Skip to main content

Gustavian Sterling Silver

GUSTAVIAN STYLE

With clean lines and muted colors, antique Gustavian furniture is understated and elegant. It represents a more restrained version of the transition from Rococo to neoclassicism that was happening in France under Louis XVI. The style developed under Swedish King Gustav III, who reigned from 1771 until his assassination in 1792, and his son Gustav IV, who ruled until 1809. Although Gustavian furniture is mostly used to refer to pale painted cabinets, commodes, armchairs and other items, it involved a range of influences.

Gustavian-style furniture was inspired by discoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum as well as the grandeur of European palaces like Versailles, with local softwoods such as pine and birch. There was also an emphasis on natural light; crystal chandeliers and large mirrors played a role in radiating the fleeting daylight of winter, giving it a distinctive aesthetic.

Where earlier furniture was curvy and florid, this new era was more architectural, with tapered and fluted legs and rectangular and oval shapes. Luminous gilt contrasted with the palette of soft blues on upholstery and painted surfaces. Leading furniture builders included Gottlieb Iwersson, Louis Masreliez and Erik Öhrmark. The latter, a French-born Swedish decorator, designed the Sulla chair, a seat that was demonstrative of technical skill and precise craftsmanship and drew on Greek klismos chairs. Masreliez’s Sulla chair was made by Öhrmark and featured decorative ornamentation produced by Jean-Baptiste Masreliez, Louis’s younger brother.

While the wealthy had furniture carved with neoclassical details like scallops and rosettes, more affordable options were adorned with faux finishes that mimicked marble and stenciled patterns. The simple elegance of Gustavian furniture would have a long impact on Swedish design, informing the 20th-century appreciation for function and form. In the 1950s, IKEA mass-produced copies of a Gustavian commode designed by cabinetmaker Georg Haupt, who created pieces for the Royal Palace, making the furniture a fixture of everyday Swedish life.

Find a collection of antique Gustavian seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.

to
3
3
711
635
592
413
354
216
197
135
128
114
61
56
52
48
19
9
5
2
3
3
2
1
3
3
3
3
3
3
1
Style: Gustavian
Rare Gustavian silver cup by Johan Stras from Stockholm, Sweden dated 1792
Located in Knivsta, SE
Rare Gustavian silver cup by Johan Stras from Stockholm, Sweden dated 1792. Johan Stras Johan Stras was an active master silversmith during the years 1777-1796. This cup was made 17...
Category

1790s Swedish Antique Gustavian Sterling Silver

Materials

Silver

Erik Ernander 'Worked ca. 1755', Silver Beaker, Origin: Sweden, Dated 1788
By Eric Ernander
Located in New York, NY
Swedish Gustavian 18th century silver beaker by Erik Ernander (Worked ca. 1755 in Uppsala, Sweden), Origin: Sweden, stamped: artist's stamp, Swedish triple crown...
Category

18th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Sterling Silver

Materials

Silver

Gustavian silver spoon by Arvid Floberg dated 1785 with baronial coat of arms
Located in Knivsta, SE
Gustavian silver spoon by Arvid Floberg (1730-1804), Stockholm, Sweden dated 1785(C2) with baronial coat of arms. Rare and of extremely high quality. Simple beauty. Wear consistent ...
Category

1780s Swedish Antique Gustavian Sterling Silver

Materials

Silver

Related Items
Antique Sterling Silver Cup
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Antique sterling silver cup with gold wash inside, from the Soviet Union in early 20th Century with original J6 875 sterling stamp Height: ...
Category

Early 20th Century Russian Gustavian Sterling Silver

Materials

Sterling Silver

Antique Sterling Silver Cup
Antique Sterling Silver Cup
H 3.15 in Dm 2.37 in
A RARE SILVER SHMIROT KIDDUSH CUP. Galician, c. 1850.
Located in Tel Aviv - Jaffa, IL
A RARE SILVER SHMIROT KIDDUSH CUP. Galician, c. 1850. Among some Hassidic courts, it was a practice for the Rabbi to give a blessed silver coin to his Hassidim as an amulet. Such protection might be given for all manner of life events, from healing from an illness to success in travel and the amulet was carried on the body of the recipient. This custom was particularly popular among the Ryzhiner Hassidim and these coins were called "Shmirot". To such coins were attributed extraordinary power and value and they were treasured with great care and love. this cup is marked with polish loth 12 mark which indicate silver content of 75%. Size : Height 2.3 inch / 6 cm Width : 2 inch / 5 cm After the specific event for which they had originally be given, such a coin or coins were used in the making of other objects, which maintained the special aura of the Rabbi. Such a coin would be melted in other silver with the amuletic valued being spread evenly to all the silver. Then a ritual object would be fashioned by a silversmith and the special nature of the item would be inscribed on it, indicating in one of several ways that this object had been made from "Shmirot". this objects include Kiddish cups, a Havdalah tray, a Shabbat salt holder, a Chanukkah Menorah, a Torah crown etc. This object is a Kiddish cup fashioned from such silver. On this cup, the inscription indicating Shmirot is found in the abbreviation of the words "made from shmirot k (kodesh)' " (This is the cup of Shmirot). Such cups were used for blessing the wine so that each use renewed the power of protection granted by the Rabbi. This cup was used for the blessing over wine on Shabbat and holidays. Inscription: the other iconography on the cup is of a lion that represent Through the tribe of Judah, the lion symbol came to represent the blessing, majesty, and even divine protection of the Jews. The lion symbol continued to be used even after the destruction of Jerusalem, the capital of Judah's nation, and a unicorn or a re'em, also reëm (Hebrew: רְאֵם), is an animal mentioned nine times in the Hebrew Bible It has been translated as "unicorn" in the Latin Vulgate, King James Version, and in some Christian Bible translations as "oryx" (which was accepted as the referent in Modern Hebrew),[citation needed] "wild ox", "wild bull", "buffalo" or "rhinoceros". Rabbi Natan Slifkin has argued that the re'em was an aurochs, as has Isaac Asimov...
Category

1850s Antique Gustavian Sterling Silver

Materials

Silver

Large Antique Silver Cup Rose Silver & Crystal European Decorative Bowl Cup
Located in Wembley, GB
Antique silver cup or large Decorative food or fruit cup, pressed, cast and chased. Circular, curved feet with hinged. unstamped, tested with the scratch test, Height 14cm, Width 31c...
Category

1880s British Antique Gustavian Sterling Silver

Materials

Gold Plate, Silver, Sterling Silver

Large Antique Silver Cup JARDINJÄR Silver & Crystal European Decorative Bowl Cup
Located in Wembley, GB
Antique silver cup or large Decorative food or fruit cup, pressed, cast and chased. Circular, curved feet with hinged. unstamped, tested with the scratch test, Height 15cm, Width 41c...
Category

1930s British Vintage Gustavian Sterling Silver

Materials

Gold Plate, Silver, Sterling Silver

Pair of Sterling Silver Spoons Monogrammed "E"
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pair of early 20th-century sterling silver serving spoons with an "E" monogram, cartouche, and ornate detailing. Such pieces often hold historical and aesthetic value.
Category

Early 20th Century American Gustavian Sterling Silver

Materials

Sterling Silver

Swedish pin tray in silver dated 1865 in Rococo Revival
Located in Knivsta, SE
Beautiful Swedish pin tray in stamped silver dated 1865 (L5) in Rococo Revival. Richly decorated in period style. Wear consistent with age and use
Category

1860s Swedish Antique Gustavian Sterling Silver

Materials

Silver

Silver Serving Spoon Antique Pair of Decorative Sterling Silver Gilded Spoon
Located in Wembley, GB
Antique valuable sterling silver serving spoons Decorative tableware pressed, cast and chased, gold gilding on the inside. Oval, domed body on short,...
Category

Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Sterling Silver

Materials

Gold Plate, Silver, Sterling Silver

Late 17th Century German Silver Beaker
Located in Firenze, IT
SHIPPING POLICY: No additional costs will be added to this order. Shipping costs will be totally covered by the seller (customs duties included). Maker's mark unidentified, Nürnber...
Category

1690s German Antique Gustavian Sterling Silver

Materials

Silver

Late 17th Century German Silver Beaker
Late 17th Century German Silver Beaker
H 3.55 in W 2.37 in D 2.37 in
Antique Sterling Silver Cup
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive, antique Victorian English sterling silver cup; an addition to our Victorian silverware collection This exceptional antique Victorian sterling silver presentation cup has a campania shaped form to a circular domed foot. The bulbous, shaped lower portion of this silver cup is embellished with impressive chased and embossed leaf and floral decoration. The plain tapering surface of the cup incorporates the contemporary engraved coat of arms depicting a chevron between three roses, barbed, seeded on a chief of the second a lion passant guardant between two closed books paleways, clasped and garnished of the last, the clasps to the dexter, all above the motto 'Virtus vera nobilitas' - Virtue is true nobility*. The opposing side of this presentation piece incorporates the contemporary engraved inscription 'This Oration Prize the legacy of Dr Hooper adjudged to John Maurice Schulhof by Trinity college Cambridge, 1880' The upper rim of the cup is encompassed with an applied moulded decorated border. This impressive Victorian cup...
Category

1880s British Antique Gustavian Sterling Silver

Materials

Sterling Silver

Antique Sterling Silver Cup
Antique Sterling Silver Cup
H 7 in W 6 in D 3.9 in
SOLID STERLiNG SILVER 1967 DATED FULLY HALLMARKED QUEEN MARGRETHE CUP SILVER
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for this stunning period gold gilt Solid Sterling Silver 1967 dated Queen Margreth cup which has a gold gilt finish ...
Category

1960s European Vintage Gustavian Sterling Silver

Materials

Sterling Silver

Antique Anglo-Indian Sterling Silver Beaker, circa 1890
Located in Bath, GB
A late 19th century Anglo-Indian sterling silver beaker beautifully decorated with scroll and floral motifs. Unmarked (but tests as sterling), I would suspect this example to have...
Category

1890s Indian Antique Gustavian Sterling Silver

Materials

Sterling Silver

Russian Silver and Niello Beaker
Located in New York, NY
Russian silver and niello beaker. Heavy sterling silver presentation cup with niello diamond pattern and blank cartouches. With hallmarks and stamped TA and KA 1859 and 84. Russia, c...
Category

Mid-19th Century Russian Antique Gustavian Sterling Silver

Materials

Sterling Silver

Previously Available Items
Pair Antique 19th C Swedish Gustavian Silver Engraved Candlestick Holders 1864
Located in Portland, OR
A pair of fine antique Gustavian style engraved solid silver candlesticks, Sweden, dated 1864. This very elegant pair of antique Swedish silver candlesticks having eight lobed engrav...
Category

1860s Swedish Antique Gustavian Sterling Silver

Materials

Sterling Silver

Gustavian Silver Beaker, Pehr Zethelius, Stockholm, 1809
By Pehr Zethelius
Located in Stockholm, SE
Gustavian silver beaker, Pehr Zethelius (1740-1810), Stockholm, 1809.  
Category

Early 1800s Swedish Antique Gustavian Sterling Silver

Materials

Silver

Gustavian sterling silver for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Gustavian sterling silver for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 18th Century and Earlier, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage sterling silver created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, serveware, ceramics, silver and glass and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, silver and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Gustavian sterling silver made in a specific country, there are Europe, Scandinavia, and Sweden pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original sterling silver, popular names associated with this style include and Eric Ernander. 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 sterling silver differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $6,900 and tops out at $6,900 while the average work can sell for $6,900.

Recently Viewed

View All