Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
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.
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
Early 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Marble
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
20th Century European Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Ormolu
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Iron
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
18th Century Dutch Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Belgian Black Marble
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Wood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Iron
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Early 20th Century American Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Metal, Brass, Bronze, Iron
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Carrara Marble, Marble
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
Late 19th Century European Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Breccia Marble
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Stone
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Iron
19th Century Belgian Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Marble
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Copper, Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Iron
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Oak
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Limestone
1770s French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Marble
20th Century French Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Early 18th Century Belgian Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Marble
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Iron
18th Century Dutch Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Wrought Iron
19th Century Belgian Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Brass
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron, Iron
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Late 19th Century Belgian Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Early 19th Century Dutch Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
20th Century German Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Iron
19th Century Spanish Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Ormolu
20th Century French Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Iron
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Iron
1860s French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Stone
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Metal, Bronze
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Iron
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Iron
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
18th Century German Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Iron
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Carrara Marble
19th Century Dutch Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Iron
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Iron
1890s French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Breccia Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century Dutch Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century European Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Carrara Marble
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Building and Garden Elements
Bronze