Neoclassical Sculptures
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.
Mid-18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Porcelain
19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Carrara Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Sculptures
Bronze
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Stone, Metal
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Malachite, Ormolu
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Bronze
Mid-19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Pearlware, Pottery
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Sculptures
Marble
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Sandstone
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Porcelain
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Carrara Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Carrara Marble
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Alabaster
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Bronze
Early 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Bronze
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Carrara Marble
20th Century Neoclassical Sculptures
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Sculptures
Metal, Bronze
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Stoneware
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Carrara Marble
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Metal, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Marble, Porphyry, Ormolu
20th Century Neoclassical Sculptures
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Sculptures
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Iron
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Terracotta
Early 1900s German Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Pewter
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Sculptures
Metal
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Sculptures
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Porcelain
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Carrara Marble
Early 1900s Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Bronze
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Cast Stone
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Carrara Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Belgian Black Marble, Siena Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Belgian Black Marble, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Marble
1880s Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Marble, Carrara Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Marble
1840s Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Marble
20th Century Russian Neoclassical Sculptures
Stone, Malachite
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Statuary Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Quartz, Ormolu
1930s Danish Vintage Neoclassical Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Ceramic
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Terracotta
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Silver
20th Century French Neoclassical Sculptures
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Marble
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Giltwood