Neoclassical Candelabras
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.
1880s Polish Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Silver Plate
1960s English Vintage Neoclassical Candelabras
Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Griotte Marble, Bronze
1830s French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Ormolu
1940s English Vintage Neoclassical Candelabras
Silver Plate
1930s American Vintage Neoclassical Candelabras
Sterling Silver
Early 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Marble, Bronze
1870s French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Griotte Marble, Bronze
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Silver, Bronze
1880s French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century Finnish Neoclassical Candelabras
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Marble, Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Marble, Bronze
19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Berlin Iron
1990s Italian Neoclassical Candelabras
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Candelabras
Stone, Marble, Metal, Silver, Bronze, Copper
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Walnut
1860s French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Bronze
1860s French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Marble, Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Iron
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Bronze, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Marble, Ormolu, Bronze
19th Century Ukrainian Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Crystal, Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Bronze
Early 1900s American Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Brass
Early 19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Ormolu, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Malachite, Ormolu, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Rock Crystal, Marble, Ormolu
20th Century French Neoclassical Candelabras
Ormolu, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Malachite, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Breccia Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Malachite, Ormolu, Bronze
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Candelabras
Metal
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Candelabras
Lapis Lazuli, Ormolu, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Ormolu, Bronze
1870s French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Marble, Enamel, Ormolu, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Griotte Marble, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Candelabras
Bronze, Metal
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Candelabras
Ormolu
19th Century Great Britain (UK) Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Crystal, Ormolu, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Onyx, Ormolu, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Bronze, Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Bronze, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Lapis Lazuli, Enamel, Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Ormolu
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Candelabras
Bronze
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Alpaca
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Candelabras
Onyx, Brass