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 Chinese Neoclassical Urns
Ceramic
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Neoclassical Urns
Iron
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Urns
Stoneware
1950s English Vintage Neoclassical Urns
Ceramic
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Urns
Stoneware
Mid-20th Century European Neoclassical Urns
Alabaster, Marble
20th Century English Neoclassical Urns
Stoneware, Pottery
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Urns
Bronze
20th Century English Neoclassical Urns
Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Bronze
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Urns
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Zinc
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Urns
Bronze
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Urns
Stoneware
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Neoclassical Urns
Iron
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Urns
Ceramic, Maiolica, Majolica
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Urns
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Neoclassical Urns
Carrara Marble
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Urns
Marble, Breccia Marble
1830s Russian Antique Neoclassical Urns
Malachite, Ormolu, Bronze
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Urns
Metal
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Urns
Crystal, Silver
20th Century Chinese Neoclassical Urns
Ceramic
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain
Early 1800s Italian Antique Neoclassical Urns
Marble
2010s Italian Neoclassical Urns
Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Urns
Metal
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Urns
Composition
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Urns
Porphyry, Bronze
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Urns
Ceramic, Pottery
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain
20th Century Thai Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Bronze
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Urns
Malachite, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Urns
Porphyry
20th Century English Neoclassical Urns
Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Urns
Ormolu
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Urns
Plaster
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain, Paint
1890s Danish Antique Neoclassical Urns
Marble
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Urns
Majolica, Terracotta
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Urns
Marble
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Neoclassical Urns
Iron
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Urns
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Urns
Marble
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Urns
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Marble, Bronze
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Urns
Marble, Spelter
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Metal, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Urns
Slate, Bronze
Early 20th Century German Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain, Giltwood
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Urns
Pottery
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Urns
Tin
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Urns
Silver
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Urns
Porcelain