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 English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Limestone
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Alabaster
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Brass, Steel
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century English Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Pine, Paint
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Ormolu
1870s Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Terracotta
19th Century Irish Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Scagliola
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Marble
1870s English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stoneware
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Malachite, Ormolu
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Marble, Statuary Marble
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Ash, Burl
1760s North American Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Wrought Iron
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Brass, Other
1840s American Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble
20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Alabaster
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Limestone, Marble
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century Irish Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Porphyry
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Ormolu
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass
1880s French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Cast Stone
Early 18th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Siena Marble, Statuary Marble
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Gesso, Giltwood
20th Century European Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Gesso, Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
1930s American Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Pottery
20th Century European Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
1840s Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
20th Century Chinese Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
1810s American Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
1820s Irish Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Cork
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Pine
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Ormolu