Neoclassical Urns
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 English Neoclassical Urns
Stoneware
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Urns
Alabaster, Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Urns
Plaster
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Urns
Iron
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Urns
Stone, Granite
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Urns
Alabaster
1910s English Vintage Neoclassical Urns
Iron
20th Century English Neoclassical Urns
Iron
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Urns
Silver Plate
Mid-19th Century Greek Antique Neoclassical Urns
Spelter
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Urns
Stoneware
20th Century Neoclassical Urns
Brass, Enamel
1890s Danish Antique Neoclassical Urns
Marble
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Urns
Ceramic, Maiolica, Majolica
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Copper, Zinc
20th Century Neoclassical Urns
Carrara Marble
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Urns
Wood
1830s Russian Antique Neoclassical Urns
Malachite, Bronze, Ormolu
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Urns
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Urns
Marble
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Urns
Limestone, Marble
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Urns
Composition
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Urns
Ceramic, Porcelain
1890s British Antique Neoclassical Urns
Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Zinc
20th Century English Neoclassical Urns
Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Urns
Alabaster
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Urns
Ceramic, Pottery
20th Century German Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Urns
Iron
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Urns
Granite
1830s French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Urns
Porphyry
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Urns
Bronze
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Urns
Ceramic, Pottery
1780s British Antique Neoclassical Urns
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Urns
Majolica, Terracotta
20th Century Neoclassical Urns
Carrara Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Urns
Marble
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Urns
Slate, Bronze
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Urns
Marble, Spelter
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Griotte Marble, Bronze
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Onyx, Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Urns
Stone, Marble, Metal, Bronze, Copper, Ormolu, Tin
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Urns
Marble
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Marble, Brass, Bronze
20th Century French Neoclassical Urns
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Marble, Ormolu
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Urns
Pottery
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Marble, Iron
1950s American Vintage Neoclassical Urns
Iron
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain





