Neoclassical Busts
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.
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Bronze, Ormolu
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Bronze
1890s Italian Antique Neoclassical Busts
Carrara Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Busts
Ceramic
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Bronze, Ormolu
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Bronze
Early 1900s Italian Antique Neoclassical Busts
Carrara Marble
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
1960s Vintage Neoclassical Busts
Ceramic, Plaster
Mid-20th Century Sicilian Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Busts
Plaster
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Busts
Bronze
1910s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Busts
Alabaster
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Busts
Ceramic
Early 1900s Italian Antique Neoclassical Busts
Carrara Marble
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Busts
Metal
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Busts
Plaster
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Busts
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Busts
Plaster
20th Century Neoclassical Busts
Plaster
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Marble
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Busts
Bronze
20th Century Greek Neoclassical Busts
Brass, Bronze
Late 19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Busts
Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century Antique Neoclassical Busts
Plaster
20th Century American Neoclassical Busts
Paint, Plaster
Mid-20th Century Sicilian Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Busts
Metal
Mid-20th Century Sicilian Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Busts
Marble, Statuary Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Busts
Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Busts
Plaster
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Busts
Stone
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Busts
Composition
Mid-20th Century Sicilian Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Busts
Marble
1830s Italian Antique Neoclassical Busts
Marble
Late 20th Century European Neoclassical Busts
Marble
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Busts
Bronze
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Busts
Marble
Late 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Busts
Resin, Wood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Busts
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Busts
Plaster
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Busts
Plaster
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Busts
Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Busts
Marble, Statuary Marble
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Busts
Porcelain
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Busts
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Busts
Plaster
1860s Italian Antique Neoclassical Busts
Carrara Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Busts
Carrara Marble
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Busts
Clay
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Busts
Ceramic
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Busts
Carrara Marble
Mid-20th Century English Neoclassical Busts
Other
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Busts
Ceramic
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Busts
Bronze