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.
Greek Artisanal Red Clay Plate
Located in Bradenton, FL
A hand-made artisanal plate by Bonis Pottery of Rhodes Greece, circa 1970. Decorated in an original pattern of hearts and leaves glazed in red and olive green with white, against a r...
Ceramic, Pottery
Ancient Greek Style Charger With Olympian Runners
Located in Stamford, CT
Ancient Greek style charger of platter depicting two Olympic runner competing in a race. Beautifully painted in red and black on a yellow ground, with decorative bands, including the...
Pottery, Paint
Regency Herculaneum Greek Pattern Blue Printed Pottery Dish
Located in Downingtown, PA
Neoclassical Herculaneum Pottery Large Blue & White "Greek" Pattern Serving Dish, Circa 1810 A monumental early 19th-century earthenware serving dish (platter) attributed to the Her...
Pearlware, Pottery
Rare 1940s Charger with Antelope Motif by Cole-Merris
By Cole-merris Ceramic Co.
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This extremely rare charger -- with gold highlights and beautiful tonalities reminiscent of the work of Thomas Hart Benton -- was produced by the Cole-Merris Ceramics company in San ...
Ceramic
Large Blue & White Chinoiserie Porcelain Charger with Peacocks & Floral Motif
Located in Wichita, KS
A large-scale Chinese blue and white porcelain charger in the Kangxi taste, decorated with peacocks amid flowering branches and stylized landscape elements. The composition is render...
Porcelain
Italian Tray With A Greek Key Design
By Buccellati, Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co., Elsa Peretti, Tiffany & Co.
Located in Houston, TX
Italian Tray With A Greek Key Design. Offered is a lovely round Italian pewter tray with a beautiufl Greek key design around the perimeter. This tray can be used as a serving tray fo...
Pewter
Vintage Deep Red Decorative Wood Plate, Italy, 1960s
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
Decorative wood plate from Italy. The plate is hand painted. Plate is in very good vintage condition, no damage or cracks in the frame. Original wood. Beautiful piece for every inter...
Metal
$259
H 2.76 in Dm 9.06 in
Majolica Fish Decorative Plate Salins, circa 1960 Black Yellow and red Color
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
This is a Majolica ceramic Plate for the Decoration. It has been made in France in the 1960s. His colors are black, Yellow and Red.
Ceramic
$1,450Sale Price / set|23% Off
H 13.5 in W 19 in D 3 in
Set of 10 Antique American "W.P." Red & Gold Porcelain Turkey Plates & Platter
Located in New Orleans, LA
Set of 10 Antique American Cranberry Red and Gold Porcelain "Turkey" Plates and Serving Platter with Hand-Painted Details Made By "Wheeling Pottery Co.," Circa 1890's. Perfect for Th...
Porcelain
Vintage Deep Red Decorative Wood Plate, Italy, 1960s
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
Decorative wood plate from Italy. The plate is hand painted. Plate is in very good vintage condition, no damage or cracks in the frame. Original wood. Beautiful piece for every inter...
Giltwood
$850
H 1.5 in W 9.5 in D 9.5 in
Meissen French Floral Hand Painted Red Porcelain Scalloped Cabinet Plate Bowl
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique Meissen French Victorian Floral Hand Painted Red Porcelain Scalloped Cabinet Plate Bowl. Circa Early 20th Century. Measurements: 1.5" H x 9....
Porcelain
$12,500
H 3.5 in Dm 21.75 in
Large Chinese Export Style Famille Rose Enameled Porcelain Charger, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
A massive famille rose enameled Chinese export style charger, Continental, probably French, circa 1900. The large dish painted in vibrant famille rose enamels in an overall pink ton...
Enamel
Imari Charger, C. 1900
Located in High Point, NC
Circa 1900 Japanese hand painted Imari charger. The charger is hand painted in an array of spectacular colors and has a central lozenge with a potted pla...
Ceramic
Small Mini Vintage Decorative Porcelain Plate, Greece, 1970s
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
Decorative plate from Greece. Produced in 1970s. The plate is hand painted. Plate is in very good vintage condition, no damage or cracks. Original glass. Beautiful piece for every i...
Ceramic, Porcelain, Glass
Large Spode Greek Pattern Platter
By Spode
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
Large spode Greek pattern platter Circa 1810. 14 5/8" in.(37.2 cm) long. 11 3/8" in.(28.9 cm.) wide. Printed in blue underglaze on an...
Earthenware
Viennese Silver, Enamel and Rock Crystal Dish
Located in New Orleans, LA
This magnificent Viennese salver, intricately carved from solid rock crystal, combines the mastery of the Viennese enameling tradition with the radiance of rock crystal. Mounted in a...
Rock Crystal, Silver, Enamel
12 Inch Decorative Grecian Plate
Located in Los Angeles, CA
12 Inch Decorative Grecian Plate with Greek Key perimeter and three soldiers. affixed with with built in wall hanger, see photos.
Terracotta
Highly Detailed Antique Silvered Bronze Platter from France, circa 1900
Located in Dallas, TX
This stunning antique silver over bronze platter has miniscule repousse scenes from mythology that are all incredibly detailed. In some instances, a face may measure 1/16” and still reveal details! There is a raised circular centre scene and several scenes around it. The border is just as detailed with more scenes placed in a different manner. This is an absolutely fabulous antique French platter...
Bronze
Sold
H 0.82 in Dm 6.75 in
Late 19th Century Pair of Papier Mâché Lobed Plates or Dishes with Cherub Design
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
These are a very decorative pair of dishes or plates made from papier mâché, attributed to France in the late 19th century. The plates have a lobed and everted rim edge. Each plate has a crackle veined finish, similar to crackle glazed ceramics...
Paper