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.
$3,216Sale 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
$3,216Sale Price|20% Off
Swedish Mora Clock Flowers and Wreath Painted Detail Antique, Early 1800s
Located in Lewes, England
Early 1800s Mora clock with stunning hand painted trompe l'oeil flower wreathes and patterns with sumptuous carved detail on the hood and plinth. This mora clock is a unique find, g...
Pine
Pair of Swedish Gustavian Style Nickel Silver Column Candlesticks
Located in Brentwood, TN
A pair of Swedish Gustavian style nickel silver column candlesticks, circa 1900, featuring a clean neoclassical form with square bases and columnar stems. This refined pair has the ...
Nickel
Vintage Patinated Gustavian Grandfather Clock
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This exceptional vintage Mora clock captures the ethereal elegance of Gustavian design, a style celebrated for its soft atmospheric finishes and graceful curves. Expertly crafted in ...
Metal
$2,725Sale Price|20% Off
Antique Swedish Mora Clock, White Wood, Gustavian Style, Circa 1820
Located in Lewes, England
Antique Swedish mora clock from the early 1800s in white paint finish and simple detailing with an extended belly shape body and a rclean face in good condition. Measures: 206 cm. ...
Wood
$4,306Sale 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
$3,800 / set
19th Century Late Gustavian Candlesticks
Located in Allerum, SE
Pair of early 19th century Swedish Late Gustavian gilt and dark patinated bronze candlesticks. Sweden ca 1810.
Marble, Brass, Bronze
Antique Mora Clock Swedish 1800s Antique Tall J. Svensson Svenstad A
Located in Lewes, England
Shipping special update - We have negotiated a special flat rate shipping cost to the USA with our main US shipping partner for our 1st dibs clients of only £995 export crated by ai...
Wood
$2,725Sale 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
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
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
$1,400Sale Price|60% Off
Gustavian Alpine Scandinavian Pewter Wine Can Flask Metalwork Decanter Flagon
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Very evocative piece of decor, a real old world relic of nobility and or wealth. Noted as a Swiss Swirl Wine Can by last collector owner, but could also be Austrian or German made. V...
Pewter
19th Century Swedish Column Clock
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
Swedish early 19th Century column clock with original painted decoration. This clock has a lovely elegant shape, with unusual scrolled decoration to the neck. It has been dry-scraped to its original paint that is rich in patina and graining. A unique and beautiful clock, that will have a powerful presence in any interior. This clock is not in working order. PLEASE NOTE: The clocks we sell are decorative and are not guaranteed to be in working order. If you require the clock to be in working order, we can recommend an antique clock...
Pine, Paint
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
Unique 100% Original Finished Swedish Gustavian Wall Clock
Located in Hollywood, FL
This is a Unique 100% Original Finished Swedish Gustavian Wall Clock.
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
$1,120Sale Price|20% Off
Antique Frame Lacquered in Imitation Marble
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
O/6349 - Sober and elegant large frame since the end of eighteenth century, simply lacquered in imitation marble. Perfect for a beautiful picture.
Fruitwood
Swedish Gustavian Neoclassical Style Painted Lyre Form Jardinière or Planter
Located in Essex, MA
Gustavian style painted and distressed Lyre form planter. In the neoclassical taste. Wonderfully dovetailed and distressed. Quite charming.
Pine
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
$3,800
Painted Wooden Toy Horse
Located in Washington, DC
A painted wooden toy horse.
Wood
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
$4,500 / set
Pair of Late Gustavian Candlesticks
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
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