Classical Greek Ceramics

CLASSICAL GREEK STYLE

There is rare surviving furniture from ancient Greece, yet this classical style has informed design for centuries. Interiors of houses in antiquity were minimal, with much of a room’s color coming from frescoes on the walls and mosaics on the floors. Classical Greek furniture was sparing but finely crafted and influenced by Egyptian furniture design through Mediterranean trade.

Furnishings of the period were usually made from local wood like cypress, cedar, oak and willow from ancient Greece’s plentiful forests, although some pieces were carved from marble, such as a 300–200 B.C. throne with lion legs and a curved back now at the Getty Villa. Comfort and clean lines characterized designs during the Classical era, the symmetry and thoughtful proportions reflecting the architecture of Greek temples.

Some pieces of ancient Greek furniture were simple, rectangular platforms like the klinē, a multipurpose ancestor of today’s couches or daybeds that held cushions stuffed with wool, dry grass or down. These structures were used for both sleeping and dining, which wealthy Greeks did while reclining. At night, oil lamps illuminated rooms that frequently surrounded a garden courtyard.

Most of what scholars have learned about Greek furniture design owes to its representations in art like vases and stelae. The portable diphros stool, with its backless design and four turned legs, was one of the more common types of seating in daily Greek life — it appears as such for the gods on the Parthenon frieze. Stools without backs have been found in early Roman tombs, while benches were also common Greek seating furniture created for use in theaters. In houses of the Hellenistic period, benches seemingly functioned as tables, too.

Some designs evolved through adaptations by the Romans, including the klismos chair. After prominent archaeological excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum, the klismos chair — with its four saber legs and the elegant curves that define its back — was a source of inspiration for aesthetics in eras ranging from 18th-century neoclassicism to 20th-century Art Deco.

Find a collection of Classical Greek decorative objects, wall decorations and building and garden elements on 1stDibs.

Style: Classical Greek

Ancient Greek Style Hand Painted Glazed Pottery Skyphos Drinking Cup

$620

Ancient Greek Style Hand Painted Glazed Pottery Skyphos Drinking Cup

Located in Stamford, CT

Ancient Greek style hand painted glazed pottery shyphos, a two handle drinking cup, depicting Linos and Iphikles playing the lyre at a music lesson, reverse Herakles arriving late wi...

Category

Mid-20th Century Greek Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Pottery

Vintage Porcelain Green Greek Key Tea Cup and Saucer by N & Co. Nagoya Nippon

$75

Vintage Porcelain Green Greek Key Tea Cup and Saucer by N & Co. Nagoya Nippon

By Nagoya Craftsmen

Located in Oklahoma City, OK

A beautiful classical Greek key design porcelain teacup and matching saucer. This set will be a beautiful addition to any collection. The saucer is round with turned-up sides. (It wo...

Category

20th Century Japanese Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Porcelain, Paint

Ancient Greek Black-Glaze Perfume Bottle

$8,500

Ancient Greek Black-Glaze Perfume Bottle

Located in London, GB

This sleek, black-glaze perfume pot dates to the 5th century BC and exemplifies the elegance of Athenian ceramic production in Ancient Greece. With a gently rounded body, and flared ...

Category

15th Century and Earlier Greek Antique Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic, Pottery

Large Antique French Architectural Garniture Centrepiece Boin-Taburet

$61,853 / set

Large Antique French Architectural Garniture Centrepiece Boin-Taburet

By Boin-Taburet

Located in London, GB

Large Antique French Architectural Garniture Centrepiece Boin-Taburet French, Late 19th Century Middle piece: Height 47cm, width 68cm, depth 52cm End pieces: Height 30cm, width 43cm...

Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Onyx, Marble, Metal

Wedgwood Tri-Colored Jasper Vase

$3,450

Wedgwood Tri-Colored Jasper Vase

By Wedgwood

Located in New Orleans, LA

This exceptional and rare Wedgwood tri-colored jasper vase exemplifies that renowned firm’s classical artistry. Crafted of jasper, perhaps the greatest of Josiah Wedgwood’s porcelain innovations, in the shape of an ancient Greek calyx krater...

Category

Early 20th Century English Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

Minoan Amphora by Lucas Constantinou

$1,800

Minoan Amphora by Lucas Constantinou

Located in Savannah, GA

A Minoan amphora replica by Greek artist Lucas Constantinou. 11 inches wide by 9 inches deep by 12 ½ inches tall

Category

20th Century Greek Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

Wedgwood Black Basalt and Encaustic Enamel Rum Kettle

$9,850

Wedgwood Black Basalt and Encaustic Enamel Rum Kettle

By Wedgwood

Located in New Orleans, LA

Crafted by Wedgwood, this rare, round-shaped rum kettle is comprised of black basalt and features a molded bail handle and glazed interior. Referred to as “...

Category

Early 19th Century English Antique Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Enamel

Bone China Tea Cup and Saucer with Monochrome Print, Made in Stoke-on-trent

$41

H 0.79 in Dm 7.88 in

Bone China Tea Cup and Saucer with Monochrome Print, Made in Stoke-on-trent

By Custhom

Located in London, GB

A section of the Palladian motif artfully and elegantly frames the rim of this soup bowl. The composition expresses a fully-formed Palladian window, t...

Category

2010s English Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Cast Stone

Fat Lava Brutalist Style Hungarian Colored Ceramic Glazed Vase

$356

H 13 in Dm 5.91 in

Fat Lava Brutalist Style Hungarian Colored Ceramic Glazed Vase

Located in Prato, Tuscany

We kindly suggest you read the whole description, because with it we try to give you detailed technical and historical information to guarantee the authenticity of our objects. Pecul...

Category

Mid-20th Century Hungarian Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

Large unusual antique tea pot

$701

H 12.21 in W 7.88 in D 12.21 in

Large unusual antique tea pot

Located in Ipswich, GB

Large unusual antique tea pot with 'Mr & Mrs Darlington home sweet home 1915' inscribed on a brown teapot decorated in wonderful birds and flowers in b...

Category

Early 20th Century Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

19th Century Wedgwood Jasper Vase

$1,784

H 8.5 in Dm 4 in

19th Century Wedgwood Jasper Vase

By Wedgwood

Located in Dublin 8, IE

19th Century Wedgwood light blue Jasper tripod vase complete with cover with applied white relief of foliage and bell flowers, the terminals with lion mask...

Category

19th Century English Antique Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Porcelain

Wedgwood Jasperware Urn Vase Neoclassical Design, Small

$275Sale Price|42% Off

H 3.38 in W 2.88 in D 2.75 in

Wedgwood Jasperware Urn Vase Neoclassical Design, Small

By Wedgwood

Located in New York, NY

A beautiful, small, English Wedgwood Jasperware urn vase in the neoclassical design style, circa 20th century, England. Piece is a matte stonew...

Category

20th Century English Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Stoneware

Ceramic Geometrical Vase with Black Metallic Glaze Beatrice Wood

$3,500

H 7.25 in Dm 4 in

Ceramic Geometrical Vase with Black Metallic Glaze Beatrice Wood

By Beatrice Wood

Located in Atlanta, GA

A ceramic vase by American artist and studio potter Beatrice Wood (1893-1998). The piece, circa 1980s, is of a columnar form with a small bulged-out ring around midbody. Highly geome...

Category

Late 20th Century American Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

1970s Ceramic Amphora with Iron Base

$2,617

H 40.95 in W 17.72 in D 17.72 in

1970s Ceramic Amphora with Iron Base

Located in Marbella, ES

1970s ceramic amphora with iron base.

Category

Late 20th Century Spanish Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Iron

Wedgwood Black and White Jasper "Pegasus" Covered Vase, 19th Century

$50,000

H 27 in Dm 10.5 in

Wedgwood Black and White Jasper "Pegasus" Covered Vase, 19th Century

Located in New York, NY

The black jasper ovoid body decorated in white relief with the Apotheosis of Virgil after John Flaxman, the shoulder with snake handles above Medusa masks,...

Category

19th Century English Antique Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Porcelain

Wedgwood. Neoclassical Revival style ceramic vase, England, 1960s

$382Sale Price|20% Off

H 5.91 in W 5.12 in D 4.34 in

Wedgwood. Neoclassical Revival style ceramic vase, England, 1960s

By Wedgwood

Located in SANT ADRIÀ DE BESÒS, ES

Wedgwood ceramic jug, England, 60s. English ceramic piece in olive green tone and white embossed details representing mythological scenes. Perfect condition. Marked and stamped on th...

Category

1960s English Vintage Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

Early Wedgwood Dipped Pearlware Bough Pot

$2,000

H 5.75 in Dm 4 in

Early Wedgwood Dipped Pearlware Bough Pot

By Wedgwood

Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL

A dark brown-glazed pearlware bough pot with pierced cover and applied decoration, made by Wedgwood circa 1785. The development of a whiteware body had been a goal of ceramicists ac...

Category

Late 18th Century British Antique Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic, Earthenware, Pearlware

Wedgwood blue and white jasperware vases

$428Sale Price / set|20% Off

H 5.04 in Dm 3.04 in

Wedgwood blue and white jasperware vases

By Wedgwood

Located in GRENOBLE, FR

Lovely pair of Wedgwood jasperware vases, beautiful neoclassical style item decorated with white antique-style scenes on a sky-blue background...

Category

20th Century English Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic, Stoneware

Wedgwood Jasperware Green and White Vase English Neoclassical

$475

H 3.5 in Dm 3.38 in

Wedgwood Jasperware Green and White Vase English Neoclassical

By Wedgwood

Located in New York, NY

A beautiful 'sage' green and white English Wedgwood Jasperware matte stoneware vase in the Neoclassical style, England, 1973. Vase has Renaissance/Neoc...

Category

Late 20th Century English Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic, Pottery, Stoneware

Previously Available Items

Wedgwood Basalt Black Acanthus Bowl

Sold

H 4.38 in Dm 10 in

Wedgwood Basalt Black Acanthus Bowl

By Wedgewood

Located in Toronto, CA

A beautiful Wedgwood basalt bowl in the acanthus pattern, dated 2012, in gold, on the base, and impressed WEDGWOOD MADE IN ENGLAND. This bowl was ...

Category

20th Century English Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Porcelain

Classical Greek Terra Cotta Vase, Vassal

Sold

H 17.5 in Dm 8 in

Classical Greek Terra Cotta Vase, Vassal

Located in Delray Beach, FL

Mid 20th century Attica terra cotta hand crafted beautiful vase featuring hand painted early Classical Greek scenes , decorated all around with Gree...

Category

20th Century Greek Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Terracotta

The Death of Cleopatra Porcelain Plaque KPM

Sold

H 14.38 in W 12.41 in D 1.97 in

The Death of Cleopatra Porcelain Plaque KPM

By KPM Porcelain

Located in Newark, England

Fine Berlin KPM plaque circa 1870. The plaque of convex form painted with a portrait of The Death of Cleopatra. Cleopatra is painted with flaxen hai...

Category

Late 19th Century German Antique Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic, Porcelain, Wood

Circa 1890s French Porcelain Chocolate Set for Four

Sold

H 10.5 in W 5.5 in D 6.5 in

Circa 1890s French Porcelain Chocolate Set for Four

Located in Chapel Hill, NC

French C.1890s porcelain chocolate set for four. The ewer form covered pot with four cups and saucers (also ideal as demitasse) in Empire/Class...

Category

Late 19th Century Antique Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Porcelain

19th Century English Doulton Lambeth Biscuit Barrel

Sold

H 6 in Dm 4.5 in

19th Century English Doulton Lambeth Biscuit Barrel

By Royal Doulton

Located in Nashville, TN

Beautifully crafted biscuit barrel with silver plate lid. Doulton Lambeth manufactured with ornate designs that cover the entire container. Grecian faces surrounding the structure of...

Category

1880s British Antique Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

Blue Jasperware Collectible Catchall with Greek Chariot Motif by Wedgwood

Sold

H 0.5 in Dm 4.5 in

Blue Jasperware Collectible Catchall with Greek Chariot Motif by Wedgwood

By Wedgwood

Located in Oklahoma City, OK

A beautiful collectible decorative plate by Wedgwood. This piece is in what most avid collectors now called, “Wedgwood Blue”. It is round, and has an embossed applied decoration around the rim as well as to the center. Along the rim are raised vines and flourishes in blue. At the center, is an applied design in cream horses and chariot with a woman driving...

Category

20th Century English Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic, Stoneware

20th century Pair Black Basalt Edme Wedgwood Vases

Sold

H 8.5 in Dm 3.5 in

20th century Pair Black Basalt Edme Wedgwood Vases

By Wedgwood

Located in Savannah, GA

Pair of black basalt Edme Wedgwood vases, the Wedgwood Edme design is reminiscent of the ridges of a clam shell, harking back to Josiah Wedgwood's love o...

Category

1970s English Vintage Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Earthenware

KPM Porcelain Hunting Themed Vase with Parcel Gilding

Sold

H 13 in Dm 9.45 in

KPM Porcelain Hunting Themed Vase with Parcel Gilding

By KPM Porcelain

Located in London, GB

This exceptional vase is another fine piece produced in the 19th century by KPM, the highly regarded Berlin porcelain manufacturers. The bell-form of the body's vase takes after the ...

Category

19th Century German Antique Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Porcelain

Classical Sculpture in Biscuit of "the Three Graces" on Socket, Late 1800s

Sold

H 11.82 in Dm 8.27 in

Classical Sculpture in Biscuit of "the Three Graces" on Socket, Late 1800s

Located in København, Copenhagen

Classical sculpture in biscuit of "The Three Graces" on socket, late 1800s. Measures 30 cm. x 21 cm. In perfect condition. Stamped illegible.

Category

Late 19th Century Antique Classical Greek Ceramics

Ancient Cypriot Bronze Age Amphora, 2700 BC

Sold

H 9.5 in Dm 7 in

Ancient Cypriot Bronze Age Amphora, 2700 BC

Located in London, GB

A large red polished ware Cypriot amphora, originally from the collection of General Luigi Palma di Cesnola (1832-1904). Dating to the early Bronze Age...

Category

15th Century and Earlier European Antique Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Pottery

Vintage Greek Wall or Decorative Plate, Greece

Sold

H 0.75 in Dm 8.25 in

Vintage Greek Wall or Decorative Plate, Greece

Located in New York, NY

A vintage Greek wall or decorative plate with raised relief scene depicting Achilles fighting against Hector. Handmade in Greece, and numbered as No. 502, a...

Category

20th Century Greek Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Terracotta

Ancient Cypriot Middle Bronze Age Bull Jug, 1900 BC

Sold

H 8 in Dm 6.5 in

Ancient Cypriot Middle Bronze Age Bull Jug, 1900 BC

Located in London, GB

A pottery jug from Cyprus dating to the Middle Bronze Age, circa 1900-1650 BC. Of typical drab/red polished ware, with rounded base and bulbous body, wide, cylindrical neck and with two pointed, vertical handles, positioned either side. Decorated throughout with beautiful, lime filled incised decorations; a combination of lines and circles. One of the most iconic Cypriot ceramic types. The people of bronze age Cyprus...

Category

15th Century and Earlier Greek Antique Classical Greek Ceramics

Materials

Pottery

Classical Greek ceramics for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Classical Greek ceramics for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage ceramics created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include serveware, ceramics, silver and glass, decorative objects and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with ceramic, terracotta and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Classical Greek ceramics made in a specific country, there are Europe, Balkan Peninsula, and England pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original ceramics, popular names associated with this style include Wedgwood, and Wedgewood. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for ceramics differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $30 and tops out at $15,000 while the average work can sell for $880.