Neoclassical Porcelain
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.
1820s French Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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20th Century Italian Neoclassical Porcelain
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Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
Pottery
Mid-20th Century Czech Neoclassical Porcelain
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Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Late 19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Late 18th Century German Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Late 18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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1880s Italian Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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1930s Japanese Vintage Neoclassical Porcelain
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1960s Danish Vintage Neoclassical Porcelain
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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1810s German Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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1950s American Vintage Neoclassical Porcelain
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20th Century English Neoclassical Porcelain
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19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Late 18th Century German Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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1890s English Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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1980s English Vintage Neoclassical Porcelain
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1910s English Vintage Neoclassical Porcelain
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Mid-20th Century English Neoclassical Porcelain
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Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Late 19th Century Czech Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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1970s Vintage Neoclassical Porcelain
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1810s English Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Porcelain
Ormolu
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Porcelain
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19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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1970s Danish Vintage Neoclassical Porcelain
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Early 19th Century British Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Early 1900s English Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
Gold
1820s Danish Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Mid-20th Century English Neoclassical Porcelain
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Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Early 1800s British Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
Pearlware
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
Creamware
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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1860s German Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Early 19th Century Swiss Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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1810s English Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Late 18th Century Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Early 20th Century German Neoclassical Porcelain
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Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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Mid-18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Porcelain
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