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.
2010s Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Cast Stone, Cement
2010s American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Cement, Cast Stone
2010s American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Plaster
2010s Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Limestone, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Cast Stone, Cement
2010s Northern Irish Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Carrara Marble
2010s European Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Limestone, Metal, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Cast Stone, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
2010s Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
2010s Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Limestone, Marble
2010s English Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone
Mid-18th Century British Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Statuary Marble
21st Century and Contemporary British Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone
18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
2010s Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal
20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Fiberglass
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Composition
Late 20th Century English Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
1910s Scottish Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Hardwood
20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Cement, Cast Stone
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Cast Stone, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Cast Stone, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Cast Stone, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Cast Stone, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Cast Stone
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Cement, Cast Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Cast Stone