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.
1990s North American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
1880s European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
2010s Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Limestone
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
1780s Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Iron, Wrought Iron
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
18th Century and Earlier American Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron, Brass
1810s Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
1890s Baltic Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass
Late 18th Century Irish Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Siena Marble, Statuary Marble
1930s Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
1810s English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Iron
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Brass, Wrought Iron
1880s French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Velvet
18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Statuary Marble
Early 19th Century Scottish Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
1820s American Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Wrought Iron
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Porcelain
18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Ormolu
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Silver, Bronze, Iron
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Pine
1860s French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron, Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Iron
19th Century Belgian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Belgian Black Marble
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Pine
20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Aluminum
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Granite
1820s Irish Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
Early 20th Century British Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Lead
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Marble
1860s French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
Late 18th Century Scottish Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Gesso, Pine
Mid-19th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Pine
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Granite, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Onyx, Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Alabaster
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
1850s Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Iron
1830s Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Silver, Bronze, Wrought Iron
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Granite, Marble