Neoclassical Mounted Objects
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.
20th Century English Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Steel
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Marble, Carrara Marble, Steel
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Cement, Marble
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Rock Crystal
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Marble, Porphyry, Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Marble
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Carrara Marble
Late 19th Century Japanese Antique Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Mirror, Acrylic, Lucite
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Crystal
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Rock Crystal
2010s Italian Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Marble, Bronze
19th Century Moroccan Antique Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Metal, Brass, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Stone
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Marble, Carrara Marble
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Marble, Carrara Marble, Steel
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Marble
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Plaster
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Mounted Objects
1890s Danish Antique Neoclassical Mounted Objects
Ceramic