During Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 A.D., Pompeii and Herculaneum in today’s Italy were preserved as they were on the day of their destruction. Particularly at Herculaneum, furnishings were carbonized beneath volcanic ash. This was pivotal to understanding how Classical Roman furniture was designed. Archaeological investigations and printed reproductions of discoveries would influence styles evoking this ancient civilization, from the Renaissance to neoclassicism.
While knowledge of Classical Roman furniture comes from rare surviving pieces, it is also derived from frescoes and sculptures portraying Roman life. Much of Roman art, architecture and design was informed by Greece — Roman architect, military engineer and writer Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, whose timeless De architectura is taught in contemporary architecture classes and pays tribute to classical architecture, visited Greece while working under Julius Caesar and admired the country’s architectural developments. The Roman solium references the Greek thronos, a stately chair of honor with an upright form and footstool. As the Roman Empire spread across Europe and into North Africa and Western Asia, the expansion of trade for silver, silk, marble and wood allowed for more luxurious designs.
Classical Roman furniture was made from bronze, wood and stone — in particular, marble — with ornate touches like tortoiseshell veneers, bone and glass inlays and claw feet. Ornaments depicting lion heads and mythological figures were sculpted from silver, bronze and ivory. Compared to the decorative attention given to the mosaic floors and wall paintings, however, furniture for even a wealthy house was minimal. It focused on the necessities for guests arriving for both socializing and business and the rooms housing family, relatives and enslaved people.
The triclinium dining room had banquet couches, items so prized they were sometimes interred with the deceased. Tall bronze or terracotta candelabras held oil lamps for lighting. Carved marble tables reflected status, while the lararium home shrine demonstrated faith.
Find a collection of Classical Roman decorative objects, tables, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
$1,561Sale Price / set|30% Off
Pair of Patinated Iron and Ebonized Metal PricketsCandleholders Torcheres
Located in Germantown, MD
Pair of Roman Style Patinated Iron and Ebonized Metal Prickets. Patinated cast iron base. Measure 9" in diameter at the base and stand 42" tall. Accommodate large size candles.
Metal, Iron
Italian 17th Century Pair Decorative Torchères Hand-Carved Walnut Giltwood
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Italian precious original 17th century pair of decorative columns , Torchères, hand-carved walnut gold leaf covered, on a tripod base.
Walnut
Carved Painted and Gilt Wood Column Display Pedestal
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Carved painted and gilt wood column display pedestal The column is set on a square base, the central column is deeply reeded and supports a square platform top The column is in t...
Paint
Hand Carved Wood Candlestick from India, in Gilt Rustic Finish
Located in New York, NY
A hand carved wood candle stand from India, circa 1960. Gilt finish. 14 inches high on an 8-inch triangular base.
Wood
Pair of Italian Painted and Carved Wooden Candle Holders
Located in Houston, TX
Pair of hand painted and carved wooden candle holders having a metal spike to hold candles. They are painted in a cream/ grey tone. That is very...
Reclaimed Wood
$850 / set
H 9.75 in W 3.5 in D 3.5 in
Pair Antique Neoclassical Style Corinthian Column Gilt Bronze Candle Holders
Located in New York, NY
Pair Neoclassical style Corinthian column form gilt bronze candle holders Late 19th- Early 20th Century Attractive, well detailed Corinthian column capitals with reeded column bodies...
Bronze
$4,500
H 49 in Dm 13.5 in
Pair 17th Century Large Italian Baroque Gilded Carved Candlesticks Torcheres
Located in Vero Beach, FL
Pair 17th Century Large Italian Baroque Gilded Carved Candlesticks Torchieres Magnificent carved and gilded floor Torchieres, early Baroque from Tuscany, Northern Italy. Each is exq...
Wood
Torchère Pedestal Stand of Turned Mahogany from England (H 57)
Located in Austin, TX
A fine English torchère (torchière) or column pedestal stand of mahogany - in the William IV style - featuring a moulded round top for candles or plants, turned column support, and r...
Wood, Mahogany
$899 / set
H 15 in Dm 5 in
Set of Antique Carved and Painted Wood Candle or 'Cricket' Sticks with Brass
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This set of four carved and painted 'cricket stick' styled candlesticks are unsigned but presumed to have been made in Eastern Europe in circa 1930 in a folk art style. The sticks ar...
Brass
$930
H 29.53 in Dm 10.44 in
Vintage English Carved Hardwood Pedestal Jardiniere Column Display Plant Stand
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this lovely hand made in England, mahogany pedestal stand for displaying plants, busts, taxidermy, and trinkets wi...
Hardwood
$2,150Sale Price|32% Off
H 58 in W 10.5 in D 18 in
George III Giltwood Candle Stand, Carved Design, England, 1800
Located in Savannah, GA
Handsome George III giltwood pedestal candle stand featuring a fluted tapered column with highly carved base including acanthus leaves and shells and a round wooden dish top measurin...
Giltwood
$3,800 / set
H 34 in W 17 in D 12 in
Pair of Italian Carved Wood and Gilt Angel Reliquary Pricket Candelabra as Lamps
Located in Essex, MA
Pair of early 17th century Italian carved wood and gilt angel Pricket stick candelabra. Jubilant Angels Holding Cornucopia which holds single pricket fo...
Pine
$4,500 / set
H 35.5 in Dm 9 in
Pair of Italian Carved Wood and Silver Gilt Floral Prickets, Circa 1750
Located in Charleston, SC
Pair of Italian carved wood, gesso, and silver gilt floral prickets with centered spikes for candles, bulbous ring columns with bead work, and terminating on stylized lions paws feet...
Iron
$2,500
H 40 in W 8.32 in D 6.63 in
French Baroque Style 1870s Carved, Painted and Parcel-Gilt Candlestick Lamp
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Baroque style carved, painted and parcel-gilt wooden pricket candlestick from the third quarter of the 19th century, made into a table lamp, shade included. Born in the late...
Wood
19th Century Italian Neoclassical Polychrome and Giltwood Torchère
Located in Dallas, TX
Bring dramatic scale and old world grandeur to an interior with this impressive antique torchère from Italy. Crafted circa 1860, the tall neoclassical floor candlestick rises over a ...
Wood
Classical Bronze and Gilt Bronze Torchere with a Winged Sphinx
Located in London, by appointment only
This exceptional cast bronze torchiere is modelled after the Roman originals discovered in Italy The winged Sphinx is an ancient motif that dates back t...
Bronze