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Neoclassical Desk Accessories

NEOCLASSICAL STYLE

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.

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Style: Neoclassical
Period: Early 20th Century
English Bronze 'His Royal Highness Prince Albert' Commemorative Desk Clip
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
English Bronze 'His Royal Highness Prince Albert' Commemorative Desk Clip England, early 20th century A distinguished English bronze 'His Royal Highness Prince Albert' Commemorative...
Category

Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Henrik Wigström 1908 Russia Saint Petersburg Enameled Snuff Box in 14kt Gold
Located in Miami, FL
A snuff gold box designed by Henrik Wigström. Beautiful neo classic snuff box, created in St, Petersburg Russia, at the workshop of Henrik Wigström, back in the 1908. This piece has been carefully crafted in the Russian imperial and Louis XVI styles, in solid yellow gold of 56 zolotnik (14kt) and embellished with applications of white enamel. Decorated around with garlands and intricates dotted patterns. Fitted with an invisible hinge and close perfectly well. Weight: 36.65 Grams, (23.49 Dwt). Measurements: 41 mm by 39 mm by 14 mm (1.61 x 1.53 x 0.55 Inches). Hallmarks: Stamped on both parts with Russian marks; the kokoshnik post 1908 mark with the letter a for the city of Saint Petersburg, the maker's mark HW associated to Henrik Wigström inside an oval cartouche, scratched with his inventory numbers 86111 and the 56 zolotnik mark for the assay and warranty of the gold. Other Hallmarks: Stamped in the outside border, with German importation marks; the German Crown mark, the retailer mark AT inside an oval and the 585 mark for the assay and warranty of the gold. Henrik Immanuel Wigström born on 1862 and was a Finnish silver & goldsmith. He was one of the most important Fabergé workmasters along with Michael Perchin. Perchin was the head workmaster from 1886 until his death in 1903, when he was succeeded by his chief assistant Henrik Wigström. These two workmasters were responsible for almost all the imperial Easter eggs. Henrik Wigström was born in Ekenäs, Finland, and was apprenticed to a local Danish born goldsmith named Peter Madsén, a successful manufacturer of silverware who was familiar with the jewellery trade in the city of St. Petersburg, as at one time he had had a workshop there. Once in Madsén's employment, his master's trade with Russia, as well as his numerous business contacts here, brought him to work in St. Petersburg. Goldsmith Werner Elfström employed Wigström as a apprentice on his arrival in the capital in 1875. Wigström became assistant in 1884, at the age of 22, to Perchin, whose shop at that time was already working exclusively for Fabergé. Wigström became head workmaster at Fabergé after Perchin's death in 1903. The number of craftsmen in Wigström's workshop diminished drastically with the outbreak of World War I. By 1918, the Revolution forced the complete closing of the House of Fabergé. Aged 56, Wigström retreated almost empty-handed to his summer house, on Finnish territory, and died at Terijoki in 1923. His art is similar to Perchin's but tends to be in the Louis XVI, Empire, or neo-classical style. Nearly all the Fabergé hardstone animals...
Category

Early 1900s Russian Antique Neoclassical Desk Accessories

Materials

Gold, Enamel

Charles & Richard Comyns 1920 London Neo Classic Carriage Table Clock in Sterlin
Located in Miami, FL
Travel carriage clock designed by Charles & Richard Comyns. Beautiful small travel-desk clock, created by the top notch and prestigious silversmith company of Charles & Richard Co...
Category

1920s English Vintage Neoclassical Desk Accessories

Materials

Silver, Sterling Silver

Russian 1915 Moscow Nephrite Jade Desk Picture Frame Mounted in Gilded Silver
Located in Miami, FL
Nephrite jade and gilded silver desk frame. Beautiful neo classic desk picture frame, created in Moscow Russia, back in the 1915. Carefully crafted in the Russian imperial and Louis XVI style, with solid gilded silver, translucent nephrite green jade...
Category

1910s Russian Vintage Neoclassical Desk Accessories

Materials

Jade, Silver

Henrik Wigström Russia Imperial 1915 Red Enamel Picture Frame In Gilded Sterling
Located in Miami, FL
Presentation picture frame from the imperial Russia. Beautiful neo classic picture desk frame, created in Moscow Russia, back in the 1910's. It was carefully crafted in the Russia...
Category

1910s Russian Vintage Neoclassical Desk Accessories

Materials

Gold, Silver, Enamel

Turn of the Century French Bronze Sculpture
Located in High Point, NC
Made at the turn of the century in France, this bronze sculpture exudes a sense of peaceful contemplation. The detailed form depicts a seated woman, clothed in flowing robes. In one hand, dropped at her side, she holds a mirror; her face is turned away in a gesture of pensive serenity. The burnished patina of the bronze lends a gentle glow to the curves of her body and the raised folds of the cloth...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Neoclassical Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Venus de Milo White Granite Marble Female Figurative Statue Sculpture
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful white granite marble reproduction of Greek goddess 'Venus de Milo' female figure statue sculpture in the Neoclassical style, circa early 20th century, Italy. A great deco...
Category

Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Desk Accessories

Materials

Granite, Marble

Large Silvered Lion Sculpture, France, Early 20th Century
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
An early 20th century Silverplated Lion. This particular example very well modelled. Mounted over a Portoro Italian marble base. Perfect size to...
Category

Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Desk Accessories

Materials

Marble, Metal

Antique English Blue John or Derbyshire Spar Egg Shaped Paperweight
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine antique paperweight. Comprised of Blue John (also known as Derbyshire Spar), a rare form of fluorite from England with distinct purple & yell...
Category

Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Desk Accessories

Materials

Precious Stone

Antique French Gilt Bronze Lion Head Form Ashtray / Catchall with Glass Eyes
Located in Atlanta, GA
A very fine and rare french lion head form ashtray or catchall having glass eyes. Very unique piece with some wear and minor loss to verso - not observed whe...
Category

Early 20th Century British Neoclassical Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze, Gold Leaf

Chessboard Brass, Stainless Steel, Bakelite, Original from 1970-Design
Located in Foggia, FG
Chessboard brass, stainless steel, Bakelite, original from 1970 -Design- Year: 1970s Materials: Brass, stainless steel, bakelite Condition: Excellent Measurements: Chessb...
Category

Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Desk Accessories

Materials

Metal, Brass

Early Panorama Children’s Book Hiawatha Illustrated by Willy Pogany London 1914
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Antique panorama children’s book illustrated by Willy Pogany and retold by Edith L Elias. A total of 14 panels, one side with illustrations, and the other with text. Published by George G. Harrap & Company. This book is part of a children’s series by Willy Pogány of folding panoramas illustrations and text, inspired by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1855 epic, The Song of Hiawatha. Lines from Longfellow run underneath Pogány’s illustrations, which follow the Ojibwe child Hiawatha from his early kinship with the wild animals, through his struggles with Nahma, King of Fishes, and his own estranged father, Mudjekeewis, up to his courtship of Laughing Water (Minnehaha). The prose text by Edith Elias, printed on the verso of the panorama, carries Hiawatha’s story farther, through the death of Minnehaha and the coming of “the Pale-Face Chief.” Pogány’s dynamic frames, with their striking use of negative space, show the influence not only of Golden Age illustrators like Walter Crane, but also the new generation of cartoonists like Winsor McCay...
Category

1910s English Vintage Neoclassical Desk Accessories

Materials

Paper

Neoclassical-Style Continental Silver '.800' Footed Double Inkstand by Dragstead
Located in New York, NY
Neoclassical - style, Continental Silver (.800), footed, double inkstand, Denmark, year-hallmarked for 1901, A. N. Dragsted - maker. Each of the wells is decorated with bows and garl...
Category

Early 1900s Danish Antique Neoclassical Desk Accessories

Materials

Sterling Silver

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Empire Style Table Clock and Inkwell
Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Empire Style Table Clock and Inkwell
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H 13.78 in W 9.85 in D 7.09 in
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Previously Available Items
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Engraved Brass Umbrella Stand
Located in Marcq-en-Barœul, Hauts-de-France
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Brass

Engraved Brass Umbrella Stand
Engraved Brass Umbrella Stand
H 20.08 in W 11.03 in D 7.88 in
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Located in Philadelphia, PA
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Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Desk Accessories

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French Gilt Bronze and Malachite Lion Paperweight
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Emile Picault's Model French Inkwell
Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Emile Picault's model French scribe mercury figure Origin France Ciraca 1900 Material zamac, alpe green marble and metal electroplated.
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Emile Picault's Model French Inkwell
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H 15.75 in W 20.48 in D 9.06 in
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Pair of Neoclassical Style Lapis Lazuli Obelisk
Located in Houston, TX
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Neoclassical desk accessories for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Neoclassical desk accessories 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 desk accessories created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, more furniture and collectibles, serveware, ceramics, silver and glass and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, stone and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Neoclassical desk accessories made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and England pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original desk accessories, popular names associated with this style include Wedgwood, Henrik Wigström, Georg Jensen, and Platerías Martínez. 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 desk accessories differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $49 and tops out at $16,875 while the average work can sell for $1,450.

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