Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
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 Vases and Vessels
Stone, Onyx, Marble
1960s English Vintage Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Stoneware
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Stoneware
20th Century English Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Ceramic, Stoneware
20th Century English Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Pottery, Stoneware
20th Century Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Aluminum
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Iron
Late 20th Century English Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Ceramic, Pottery, Stoneware
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Bronze
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Stoneware
1950s English Vintage Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Ceramic
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Glass
2010s Italian Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Alabaster
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Plaster
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Copper, Zinc
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Ceramic
19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
Late 19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
20th Century English Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Iron
Mid-20th Century European Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Alabaster, Marble
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Ceramic, Maiolica, Majolica
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Marble
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Bronze
20th Century Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Brass
Early 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Stone
1780s British Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Sterling Silver
20th Century French Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Silver Plate
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Pottery
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Stoneware
1980s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Faience, Terracotta
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Cement
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Terracotta
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Ceramic
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Stoneware
Late 18th Century British Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Ceramic, Earthenware, Pearlware
Early 1900s French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
Late 19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Stoneware
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Pottery
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Ormolu
1830s Italian Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Alabaster
19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Siena Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Slate, Bronze
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Alabaster
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Marble, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Marble, Bronze
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Copper
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Marble, Brass, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
20th Century Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Aluminum
1820s French Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Crystal, Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Pine
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Malachite, Bronze
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Pottery
1890s Danish Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Marble
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Pottery
20th Century French Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Malachite, Ormolu
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Vases and Vessels
Porcelain