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.
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
1930s American Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Cement
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Brass, Steel
1930s Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron, Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Lead
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Aluminum, Iron
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal, Aluminum
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
1930s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Cement
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Cherry
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass
1930s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Onyx, Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
1950s Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
1930s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Concrete
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal
Mid-20th Century Danish Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Pine, Giltwood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Steel
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron, Wrought Iron
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Steel
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Wrought Iron
1960s Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Steel
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Steel
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal, Brass
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Steel
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Wrought Iron
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century English Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Cement
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
1940s American Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron, Sheet Metal
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Plaster
1940s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Giltwood, Paint
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Concrete
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Granite, Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass
1940s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Cast Stone
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Thai Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Plaster
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Carrara Marble
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Plaster
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron, Wrought Iron