Louis XV Furniture

LOUIS XV STYLE

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.

Style: Louis XV

Louise Credenza Art Deco Buffets in Fine Hammered White Bronze by Paul Mathieu

Louis XV Furniture

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Buffets in Fine Hammered White Bronze by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Sideboard in Mid. Hammered White Bronze by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Dressers in Mid. Hammered Brass by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Cupboards in Mid. Hammered Brass by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Cabinets in Mid. Hammered Copper by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Cabinets in Smooth Antique Bronze by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Buffets in Smooth White Bronze by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Buffets in Smooth Brass by Paul Mathieu for S Odegard

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Cupboards in Fine Hammered Brass by Paul Mathieu

Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture

Pair of French Louis XV Style Armchairs in Sage Green Velvet

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Credenzas in Fine Hammered White Bronze by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Cupboards in Fine Hammered Antique Bronze by P Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Sideboards in Fine Hammered Antique Bronze by P Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Credenzas in Fine Hammered Antique Bronze by P Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Credenzas in Mid. Hammered Copper by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Credenzas in Mid. Hammered Antique Bronze by P Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Dressers in Mid. Hammered Antique Bronze by P Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Sideboards in Mid. Hammered Antique Bronze by P Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Dressers in Fine Hammered Brass by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Sideboards in Fine Hammered Brass by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Bookcases in Fine Hammered Copper by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Bookcases in Mid. Hammered Antique Bronze by P Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Bookcases in Mid. Hammered White Bronze by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Buffets in Smooth Copper by Paul Mathieu for S Odegard

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Bookcases in Fine Hammered Brass by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Bookcases in Fine Hammered White Bronze by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Cupboards in Fine Hammered White Bronze by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Bookcases in Fine Hammered Antique Bronze by P Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Cupboards in Mid. Hammered Copper by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Bookcases in Mid. Hammered Copper by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Commodes and Chests of Drawers in Mid. Hammered Copper

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Cupboards in Fine Hammered Copper by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers in Fine Hammered Copper

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Cupboards in Mid. Hammered Antique Bronze by P Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Commodes and Chests of Drawers in Mid. Hammered Antique Bronze

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Credenzas in Mid. Hammered White Bronze by Paul Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Cupboards in Mid. Hammered White Bronze by Paul Mathieu

Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture

Louis XV period Kingwood Commode

2010s American Louis XV Furniture

Louise Credenza Art Deco Cabinets in Mid. Hammered Antique Bronze by P Mathieu

2010s American Louis XV Furniture