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.
1750s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Kingwood, Rosewood
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Faience
Early 20th Century Louis XV Furniture
Oak
1890s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood
1930s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Linen, Wood, Paint
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Cane, Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Iron
1950s American Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Glass, Walnut
1930s Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
1940s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Beech, Walnut
20th Century Spanish Louis XV Furniture
Cane, Wood
1880s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Walnut, Linen
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Kingwood
1990s American Louis XV Furniture
Textile, Giltwood
1780s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
1880s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Marble
19th Century Antique Louis XV Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Nutwood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Louis XV Furniture
Mahogany
Early 2000s American Louis XV Furniture
Suede, Fruitwood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Late 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Rush, Walnut, Fabric
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Cane, Walnut
20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Beech, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Stucco, Giltwood
1880s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Brass, Bronze
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Steel
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
2010s Singaporean Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Giltwood
1960s American Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century Dutch Antique Louis XV Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Oak
Late 18th Century Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Cane, Oak
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Leather, Wood
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
1930s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Leather, Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Metal, Gold
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Limestone
1940s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Gesso, Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century Unknown Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
18th Century European Antique Louis XV Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
1990s Unknown Louis XV Furniture
Mahogany
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
1930s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Wood
1770s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
1910s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
1960s Unknown Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Metal, Brass, Bronze
Early 1900s Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
1820s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Oak