Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
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.
1960s Swiss Vintage Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Marble, Metal
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Marble, Slate, Brass
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Brass
1960s Vintage Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Brass
1860s French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Onyx, Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Malachite, Spelter
Late 18th Century German Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Alabaster, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Ormolu, Bronze
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Silver, Enamel
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Lapis Lazuli, Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Metal
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Griotte Marble, Bronze, Other
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Onyx, Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
1960s German Vintage Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Brass
1990s Swiss Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Brass
Early 20th Century Swiss Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Bronze
1950s Austrian Vintage Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Metal, Brass
1950s Vintage Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Brass
Mid-20th Century Japanese Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Metal
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Bronze
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Brass
Late 19th Century Hungarian Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Swiss Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Marble, Brass
Mid-20th Century Japanese Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Metal
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Marble, Gold Plate, Bronze, Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Alabaster, Metal, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Bronze, Steel
Late 19th Century North American Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Brass
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Metal, Enamel
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Brass
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Brass, Enamel
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Metal
Mid-19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Brass
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Bronze