Louis XIV Decorative Objects
As opposed to the styles that would follow from the other 18th-century French kings, Louis XV and Louis XVI, antique Louis XIV furniture is rigid and imposing. It expresses opulence — even its armchairs, with their upright backs, straight legs and lavish ornamentation, look like thrones. Authentic Louis XIV sofas, a then newly emerging iteration of seating, are fully upholstered and often feature decoratively carved frames of walnut, chestnut or oak.
When French King Louis XIV established his royal court at Versailles in 1682, he transformed what was once a hunting lodge into a palace that declared his wealth and power through its design. Until his death in 1715, he reigned with a spirit of excess and absolute political dominance. The “Sun King,” as he called himself, believed that France revolved around him as planets do the sun. Louis XIV adopted the sun as his emblem, decorating the grounds with symbols of the sun and Apollo, the Greek god of the sun. As he stated, “There is nothing that indicates more clearly the magnificence of great princes than their superb palaces and their precious furniture.” He was a child when he became king in 1643, only shaping his style after he became absolute monarch in 1661.
Reflecting trends in French Baroque art, Louis XIV furniture characteristics included exuberant decoration. There were gilded bronze details including shells, suns, grotesques, lions and classical references like acanthus leaves. The years of growth in the country’s manufacturing, such as the tapestries and cabinets made at Gobelins, led to design innovations. The commode replaced the chest as a storage device, with drawers and a surface that could double as a desk.
The materials were luxurious, such as the popular tortoiseshell veneer technique that leading cabinetmaker Pierre Golle used in his designs. André-Charles Boulle, who became royal cabinetmaker in 1672, was a masterful artist of marquetry, using inlays of ebony, exotic woods and mother-of-pearl.
Find a collection of antique Louis XIV bedroom furniture, chairs, tables and other pieces on 1stDibs.
17th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Paper
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Copper
18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 17th Century Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Stone
18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Bronze
18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Metal, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Ormolu
20th Century French Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Wrought Iron
20th Century European Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Marble
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Brass
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Brass
1870s French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Silver, Brass
Late 17th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Wood
1880s English Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Walnut
17th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Ormolu
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Ormolu
2010s Italian Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Rock Crystal, Crystal, Bronze
Late 17th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Bronze
18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Enamel
Late 17th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Giltwood
17th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Rock Crystal, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Brass
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Ormolu
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Griotte Marble, Ormolu, Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 17th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Wrought Iron
17th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Brass
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Bronze
1710s French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Tortoise Shell
18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 17th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Wood
Early 20th Century French Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Metal, Bronze, Tin
Early 18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Silver
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 1700s European Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Brass, Copper
Early 18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Paper
Early 18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Late 17th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Leather, Wood
17th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Metal, Brass
Late 17th Century French Antique Louis XIV Decorative Objects
Wrought Iron