Neoclassical Picture Frames
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
18th Century, Roman Architectural Capriccio Attributed to Francesco Chiarottini
Located in IT
Francesco Chiarottini (1748-1796)
Roman Architectural Capriccio
Oil on glass, cm 52 x 67 without frame, 63.5 x 79cm with frame
The valuable painting, attributed to the Italian p...
Category
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Glass
American Oil on Board Landscape with Young Lady and Rabbit, Circa 1820
Located in Charleston, SC
American oil on board landscape of young lady standing by rabbit in foreground with the original molded pine frame and wood backing. Early 19th century.
Category
1820s American Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Pine, Paint
Italy Early 19th Century Neoclassical Rectangular Wood Frame
Located in Brescia, IT
This is an elegant wood frame, lacquered in mat gold. The thick hand carved border also is lacquered in gold.
The frame has the look of the past and shows all the signs of the age, ...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Lacquer, Wood
Neoclassical Style Gilt Bronze Picture Frame with Cherub, France, Late 19th C
Located in Barntrup, DE
An adorable gilt bronze photo frame, richly decorated with a cherub and Neoclassical or Louis XVI style motifs like a face of a goddess, garlands of flowers, foliage, darts, and a fa...
Category
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Bronze
Nineteenth Century European Gilt Wood Frame, Having Festoons and C Scrolls
Located in Winnetka, IL
A Nineteenth Century European gilt and gesso mirror carved in the Neoclassical style having festoons of C scrolls upon a diapered ground and bead...
Category
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Gesso, Giltwood
French Bronze Neoclassical Style Round Desktop Picture Frame, Late 19th Century
Located in Barntrup, DE
French Bronze Neoclassical Style Round Desktop Picture Frame from circa the 1890s.
This beautiful ornate oval frame is made of bronze and has a supporting leg on the back. Decorated ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Metal, Bronze
French Bronze Neoclassical Style Oval Desktop Picture Frame
Located in Barntrup, DE
French Bronze Neoclassical Style Oval Desktop Picture Frame from circa the end of the 1930s.
This beautiful ornate oval frame is made of bronze and has a supporting leg on the back. ...
Category
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Bronze, Metal
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 Picture Frames
Materials
Jade, Silver
Pair of Gilt Bronze Picture Photo Frames with Lions and Royal Crowns
Located in Barntrup, DE
Pair of gilt bronze picture photo frames with lions and royal crowns, Belgium, circa the 1930s.
A magnificent pair of gilt bronze table photo or picture frames. These beautiful frames feature heraldic lions and a coat of arms of Belgium that bears a lion, known as Leo Belgicus / the Belgian lion...
Category
1930s Belgian Vintage Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Metal, Bronze
Barovier and Toso Torchon glass with brass picture frame
Located in Ferndale, MI
Substantial frame is comprised of a thick handmade Murano glass border in a sparkling hue of clear glass, suitably . The Murano glass has been twisted and shaped in the Torchon st...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Brass
French Engraving of Italian Landscape View, Gold Gilt Frame
Located in Barcelona, ES
Engraving printed in black on laid paper framed with a neoclassical style gold leaf frame. The engraving shows a beautiful view from the Aqueduct of Corigliano, Calabria.
Marks with ...
Category
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Gold Leaf
Gilded Wood Frame, 18th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Framework. Carved and gilded wood, 18th century.
Rectangular frame with a semicircular finish in the center of the upper part, crowned by a composition with leaves and elements of ...
Category
18th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Wood
Neoclassical Style Mirror or Picture Frame
Located in Sheffield, MA
A large rectangular 38" x 48" American Classical style carved giltwood frame for mirror or painting, with boldly carved fluting, and raised square and roundel centre. May be hung hor...
Category
20th Century American Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Wood
19th Century French Gilt Bronze Neoclassic frame
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
19th Century French Gilt Bronze Neoclassic frame.
Category
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Bronze, Ormolu
Drawing, 18th Century French School, the Sedan Chair
Located in Kittery Point, ME
Two men with a cab or the Sedan chair, in the style of Touzé.
Bears collector's stamp (possibly the eye-form mark of Nathaniel Hone) and inscribed indi...
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Noble Empire table picture frame, Gold, Oval
Located in Berlin, DE
Neoclassical picture frame made of solid bronze with extremely fine engraving and gilding. Oval body with neoclassical floral crowning and a so-called Lou...
Category
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Bronze
Italian Oval Oil on Board Gilt Carved Wood Portrait of a Gentleman, Circa 1770
Located in Charleston, SC
Italian oval oil on board gilt carved wood portrait of a gentleman in the original floral and berry frame, 18th century.
Category
1770s Italian Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Wood, Giltwood
1900s French Bronze Medallions
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Set of four. Dore bronze. Profiles are bisque on velvet. Finely chased details. Possibly 19th century.
Category
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Bronze
Circa 1900 Neoclassical Wooden Frame with Repoussé Silvered Metal Front Plate
Located in North Miami, FL
Circa 1900 Neoclassical wooden frame with repoussé silvered metal front plate
By: unknown
Material: glass, silver, wood, metal, leather
Technique: repoussé, polished, metalwork, sil...
Category
Late 19th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Metal, Silver
Late 19th Century Italian Neoclassical Wood Frame with Gold Leaf Cover
Located in Prato, IT
Late 19th century Italian neoclassical wood frame with gold leaf cover
Measure: cm.41.5 x 7.5 x 36 (internal cm26 x 20.5).
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Giltwood
Four Silver Mounted Photo Frames by Carrs Silver
Located in London, GB
These elegant silver frames were made in 2007 by the Carrs Silver company in Sheffield, England. Carrs Silver was founded in 1977 by Ron Carrs and it is still in business today. The ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary English Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Silver
Set of Four 18th Century Frames with Saint Engravings by German Klauber
Located in Milano, MI
A set of four frames with Klauber 18th century engravings within stunning rectangular frames in gold-leaf gilded wood with lapis lazuli blue color paper inserts in the external profile, with gold decorations.
Under the original glass we find the effigies of Saints Ambrose...
Category
Late 18th Century German Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Glass, Giltwood, Paper
Italy Early 19th Century Neoclassical Oval Hand Made Grey and Gold Wood Frame
Located in Brescia, IT
This is an elegant wood frame, lacquered in the green typical color in Venice in 18th Century. The thick hand carved border is lacquered in gold.
The frame has the look of the past a...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Wood, Lacquer
Historistic Picture Frame Fire Gilted with Glass, Vienna, Around 1890s
Located in Wien, AT
Historistic picture frame fire gilted with glass vienna around 1890s
(The picture is not included, it is only for the photoshooting).
Category
1890s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Brass
Large 18th Century Red Chalk Drawing of Ruins after Hubert Robert
By Hubert Robert
Located in Kittery Point, ME
The Tomb of Caecilia Metella, Rome.
Red chalk on paper.
Provenance: H. Shickman Gallery, New York (D1311). Label verso where given to Hubert Robert.
This sumptuous drawing is a ...
Category
1760s French Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Paper
Frame, Wood, 18th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Rectangular frame made of carved and gilded wood that combines a smooth thin band inside, with another carved with fajada band and another, to the outside, which combine smooth areas with delicate plant details (these in the same finish as the rest of the molding, highlighted on a striped background). Currently, the value and appreciation of the frames are on the rise due to the search for them by the museums and important institutions, with the aim of giving the works the frames they would have in origin. Hence, similar examples are found in some Vermeer paintings...
Category
18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Other
Antique American Classical Sterling Silver Picture Frame
By McChesney Co.
Located in New York, NY
Classical sterling silver picture frame. Made by McChesney Co. in New York, circa 1910. Rectangular window and flat surround with abstract egg-and-dart rim. With glass, silk lining, ...
Category
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Sterling Silver
18th Century French Frame with Modern Contemporary Art
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The 18th century French frame is of gold and silver leaf, and restored to bring it to its former glory. The painting inside is of the 21st ce...
Category
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
Set of a Pair of Closionne Candlesticks and a Picture Frame, France, circa 1890
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Set of a pair of closionne candlesticks and a picture frame. France, circa 1890.
Picture frame dimensions: 35 cm height, 22 cm width, 2 cm depth.
Candlestick dimensions: 18 cm he...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Enamel
Pair of 19th Century Black Forest Picture Frames
Located in Hudson, NY
The pair of French Black Forest rustic picture frames, shown here, are from the 19th Century and feature an intricately detailed mosaic of altern...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Wood
Frame, Polychromed and Giltwood, 18th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Polychrome and gilded wood frame. Late 18th century.
Rectangular frame with golden seed beads on a red background and elements related to the Passion of Christ in shields in the corners and center of the longest sides: dice, nails, bag (of the Judas coins...
Category
18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Wood
Pair of Frames, Wood, Stucco, 19th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Couple of frames. Wood, stucco, 19th century.
Pair of rectangular frames made of carved and overcast wood decorated with a series of moldings of different widths, some smooth and fl...
Category
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Picture Frames
Materials
Other
Neoclassical picture frames for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Neoclassical picture frames 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 picture frames created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, wall decorations, mirrors and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Neoclassical picture frames made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and North America pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original picture frames, popular names associated with this style include Andrei Ananov, Barovier&Toso, Carrs of Sheffield, and H. Matthews. 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 picture frames differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $221 and tops out at $37,521 while the average work can sell for $1,763.