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.
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
Mid-20th Century Sicilian Neoclassical Busts
Plaster
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Busts
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Sicilian Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Busts
Alabaster, Marble
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Busts
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Busts
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Belgian Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Marble
1960s Vintage Neoclassical Busts
Bronze
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Busts
Marble
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Busts
Limestone
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Plaster
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Busts
Clay, Terracotta
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Busts
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Busts
Shagreen Stingray
1930s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Busts
Plaster
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Neoclassical Busts
Marble
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Busts
Plaster
1930s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Busts
Gold Leaf
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Busts
Alabaster
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Busts
Cast Stone
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Busts
Marble, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Busts
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century North American Neoclassical Busts
Composition
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Busts
Cast Stone
1950s Belgian Vintage Neoclassical Busts
Plaster
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Busts
Cast Stone
1950s Spanish Vintage Neoclassical Busts
Plaster