With clean lines and muted colors, antique Gustavian furniture is understated and elegant. It represents a more restrained version of the transition from Rococo to neoclassicism that was happening in France under Louis XVI. The style developed under Swedish King Gustav III, who reigned from 1771 until his assassination in 1792, and his son Gustav IV, who ruled until 1809. Although Gustavian furniture is mostly used to refer to pale painted cabinets, commodes, armchairs and other items, it involved a range of influences.
Gustavian-style furniture was inspired by discoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum as well as the grandeur of European palaces like Versailles, with local softwoods such as pine and birch. There was also an emphasis on natural light; crystal chandeliers and large mirrors played a role in radiating the fleeting daylight of winter, giving it a distinctive aesthetic.
Where earlier furniture was curvy and florid, this new era was more architectural, with tapered and fluted legs and rectangular and oval shapes. Luminous gilt contrasted with the palette of soft blues on upholstery and painted surfaces. Leading furniture builders included Gottlieb Iwersson, Louis Masreliez and Erik Öhrmark. The latter, a French-born Swedish decorator, designed the Sulla chair, a seat that was demonstrative of technical skill and precise craftsmanship and drew on Greek klismos chairs. Masreliez’s Sulla chair was made by Öhrmark and featured decorative ornamentation produced by Jean-Baptiste Masreliez, Louis’s younger brother.
While the wealthy had furniture carved with neoclassical details like scallops and rosettes, more affordable options were adorned with faux finishes that mimicked marble and stenciled patterns. The simple elegance of Gustavian furniture would have a long impact on Swedish design, informing the 20th-century appreciation for function and form. In the 1950s, IKEA mass-produced copies of a Gustavian commode designed by cabinetmaker Georg Haupt, who created pieces for the Royal Palace, making the furniture a fixture of everyday Swedish life.
Find a collection of antique Gustavian seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
$2,863Sale Price|20% Off
Antique Swedish Mora Clock, Burgundy Finish, Circa 1850-1890
Located in Lewes, England
Antique Swedish mora clock from the 1800s in lovely rich burgundy finish with a wide belly body and a good face with unusual small second hand dial. Measures: 207 cm. It has the Cla...
Wood
$4,268Sale Price|20% Off
Swedish Mora Clock White Castle Crown Carved Detail Early 1800 Frkysdall Antique
Located in Lewes, England
Antique Swedish mora clock in white paint and gold detailing with very unusual and rare hood ornamentation and highly decorative face, lovely star round motif on the hood front too. ...
Pine
Tall White Swedish Pine Mora Grandfather Clock, circa 1840
Located in Round Top, TX
Swedish mora grandfather clocks are identified by their gentle curves and classic style as seen in this exceptional longcase clock that stands just over 7.5' tall. Restored, later pr...
Pine, Paint
$3,179Sale Price|20% Off
Swedish Antique Mora Clock Green Early 1800s 210m Åman Arboga A
Located in Lewes, England
210cm early 1800s antique Swedish mora clock with carved detail on the hood in a green paint finish and detailed face and hand painted detailing. Maker Named Åman, Arboga on face...
Pine
Imperial Russian Crystal Cobalt Blue Glass and Gilt Bronze Girandoles Tsar Era
By Johann Zech
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A pair of very rare exquisite Imperial Russian crystal girandoles, each with five scrolling candle branches set in a cobalt blue glass baluster vase mounted in gilt bronze, the centr...
Crystal, Marble, Bronze
$4,850
Wood Mantle Clock
Located in New Orleans, LA
Very ornate white washed wood mantle clock with gold details. The face is behind a functional glass door with latch. The top is crowned by an urn with a cascading laurel garland that...
Wood
$3,782Sale Price|20% Off
White Mora Clock Swedish Early 1800s Antique Gold Carved Crown
Located in Lewes, England
Antique Swedish Mora clock early 1800s in lovely white paint finish with a delicate shape body with lots of gold detailing and intricately carved and detailed hood in generally good ...
Wood
Mora Clock Swedish 1800s Antique white 202cm tall star motif
Located in Lewes, England
Antique Swedish mora clock from the 1800s in lovely white finish with a star motif on the main body and a superb detailed roman numeral face in good condition. Measures: 202 cm. It...
Wood
Bust of David Von Schulzenheim, Signed by Erik Gustav Göthe, Sweden, Dated 1821
Located in New York, NY
Bust of David von Schulzenheim, owner of Gröönsö castle, signed by Erik Gustav Göthe, a principle of Sergel and inscribed: David Schulz v. Schulzenheim. / MDCCCXXI plaster, Dated 1821 This is a bust of Dr. David von Schulzenheim, owner of Grönsöö Slott. In the 18th Century Grönsöö Slott was owned by the famed Stockholm doctor David von Schultzenheim. Dr. von Schulzenheim introduced the smallpox vaccine to Sweden and served the public’s health needs during its crisis from 1873 – 1874. When not in public health service, he devoted a significant amount of passion and money to beautify the palace and park in the romantic spirit of the time. The castle blossomed towards the end of the 18th century with the palace’s upper floors serving as the residential apartments of the family and furnished in exquisite Gustavian and late Gustavian style. Never one to rest on his laurels in science or design, in 1786, with the smallpox outbreak leveling, Dr. von Schulzenheim ordered the construction of a Chinese...
Plaster
Candlesticks Pair of English Mahogany, 18th Century, England
Located in New York, NY
Candlesticks pair of English mahogany, 18th century, England. A pair of candlesticks made during the 18th century in England. Made from mahogany with candleholders in brass.
Mahogany
19th Century Swedish Painted Wood Floor Clock, Soft with Minimal Embellishments
Located in Atlanta, GA
A 19th century Swedish floor clock. This antique clock from Sweden is simple and unassuming with it's round-shaped head, minimally adorn with a curved top crest, an elongated neck mo...
Metal
Early 20th Century Swedish Painted Grandfather Clock
Located in Houston, TX
The Early 20th Century Swedish Painted Grandfather Clock stands as a testament to the exquisite craftsmanship and timeless beauty of its era. Gilded and intricately carved around its...
Glass, Wood, Paint
Swedish Painted Tall Case Column Clock from the Late 18th Century
Located in Washington, DC
A Swedish painted tall case column clock from the late 18th century. There are two decorative brass clock hands. The face is secured behind a single hinged glass door. The top of the clock has a carved ionic column and carved dental molding...
Metal
$2,701Sale Price|20% Off
Swedish Mora Clock White Gold Paint, Early 1800s Carved Detail Antique Gustavian
Located in Lewes, England
Very tall decorative, 1800s antique Swedish Mora clock with unusual body shape and crown stunning hand painted gold detailing to the body and plinth. This original 1800s Mora clock ...
Pine
Antique Pair Of Swedish Brass Elegant Neoclassical Gustavian Manner Candlesticks
By Skultuna
Located in Norwich, England
Pair of Antique Swedish brass candlesticks in a Neoclassical Gustavian manner. Circa 1900. Stamped marks. Skultuna Bruk No. 23. Dual arm urn-shaped candle holders with fluting colu...
Brass
$3,800
Painted Wooden Toy Horse
Located in Washington, DC
A painted wooden toy horse.
Wood
19th Century Swedish Gustavian Painted Grandfather Clock
Located in Dallas, TX
This product is a Swedish Gustavian painted grandfather clock from the 19th century. It is a stylish and elegant piece of home decor that would make a statement in any room. The intr...
Wood
Late Gustavian Candlesticks in Glass & Carrara Marble, Sweden, c. 1800
Located in Ljungby, SE
A pair of late-Gustavian candlesticks made in Stockholm around 1800. The stems are made of glass columns with a porphyry-imitation paper on the inside. The fittings and light sockets...
Carrara Marble, Bronze
Candlesticks Gustavian Pair Swedish 18th Century Red Marble Dark Bronze Sweden
Located in New York, NY
Candlesticks Gustavian pair Swedish 18th century red marble dark bronze Sweden. A pair of candlesticks made during the early 19th century in Sweden. Base in red marble with women sha...
Porphyry, Bronze
Pair of Late Gustavian Carrara Marble Candlesticks
Located in Ljungby, SE
A pair of Swedish late Gustavian candleholders in white Carrara marble and fire-gilded bronze.
Carrara Marble, Bronze
Gustavian white painted Longcase Clock Mathias Kullberg Stockholm 18th century
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
Very decorative Swedish longcase clock from the Gustavian period painted in a cream white with giltwood decoration. The dial is signed by the St...
Wood
Unusual Pair of Gustavian Corner Clock Cabinets, Origin Mora, Sweden, Circa 1780
Located in New York, NY
Unusual pair of Gustavian corner clock cabinets, origin: Mora, Sweden, circa 1780 Each cabinet with matching working, tall case clocks decorated with four fluted diamond patterns an...
Wood, Paint