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.
1860s French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron, Brass
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
18th Century and Earlier American Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Mid-19th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Cement
19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Mid-19th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Ash, Burl
2010s Chinese Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Gold Plate
19th Century Belgian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Belgian Black Marble
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Hardwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal, Bronze
1810s Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
1810s English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass
19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Pine
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Alabaster, Breccia Marble
2010s Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Limestone
19th Century Irish Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Terracotta
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Pewter
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
2010s American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Iron
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal
Late 18th Century American Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Pine
1820s American Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Wrought Iron
1880s French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Velvet
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
1880s Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Plaster
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone
20th Century European Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
1880s French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
19th Century Hungarian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stoneware, Paint
Mid-19th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Terracotta
1830s American Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass
1870s Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Carrara Marble
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
Late 18th Century Irish Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Siena Marble, Statuary Marble
1860s French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
1990s North American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal
20th Century English Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Granite
19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Granite, Belgian Black Marble, Ormolu
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Granite, Bronze
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Silver Plate, Brass, Steel
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Pine
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Ormolu
20th Century European Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Gesso, Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Ormolu