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.
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Mercury Glass, Wood, Lacquer
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Oak
1760s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1880s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
1940s Italian Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
1960s Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century American Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Poplar
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Argentine Louis XV Furniture
Silver
1980s American Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Brass
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Fabric
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Wood, Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery
1750s Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Brass
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century Louis XV Furniture
Brass, Wire
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Leather, Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
Early 1900s Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Hardwood
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Marble
Mid-18th Century Unknown Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Leather, Walnut
1890s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Crystal
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze, Iron
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Iron
1850s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Steel
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
18th Century Dutch Antique Louis XV Furniture
Brass, Copper, Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XV Furniture
Bronze, Iron, Metal
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood
18th Century Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
1960s American Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Pine
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Iron
1960s American Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Brass
1820s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wire
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
1760s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
19th Century Chinese Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century English Antique Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1970s American Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Cane, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut, Fabric
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Wood
1930s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Velvet, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Gesso, Mercury Glass, Mirror, Giltwood
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Giltwood, Muslin
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Mercury Glass, Canvas, Giltwood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Iron
1950s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Metal
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Fruitwood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Cane, Maple
Late 20th Century Louis XV Furniture
Marble
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
1960s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Marble
Late 20th Century European Louis XV Furniture
Wood, Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Fabric, Giltwood