Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
During Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 A.D., Pompeii and Herculaneum in today’s Italy were preserved as they were on the day of their destruction. Particularly at Herculaneum, furnishings were carbonized beneath volcanic ash. This was pivotal to understanding how Classical Roman furniture was designed. Archaeological investigations and printed reproductions of discoveries would influence styles evoking this ancient civilization, from the Renaissance to neoclassicism.
While knowledge of Classical Roman furniture comes from rare surviving pieces, it is also derived from frescoes and sculptures portraying Roman life. Much of Roman art, architecture and design was informed by Greece — Roman architect, military engineer and writer Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, whose timeless De architectura is taught in contemporary architecture classes and pays tribute to classical architecture, visited Greece while working under Julius Caesar and admired the country’s architectural developments. The Roman solium references the Greek thronos, a stately chair of honor with an upright form and footstool. As the Roman Empire spread across Europe and into North Africa and Western Asia, the expansion of trade for silver, silk, marble and wood allowed for more luxurious designs.
Classical Roman furniture was made from bronze, wood and stone — in particular, marble — with ornate touches like tortoiseshell veneers, bone and glass inlays and claw feet. Ornaments depicting lion heads and mythological figures were sculpted from silver, bronze and ivory. Compared to the decorative attention given to the mosaic floors and wall paintings, however, furniture for even a wealthy house was minimal. It focused on the necessities for guests arriving for both socializing and business and the rooms housing family, relatives and enslaved people.
The triclinium dining room had banquet couches, items so prized they were sometimes interred with the deceased. Tall bronze or terracotta candelabras held oil lamps for lighting. Carved marble tables reflected status, while the lararium home shrine demonstrated faith.
Find a collection of Classical Roman decorative objects, tables, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Alabaster
1870s French Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century Italian Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Slate, Bronze
Early 2000s Italian Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble
1930s Italian Vintage Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Stoneware
Early 20th Century Italian Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Stone, Marble, Carrara Marble
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
1850s French Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble
Mid-20th Century Italian Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Alabaster
1920s Italian Vintage Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble
1860s Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Alabaster
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century Italian Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble
1860s French Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble
1860s Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Carrara Marble, Siena Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century Italian Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble
Mid-20th Century Italian Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Steel
2010s European Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Stone, Travertine, Marble
1890s German Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Cast Stone
Early 19th Century French Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Oak
19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
1870s French Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Early 19th Century English Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Stone
Early 2000s Italian Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble
Early 20th Century European Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1930s French Vintage Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Plaster
2010s Italian Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
20th Century European Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Plaster
2010s American Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
Mid-19th Century French Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1940s Italian Vintage Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
19th Century Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1880s Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble
Mid-20th Century Italian Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Stone
1960s Italian Vintage Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Plaster
Early 20th Century Italian Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
19th Century Unknown Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1860s German Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
Early 1900s Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
1980s American Vintage Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century European Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Cast Stone
Early 20th Century Italian Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble
1920s American Vintage Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Cast Stone, Limestone
1850s Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Marble
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Figurative Sculptures
Fruitwood