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Gustavian Clocks

GUSTAVIAN STYLE

With clean lines and muted colors, antique Gustavian furniture is understated and elegant. It represents a more restrained version of the transition from Rococo to neoclassicism that was happening in France under Louis XVI. The style developed under Swedish King Gustav III, who reigned from 1771 until his assassination in 1792, and his son Gustav IV, who ruled until 1809. Although Gustavian furniture is mostly used to refer to pale painted cabinets, commodes, armchairs and other items, it involved a range of influences.

Gustavian-style furniture was inspired by discoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum as well as the grandeur of European palaces like Versailles, with local softwoods such as pine and birch. There was also an emphasis on natural light; crystal chandeliers and large mirrors played a role in radiating the fleeting daylight of winter, giving it a distinctive aesthetic.

Where earlier furniture was curvy and florid, this new era was more architectural, with tapered and fluted legs and rectangular and oval shapes. Luminous gilt contrasted with the palette of soft blues on upholstery and painted surfaces. Leading furniture builders included Gottlieb Iwersson, Louis Masreliez and Erik Öhrmark. The latter, a French-born Swedish decorator, designed the Sulla chair, a seat that was demonstrative of technical skill and precise craftsmanship and drew on Greek klismos chairs. Masreliez’s Sulla chair was made by Öhrmark and featured decorative ornamentation produced by Jean-Baptiste Masreliez, Louis’s younger brother.

While the wealthy had furniture carved with neoclassical details like scallops and rosettes, more affordable options were adorned with faux finishes that mimicked marble and stenciled patterns. The simple elegance of Gustavian furniture would have a long impact on Swedish design, informing the 20th-century appreciation for function and form. In the 1950s, IKEA mass-produced copies of a Gustavian commode designed by cabinetmaker Georg Haupt, who created pieces for the Royal Palace, making the furniture a fixture of everyday Swedish life.

Find a collection of antique Gustavian seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Style: Gustavian
White Mora Clock Swedish Antique Early 1800s Narrow Waist Gustavian
Located in LONDON, GB
Antique Swedish Mora clock early 1800s in lovely white paint finish with a delicate shape body, nipped in waist and a good face with lots of detail and nicely detailed hood in good c...
Category

Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Clocks

Materials

Wood

White Mora Clock Swedish Antique Early 1800s Narrow Waist Gustavian
White Mora Clock Swedish Antique Early 1800s Narrow Waist Gustavian

White Mora Clock Swedish Antique Early 1800s Narrow Waist Gustavian

Swedish Mora Clock White Gold Paint, Early 1800s Carved Detail Antique
Located in LONDON, GB
Very tall decorative, 1800s antique Swedish Mora clock with unusual body shape and crown stunning hand painted gold detailing to the body and plinth. This original 1800s Mora clock ...
Category

Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Clocks

Materials

Pine

Swedish Mora Clock White Gold Paint, Early 1800s Carved Detail Antique
Swedish Mora Clock White Gold Paint, Early 1800s Carved Detail Antique

Swedish Mora Clock White Gold Paint, Early 1800s Carved Detail Antique

Mora Clock Swedish Early 1800s Antique Gustavian White Blue Detail
Located in LONDON, GB
Swedish country Mora clock from early 1800s in white paint finish and blue detail with a Classic shape body and a good face with lots of detail and nicely detailed hood in good condi...
Category

Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Clocks

Materials

Wood

Mora Clock Swedish Early 1800s Antique Gustavian White Blue Detail
Mora Clock Swedish Early 1800s Antique Gustavian White Blue Detail

Mora Clock Swedish Early 1800s Antique Gustavian White Blue Detail

Swedish Mora Clock Flowers and Wreath Painted Detail Antique, Early 1800s
Located in LONDON, GB
Early 1800s Mora clock with stunning hand painted trompe l'oeil flower wreathes and patterns with sumptuous carved detail on the hood and plinth. This mora clock is a unique find, g...
Category

Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Clocks

Materials

Pine

Swedish Mora Clock Flowers and Wreath Painted Detail Antique, Early 1800s
Swedish Mora Clock Flowers and Wreath Painted Detail Antique, Early 1800s

Swedish Mora Clock Flowers and Wreath Painted Detail Antique, Early 1800s

Swedish Mora Clock Fryksdall White Gold Scroll Motif Antique Grandfather
Located in LONDON, GB
Swedish antique Mora clock in the Fryksdall school finished in White paint with gold edge detailing. This unusual Mora clock has interesting scrollwork at the neck with a ribbon mot...
Category

Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Clocks

Materials

Pine

Swedish Mora Clock Fryksdall White Gold Scroll Motif Antique Grandfather
Swedish Mora Clock Fryksdall White Gold Scroll Motif Antique Grandfather

Swedish Mora Clock Fryksdall White Gold Scroll Motif Antique Grandfather

Swedish Mora Clock White Castle Crown Carved Detail Early 1800 Frkysdall Antique
Located in LONDON, GB
Antique Swedish mora clock in white paint and gold detailing with very unusual and rare hood ornamentation and highly decorative face, lovely star round moti...
Category

Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Clocks

Materials

Pine

Swedish Mora Clock White Castle Crown Carved Detail Early 1800 Frkysdall Antique
Swedish Mora Clock White Castle Crown Carved Detail Early 1800 Frkysdall Antique

Swedish Mora Clock White Castle Crown Carved Detail Early 1800 Frkysdall Antique

Late 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Giltwood Cartel Clock by Henrik Beurling
By Henrik Beurling
Located in Essex, MA
Swedish neoclassical giltwood cartel clock with Gustavian Griffins. Impressive size. Original gilding. The painted dial signed Beurling, Stockholm for Henrik Beurling 1758-1806.  
Category

Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Clocks

Materials

Giltwood

Late 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Giltwood Cartel Clock by Henrik Beurling
Late 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Giltwood Cartel Clock by Henrik Beurling

Late 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Giltwood Cartel Clock by Henrik Beurling

19th Century Swedish Painted Wood Floor Clock, Soft with Minimal Embellishments
Located in Atlanta, GA
A 19th century Swedish floor clock. This antique clock from Sweden is simple and unassuming with it's round-shaped head, minimally adorn with a curved top crest, an elongated neck mo...
Category

19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Clocks

Materials

Metal

19th Century Swedish Painted Wood Floor Clock, Soft with Minimal Embellishments
19th Century Swedish Painted Wood Floor Clock, Soft with Minimal Embellishments

19th Century Swedish Painted Wood Floor Clock, Soft with Minimal Embellishments

Exquisite Swedish 19th Century Clock with Carved Crest and Volutes on the Base
Located in Atlanta, GA
An exquisite Swedish 19th century floor clock with carved crest topped with a ball. This clock retains it's original metal face, hands and movement. This Swedish clock has very sub...
Category

19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Clocks

Materials

Glass, Wood

Exquisite Swedish 19th Century Clock with Carved Crest and Volutes on the Base
Exquisite Swedish 19th Century Clock with Carved Crest and Volutes on the Base

Exquisite Swedish 19th Century Clock with Carved Crest and Volutes on the Base

Swedish Black Lacquered and Gilt Chinoiserie Tall Case Clock, Lanner, Circa 1775
By Josua Lanner
Located in Hollywood, SC
Swedish black lacquered and gilt Chinoiserie tall case clock with arched decorative floral hood, flanking finials, turned bulbous columns, ormolu and steel engraved face, figural flo...
Category

1770s Swedish Antique Gustavian Clocks

Materials

Ormolu, Steel

Swedish Black Lacquered and Gilt Chinoiserie Tall Case Clock, Lanner, Circa 1775
Swedish Black Lacquered and Gilt Chinoiserie Tall Case Clock, Lanner, Circa 1775

Swedish Black Lacquered and Gilt Chinoiserie Tall Case Clock, Lanner, Circa 1775

A Swedish 19th C. Long-Case or Floor Clock w/ Beautifully Exaggerated Crown
Located in Atlanta, GA
A 19th century Northern Swedish painted wood clock. This Swedish clock from Norrbotten County, Sweden (Northern region) features a nicely carved, exaggerated and raised crest adorned...
Category

19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Clocks

Materials

Glass, Wood

A Swedish 19th C. Long-Case or Floor Clock w/ Beautifully Exaggerated Crown
A Swedish 19th C. Long-Case or Floor Clock w/ Beautifully Exaggerated Crown

A Swedish 19th C. Long-Case or Floor Clock w/ Beautifully Exaggerated Crown

Mora Clock
Located in Crowthorne, Surrey
1900's Swedish Mora clock with cream and gold paint detailing. Carved detailing to crown. Working Longcase clock mechanism of pendulum and 2 weights and a bell chime on the hour. Wi...
Category

1880s Swedish Antique Gustavian Clocks

Materials

Wood

Mora Clock
Mora Clock

Mora Clock

19th Century Swedish Painted Longcase Mora Clock
Located in Bradenton, FL
19th century Swedish Painted longcase Mora Clock, Gotland, circa 1820. Features red painted body with blue painted inserts. Clock has a painted tin face with Roman numerals encased b...
Category

19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Clocks

Materials

Wood, Paint

19th Century Swedish Painted Longcase Mora Clock
19th Century Swedish Painted Longcase Mora Clock

19th Century Swedish Painted Longcase Mora Clock

Unusual Pair of Gustavian Corner Clock Cabinets, Origin Mora, Sweden, Circa 1780
Located in New York, NY
Unusual pair of Gustavian corner clock cabinets, origin: Mora, Sweden, circa 1780 Each cabinet with matching working, tall case clocks decorated with four fluted diamond patterns an...
Category

18th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Clocks

Materials

Wood, Paint

Unusual Pair of Gustavian Corner Clock Cabinets, Origin Mora, Sweden, Circa 1780
Unusual Pair of Gustavian Corner Clock Cabinets, Origin Mora, Sweden, Circa 1780

Unusual Pair of Gustavian Corner Clock Cabinets, Origin Mora, Sweden, Circa 1780

Gustavian clocks for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Gustavian clocks for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage clocks created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, folk art, case pieces and storage cabinets and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, pine and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Gustavian clocks made in a specific country, there are Europe, Scandinavia, and Sweden pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original clocks, popular names associated with this style include Henrik Beurling, Josua Lanner, and Mora Clocks. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for clocks differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,400 and tops out at $35,000 while the average work can sell for $3,000.

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