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.
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Granite
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Wood, Hardwood, Boxwood, Fruitwood
Early 1900s French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Crystal, Quartz, Rock Crystal, Other
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Stone, Granite, Metal, Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1850s Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Ormolu, Bronze
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Wood
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Porcelain
20th Century English Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Hardwood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Alabaster
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary English Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Silver
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Fruitwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
1930s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Silver, Enamel
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Terracotta
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Clay
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Silver
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
1880s Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Wood
20th Century French Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 1900s German Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
20th Century Czech Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Crystal
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Early 19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Silver
1840s German Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Plaster
Early 1900s Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Clay
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
18th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Other
19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Iron
1780s English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Wood, Paper
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Clay
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century British Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Ormolu, Bronze
Early 20th Century Belgian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1990s Italian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Stone
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Crystal
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Statuary Marble
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Gold
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Walnut
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Pine
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze