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.
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Copper
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Giltwood
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Limestone
1870s English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stoneware
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Oak, Paint
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Paint
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Carrara Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Alabaster
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Pine
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Mid-19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Hardwood
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Siena Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Giltwood
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Pine
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
1870s Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Alabaster
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Marble, Statuary Marble
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Composition
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Pine
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal, Zinc
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century Dutch Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
1820s French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Bronze
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Oak, Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron, Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Griotte Marble
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Siena Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Plaster, Scagliola
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Clay, Terracotta
1850s French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Mid-19th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Marble
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Paint
Mid-19th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Mid-19th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Terracotta