Louis XIV Bookcases
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century Dutch Louis XIV Bookcases
Oak
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Brass
Late 19th Century Belgian Antique Louis XIV Bookcases
Glass, Oak
20th Century Louis XIV Bookcases
Beech, Wood