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.
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Lead
20th Century English Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal, Bronze, Iron
Late 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
1810s American Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Lapis Lazuli, Malachite, Marble, Porphyry
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Ormolu
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary European Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Cast Stone
Early 19th Century Scottish Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Scagliola
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal
Mid-20th Century English Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Hardwood, Paint
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century British Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Statuary Marble
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal, Lead
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Pine
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Statuary Marble
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Statuary Marble
1840s Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Carrara Marble, Siena Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Ormolu
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Limestone
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Porcelain
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Carrara Marble
1920s German Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Beech
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Alabaster
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
1780s Irish Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Iron
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Breccia Marble, Statuary Marble
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Pine
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Carrara Marble, Iron
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Pine
1930s American Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Pottery
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Composition
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Statuary Marble
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
20th Century Philippine Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
1830s French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Paint