Reflecting the final era of royal opulence before the upheaval of the French Revolution, antique Louis XVI furniture features more angular shapes than the Rococo curves of the Louis XV style, harkening back to the imposing grandeur of Louis XIV.
Dating between 1750 and 1800, an era that overlapped with the last king of France whose reign was cut short by the guillotine, Louis XVI furniture, known as the goût grec, is emblematic of the neoclassical revision that French furniture underwent during the second half of the 18th century.
Authentic Louis XVI furniture characteristics include clean lines and carved details such as scrolls and acanthus flourishes that were inspired by ancient Greece and Rome. This was informed by a burgeoning interest in antiquity in the 18th century, owing to new archaeological excavations at sites including Pompeii and Herculaneum. It largely eclipsed the more East Asian–influenced ornamentation of Louis XV for something more geometric and symmetrical.
The Louis XVI style was defined by what was being created for the palatial rooms at Versailles and Fontainebleau, particularly for the queen, with cabinetmaker Jean-Henri Riesener being a favorite of Marie-Antoinette’s for his luxurious pieces accented with gilded bronze and marquetry. Furniture maker Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené was also a major designer of the period, with his pieces for the royal residences adorned with giltwood and neoclassical touches like tapered columns for chair legs and laurel leaf carvings. Cabinetmaker Adam Weisweiler occasionally incorporated into his furniture porcelain panels produced by Sèvres, a popular manufacturer of European ceramics that served the crown with serveware, vases and other decorative objects.
Find a collection of antique Louis XVI seating, tables, cabinets and other furniture on 1stDibs.
$42,348
Gold box of Louis XVI period
Located in Paris, FR
Three-tones gold oval snuff box. The hinged lid is decorated with a country trophy medallion. The medallion is framed by a garland of green gold foliage and roses. The medallion is d...
Gold
19th Century French Gilt Bronze and Guilloché Enamel Portrait Box
Located in Dublin, IE
A superbly crafted circular gilt bronze box of exceptional quality, featuring a rich turquoise-blue guilloché enamel top centered with an oval medallion bearing a finely hand-painted...
Enamel, Ormolu
Louis XVI Hand Painted Wedding Box
Located in Essex, MA
Likely made in the Normandy area of France. Domed hinged top with wrought iron hasp and lock. Conforming case. With original painted surface.
Pine
$3,250
H 2.75 in W 6 in D 4.5 in
Fantastic 19th Century French Dore Bronze Mounted Blue Opaline Crystal Box
By Baccarat
Located in New York, NY
A Fantastic 19th Century French Louis XVI Style Dore Bronze Mounted Blue Opaline Crystal Box. The box is composed of two sections of French opaline crystal which are mounted to a fa...
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century French Enameled Porcelain Box
Located in Land O' Lakes, FL
A salmon colored enamel box with patina bronze surround and latch and topped with a gold laurel wreath.
Bronze, Enamel
19th Century French Bronze Mounted Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Walnut veneered. Footed. Silk-lined. Key is included.
Bronze
$1,379
H 3.55 in W 5.12 in D 3.55 in
Antique 19th Century French Art Nouveau Pierced Gilt Bronze Jewelry Box
Located in Firenze, IT
This lavish French Art Nouveau period (1880-1910) jewelry box is entirely chiseled, hammered and pierced with flowers and leaf patterns. This late 19th – early 20th century rectangul...
Bronze
$2,950
H 2.5 in W 5.25 in D 3.5 in
Fantastic 19th Century French Dore Bronze Mounted Blue Opaline Crystal Box
By Baccarat
Located in New York, NY
A Fantastic 19th century French Louis XVI Style Dore Bronze Mounted Blue Opaline Crystal Box. The box is composed of two sections of French opaline crystal which are mounted to a fab...
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century French Louis XV Style Bronze Box.
By Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres
Located in Houston, TX
19th Century French Louis XV Style Bronze Box. This stunning antique French bronze box with a hinged lid, decorated with cupids surrounded with Sèvres-style porcelain floral and figurative plaques...
Bronze
$2,903
H 4.73 in W 5.52 in D 3.94 in
French 19th Century Empire Porcelain and Gilt Bronze Decorative Jewelry Box
Located in Firenze, IT
This French Empire 19th century rectangular porcelain dresser box or jewlery decorative casket has a wonderfully patinated powder blue/cerulean light blue background color and features grotesque masks, architectural vase, fruit, flowers and leafy scrolled design throughout painted as a trompe l’oeil in the round. Ormolu mounts enrich the whole box. The paintings on this casket are striking as is the color palette used, a wonderful mix of light purple, cream, blue and soft brown. The lid is centered by a grotesque mask inspired by antiquity. The front, back and sides are profusely decorated with architectural elements, cartouches and volutes. The design is centered by a vase with a fruit arrangement that appear to be plums. The decoration could refer to the allegory of autumn and the mask painted on the lid could refer to Bacchus. Both the color of the porcelain and the paintings are very unusual and a sign of high quality and uniqueness.The box was most probably given to a high-ranking lady as a gift on the occasion of her marriage, or perhaps after the birth of a child. The lidded box is fitted with ormolu mounts, hinges and clasp. A gilt bronze band finelly chiseled in the form of a rope adorns the upper part. The trinket box rests on four gilt bronze lion paw feet. This striking French porcelain box...
Bronze, Ormolu
Louis XVI-Style Gilt Bronze Jewellery Box
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
A very pretty oval-shaped jewellery box in gilt bronze, with an exquisite central miniature of a young man serenading two young ladies with a lute. This Louis XVI style box is stunni...
Bronze
19th Century French Large and Finely Gilt Bronze Casket
Located in Dallas, TX
Finest quality French 19th century bronze doré box. Beautiful scenes of cherubs at play on all sides. Boucher scenes. Lined with a beautiful silk original key.
Bronze
$2,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 4.75 in W 5.5 in D 3.5 in
19th Century, Bohemian Barfatan or French Blue Opaline & Gilt Enameled Glass Box
Located in Atlanta, GA
This exquisite 19th-century glass box represents the pinnacle of decorative glasswork, either originating from the Bohemian Barfatan tradition or crafted from French blue opaline gla...
Opaline Glass
$1,845
H 3.25 in W 5.25 in D 5.25 in
Antique French Louis XVI Style Crystal and Gilt Enameled Jewelry Casket Box
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Dimensions - H: 3 1/4 in W: 5 1/4 in D: 5 1/4 in This Antique 19th Century French Louis XVI Style Crystal and Gilt Enameled Jewelry Casket Box is truly remarkable and whispers tale...
Crystal, Metal, Enamel, Ormolu
Sold
H 0.91 in W 3.82 in D 2.56 in
Tsar Nicholas II coronation snuff box. In homage to FABERGE. Early 20th century.
Located in Paris, FR
Important rectangular gold box in translucent yellow enamel on a radiant guilloche. The enamelled cover is decorated with a gold trellis which is embellished with diamonds and features imperial double-headed eagles. The lid presents a central medallion with the number N II for Tsar Nicholas II...
Gold, Enamel
Antique 18th Century French Three-Colour 18K Gold Snuff Box c.1780
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Antique late 18th Century French magnificent three-coloured 18k gold snuff box. During the reign of Louis XVI, French artisans demonstrated their unparalleled skill in crafting magni...
Gold
Sold
H 0.67 in Dm 1.97 in
French 1790 Antique Snuff Box in 19kt Gold Sterling and Translucent Gray Agate
Located in Miami, FL
French snuffbox from the late 18th century. Beautiful antique piece, made in France during the late 18th century, circa 1790's. It was carefully carved with impeccable precision, ...
Agate, Gold, Silver
Louis XVI Neoclassical Sterling Silver Snuff or Patch Box
Located in Pasadena, CA
This a beautifully designed and finely crafted Neoclassical Louis XVI patch box. The finely cast lid encircles a basket of flowers surrounded by a floral cha...
Sterling Silver
Louis XVI Gold Snuff Box, Circa 1778
Located in Paris, FR
Oval snuff box in three tones of gold. The hinged lid is decorated with an intricate scale pattern surrounded by a frieze of roses, ribbons, and pink, green and white gold leaves. Th...
Gold
18th Century Gold and Enamel Snuff-Box
Located in Paris, FR
Oblong snuff box in gold of several tones and enamel. The box is decorated with guilloche panels with lattice patterns and underlined with friezes decorated with floral patterns enha...
Gold, Enamel
Gold Snuff Box, Louis XVI Period
Located in Paris, FR
Oval snuff box featuring in gold of several tones.. The hinged lid is decorated with a central medallion featuring two doves near an altar on a landscape background. The doves that stand out against a background of amati gold. The doves, a symbol of love and of Venus in particular, are set on a matte gold background. The medallion is framed with friezes of flowers and bunches and stands out on a guilloche end called "barley grain" motif. The border of the lid The border of the lid is highlighted with floral frieze. The body is made of four panels with angled corners and an intricate gometric design guilloche and pilasters and antique garlands...
Gold
Lacquer Box with Erotic Enamel Medallion, Late 18th Century
Located in Paris, FR
Round box in red-orange lacquer and gold mounting embellished with delicate beading. The removable lid is ornamented with a rectangular, enamel medallion...
Enamel
Gold Snuff Box, Late 18th Century
Located in Paris, FR
Rectangular snuffbox with angled corners sides. The box in several tons of gold presents an exceptional ‘guilloché’ decoration in lozenge reminding a work of basketry. This elegant w...
Gold
Round Bonbonniere in Gold and Enamel, Louis XVI Period, 1779
By René-Antoine Bailleul 1
Located in Paris, FR
Bonbonnie`re, or candy box, in intricately patterned gold and translucent, ruby-red enamel. Thin bands of gold are inlaid in the enamel. A painted enamel medallion decorates the lid ...
Gold, Enamel
Louis XVI Agate Snuff Box
Located in New York, NY
Louis XVI agate and chased gilt metal continental snuff box encasing two conforming striated agate panels, Europe, late 18th century. Dimensions: 2.88" L X 1.88" D x .75&q...
Agate, Gilt Metal
Lacquer Box with Erotic Enamel Medallion, Late 18th Century
Located in Paris, FR
Round box in red-orange lacquer and gold mounting embellished with delicate beading. The removable lid is ornamented with a rectangular, enamel medallion...
Enamel