Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
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.
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Cherry
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Ormolu
20th Century French Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Brass, Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Wood
20th Century European Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Ormolu
20th Century French Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Marble
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Breccia Marble, Ormolu
1980s Danish Vintage Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Paint, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Marble, Ormolu
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Carrara Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Giltwood, Wood
20th Century French Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Onyx, Marble
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Onyx, Ormolu
20th Century Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Marble, Brass
1970s American Vintage Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Ceramic
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Walnut
20th Century Italian Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Iron, Sheet Metal
20th Century Italian Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Alabaster
20th Century English Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Wood, Tulipwood
Late 20th Century Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Onyx, Brass
Late 20th Century Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Marble, Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century Spanish Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Brass
Early 20th Century European Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Gesso, Resin
Late 20th Century French Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Fruitwood, Mahogany, Rosewood
Late 20th Century French Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Malachite, Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Onyx, Bronze
20th Century French Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Gesso, Wood
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Louis XV Pedestals and Columns
Limestone