Louis XV Decorative Objects
The style of 18th-century French furniture was guided by the court. When Louis XV, who reigned from 1715–74, focused royal life on the smaller salons of Versailles rather than its grand chambers, it transformed the aesthetics away from the imposing and angular furniture that characterized the style of Louis XIV. A broader focus on comfort and more delicate forms define antique Louis XV furniture, with nature-inspired carvings, wood inlays, curved cabriole legs, asymmetrical shapes and rounded oval seat backs. The furnishings changed throughout the king’s life, as he ascended to the throne as a child and then grew to establish his own tastes.
Pieces like the bergère, an upholstered armchair with a wide cushion that fit the flowing dresses in fashion at the time, reflected this more informal court. Introduced at the start of Louis XV’s reign, bergère chairs in this style were deeper and broader than other chairs of the period.
Louis XV tapestries and carpets tended to be floral and colorful, and design elements were borrowed from Asia. Dutch-born cabinetmaker Bernard van Risenburgh brought lacquer techniques influenced by Japan and China into his luxuriously made furniture. Along with its fine details, the furniture of the era also featured new innovations including mechanical devices. Jean François Oeben, a royal cabinetmaker, created such intricate pieces as a mechanical table for Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV’s mistress. It involved a sliding top and a writing surface that extended from its marquetry panels.
During the later years of Louis XV’s reign, there was a shift from the ostentatious rocaille style, part of the exuberantly decorative Rococo movement in Europe for which designers such as Nicolas Pineau and Juste-Aurèle Meissonier are known. The style under Louis XVI would return to boxier forms, but with a neoclassical touch inspired by the ancient world.
Find antique Louis XV bedroom furniture, seating, tables and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Crystal, Bronze, Enamel
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Wood
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Faience
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Tôle
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze, Enamel
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Silver Plate, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Decorative Objects
Marble, Brass
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Pine
Mid-18th Century Austrian Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Wood
Late 19th Century Russian Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
1880s French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Brass
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century Unknown Louis XV Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1890s French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Granite, Bronze
18th Century Belgian Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Oak
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1880s French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Gold, Enamel
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Ormolu
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Silver Leaf
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 20th Century Unknown Louis XV Decorative Objects
Brass, Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Crystal, Silver Plate, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Ormolu
1960s German Vintage Louis XV Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
1890s French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 20th Century Louis XV Decorative Objects
Malachite, Brass
1950s Italian Vintage Louis XV Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Marble, Slate, Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
1750s French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Iron
20th Century French Louis XV Decorative Objects
Metal, Brass, Bronze, Enamel
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
1880s French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
1880s French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Marble
1960s German Vintage Louis XV Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Early 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Mid-18th Century German Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Metal, Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu
1890s French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Enamel, Ormolu
Mid-20th Century Unknown Louis XV Decorative Objects
Brass
1870s French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Enamel, Ormolu
1890s French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Granite, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Metal, Brass
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Bronze
19th Century Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Wood
1880s French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Gold Plate, Brass, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Iron
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Pewter
18th Century German Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze