Neoclassical Decorative Objects
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.
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Onyx, Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Wrought Iron
20th Century North American Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Belgian Black Marble, Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble
19th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Silver
18th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Brass
20th Century American Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Plaster
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
19th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
1880s Dutch Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Brass
19th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Silver
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Granite
19th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Silver
20th Century French Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Malachite, Marble
20th Century French Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Brass, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Ormolu, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Fruitwood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
1870s English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1810s Spanish Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Silver
Mid-20th Century Belgian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Terracotta
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze, Other
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Porphyry, Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Ormolu, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Crystal, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Stoneware
20th Century European Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
20th Century American Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Wood
1880s Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
Early 19th Century Dutch Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Alabaster
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Ormolu, Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Brass
20th Century European Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary North American Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Acrylic
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze, Ormolu, Tôle
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Tin
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Plaster
1850s American Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Enamel, Copper, Brass
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Onyx, Brass
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble