Neoclassical Sterling Silver
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.
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1780s Sicilian Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1870s German Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
1920s British Vintage Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1980s Vintage Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Silver
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
20th Century American Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1860s American Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1780s English Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1770s English Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1890s Polish Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Silver
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Vermeil, Sterling Silver
1780s English Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1820s German Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Silver, Sterling Silver
1880s Belgian Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1830s American Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Silver
Late 18th Century Dutch Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Silver
20th Century English Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Vermeil, Silver, Bronze
18th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Silver
1830s French Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Silver, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1950s American Vintage Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century British Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary English Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Silver
1950s American Vintage Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
18th Century German Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Silver
1810s English Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1780s English Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Silver, Sterling Silver
Mid-19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Silver
1860s American Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver, Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1930s American Vintage Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Silver Plate, Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Silver
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Silver
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Silver
1870s American Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver