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.
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Plaster
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Porcelain
17th Century Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Brass
20th Century European Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Statuary Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Metal
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Pottery
20th Century American Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Paint, Plaster
1880s Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Plaster
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Metal
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Breccia Marble
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Tin
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Alabaster
19th Century British Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Pottery
1880s Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
1820s American Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Pine, Paint
1970s American Vintage Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Shell
20th Century French Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Plaster
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Tôle
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Other
20th Century Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
19th Century British Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Iron
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Fabric, Wood
Mid-19th Century Dutch Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Griotte Marble, Bronze
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Composition
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
1870s French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Griotte Marble, Bronze
20th Century Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Terracotta
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Metal
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Pewter
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Ormolu
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Creamware
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Late 18th Century Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Metal, Gold, Enamel, Other
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Wood
Mid-20th Century Sicilian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Terracotta
20th Century French Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Malachite, Ormolu
1870s Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Wood
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Stoneware
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Onyx, Enamel, Bronze
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Stoneware
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Alabaster
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Metal
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Italian Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Aluminum
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
1930s American Vintage Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 20th Century Philippine Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Metal
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Pottery
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Creamware
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Decorative Objects
Statuary Marble