There is rare surviving furniture from ancient Greece, yet this classical style has informed design for centuries. Interiors of houses in antiquity were minimal, with much of a room’s color coming from frescoes on the walls and mosaics on the floors. Classical Greek furniture was sparing but finely crafted and influenced by Egyptian furniture design through Mediterranean trade.
Furnishings of the period were usually made from local wood like cypress, cedar, oak and willow from ancient Greece’s plentiful forests, although some pieces were carved from marble, such as a 300–200 B.C. throne with lion legs and a curved back now at the Getty Villa. Comfort and clean lines characterized designs during the Classical era, the symmetry and thoughtful proportions reflecting the architecture of Greek temples.
Some pieces of ancient Greek furniture were simple, rectangular platforms like the klinē, a multipurpose ancestor of today’s couches or daybeds that held cushions stuffed with wool, dry grass or down. These structures were used for both sleeping and dining, which wealthy Greeks did while reclining. At night, oil lamps illuminated rooms that frequently surrounded a garden courtyard.
Most of what scholars have learned about Greek furniture design owes to its representations in art like vases and stelae. The portable diphros stool, with its backless design and four turned legs, was one of the more common types of seating in daily Greek life — it appears as such for the gods on the Parthenon frieze. Stools without backs have been found in early Roman tombs, while benches were also common Greek seating furniture created for use in theaters. In houses of the Hellenistic period, benches seemingly functioned as tables, too.
Some designs evolved through adaptations by the Romans, including the klismos chair. After prominent archaeological excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum, the klismos chair — with its four saber legs and the elegant curves that define its back — was a source of inspiration for aesthetics in eras ranging from 18th-century neoclassicism to 20th-century Art Deco.
Find a collection of Classical Greek decorative objects, wall decorations and building and garden elements on 1stDibs.
Ilias Lalaounis Sterling Silver and Bronze "Barley" Metapontum Coin Paperweight
By Lalaounis
Located in New York, NY
Ilias Lalaounis sterling silver and bronze "Barley" paperweight after an ancient coin of Metapontum 5th Century B.C. in its original box and documentation 20th Century Marks: Lalaoun...
Sterling Silver, Bronze
Antique God Atlas Sterling Silver Figural Wax Seal Stamper. German 19-Century.
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
Antique God Atlas Sterling Silver Figural Wax Seal Stamper. Rara Antique, circa 1850, wax seal stamp. Moldelled as the God Atlas (Greek Mythology). The globe rotates. Museum quality...
Silver, Sterling Silver
Edwardian Glass and Sterling Silver Match Striker / Paperweight
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive, antique Edwardian English glass and sterling silver match striker; an addition to our ornamental collection. This exceptional antique Edwardian sterling silver and glass match striker has a globular form. The surface of the glass body is embellished with a serrated texture which composes a match striker. The upper portion of this example of antique silverware retains the original, plain hallmarked sterling silver mount which continues to line the match receiver; this solid silver lining indicates the high quality of the piece. By virtue of its size and weight, this versatile match striker could be utilised as a paperweight. Condition This antique 20th century match striker glass match holder...
Sterling Silver
Antique French Gilt Ormolu Gilt Metal Hand Wax Seal Stamp
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Very charming French hand wax seal from the late 19th Century. We see this piece added to a collection of these hard to find treasures.
Metal, Ormolu
$595
H 1.04 in W 2.2 in D 2.06 in
Vintage Greek Lalaounis Sterling Silver Figural Scallop Sea Shell Paperweight
By Lalaounis
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine signed Greek silver paperweight. By Lalounis. In sterling silver. In the form of a scallop or cockle sea shell. Marked to the base. Simply a wonderful Lalaounis shell...
Sterling Silver
$425
H 1.4 in Dm 4.1 in
John Hardy sterling silver and coconut wood desk/table pen holder/paperweight .
By John Hardy
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautiful sterling silver and coconut wood paperweight/ pen holder .
Sterling Silver
Modernist Silver Plate Pear Paperweight
Located in San Diego, CA
A very cool modernist silver plated pear paperweight / sculpture, circa 1970s. The piece is well crafted with a nice weight and in very good vintage condition with no chips or cracks...
Silver Plate
Victorian Glass and Sterling Silver Match Striker / Paperweight
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver and glass match striker; an addition to our ornamental collection. This exceptional antique silver and glass match striker has a globular form. The surface of the glass body is embellished with a serrated texture which composes a match striker. The ornamentation to the glass body is segmented with plain subtly concave vertical flutes. The upper portion of this antique glass match striker...
Sterling Silver
Antique Glass and Sterling Silver Match Striker / Paperweight
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique George V English sterling silver and glass match striker; an addition to our ornamental collection. This exceptional antique glass and silver match striker...
Sterling Silver
$1,350
H 3 in W 2.5 in D 2.5 in
Art Déco French Polished Silvered Bronze Balancing Dice Paperweight by E. Brandt
By Edgar Brandt
Located in North Miami, FL
Art Déco fench polished silvered bronze balancing dice paperweight by Edgar Brandt By: Edgar Brandt Material: copper, bronze, silver, metal Technique: cast, molded, silvered, polish...
Bronze, Metal, Silver, Copper
Mid-Century Modern Bronze Sculpture, Signed, Europe, 1970
Located in London, GB
Hand-sculpted and bronze cast sculpture is like a landscape that can be used as a ashtray or paper weight is made in the 1970's and is signed. The shape is square and the pattern loo...
Bronze
Antique Glass and English Sterling Silver Match Striker / Paperweight
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique George V English sterling silver and glass match striker; an addition to our ornamental coll...
Sterling Silver
19th Century Bronze Figural Novelty Wax Stamp
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
19th century bronze figural novelty wax stamp. Shipping within the United States and Canada is free.
Art Nouveau French Bronze Wax Seal Stamp by Budin, ca 1900
Located in Delft, NL
Art Nouveau French bronze wax seal stamp by Budin, ca 1900. A lovely Art Nouveau bronze wax seal stamp of a woman figure, nude with long hair ...
Bronze