Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Neoclassical design emerged in Europe in the 1750s, as the Age of Enlightenment reached full flower. Neoclassical furniture took its cues from the styles of ancient Rome and Athens: symmetrical, ordered, dignified forms with such details as tapered and fluted chair and table legs, backrest finials and scrolled arms.
Over a period of some 20 years, first in France and later in Britain, neoclassical design — also known as Louis XVI, or Louis Seize — would supersede the lithe and curvaceous Rococo or Louis XV style.
The first half of the 18th century had seen a rebirth of interest in classical antiquity. The "Grand Tour" of Europe, codified as a part of the proper education of a patrician gentleman, included an extended visit to Rome. Some ventured further, to sketch the ruins of ancient Greece. These drawings and others — particularly those derived from the surprising and rich archaeological discoveries in the 1730s and ’40s at the sites of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum — caused great excitement among intellectuals and aesthetes alike.
Neoclassical furniture is meant to reflect both grace and power. The overall appearance of neoclassical chairs, tables and cabinetry is strong and rectilinear. These pieces are, in effect, classical architecture in miniature: chair and table legs are shaped like columns; cabinets are constructed with elements that mirror friezes and pediments.
Yet neoclassicism is enlivened by gilt and silver leaf, marquetry, and carved and applied ornamental motifs based on Greek and Roman sculpture: acanthus leaves, garlands, laurel wreaths, sheaves of arrow, medallions and chair splats are carved in the shapes of lyres and urns. Ormolu — or elaborate bronze gilding — was essential to French design in the 18th and 19th centuries as a cornerstone of the neoclassical and Empire styles.
As you can see from the furniture on these pages, there is a bit of whimsy in such stately pieces — a touch of lightness that will always keep neoclassicism fresh.
Find antique neoclassical furniture today on 1stDibs.
20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
Mid-19th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
1980s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
1850s French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Ormolu
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Travertine, Bronze, Iron
20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
20th Century European Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Malachite, Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Onyx, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Metal
20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Ormolu
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
1930s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Copper
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Iron
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Bronze
20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Bronze
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Onyx, Bronze
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
Mid-19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Crystal, Bronze
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Wrought Iron
18th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Iron
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Bronze, Iron
Early 1900s French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Wrought Iron
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Belgian Black Marble, Iron, Bronze
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
1850s Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Iron
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron, Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Granite, Bronze
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Iron
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Ormolu