Neoclassical Tea Sets
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.
1860s American Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s Latvian Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Porcelain
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Porcelain
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Stoneware
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Porcelain
19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Porcelain
18th Century American Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Silver
1910s Vintage Neoclassical Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Silver
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Porcelain
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tea Sets
Metal, Gold Plate
Early 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Pewter
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tea Sets
Metal, Gold Plate
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Porcelain
1950s Danish Vintage Neoclassical Tea Sets
Porcelain
Early 1900s Latvian Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Porcelain
1960s German Vintage Neoclassical Tea Sets
Ceramic
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Porcelain
1860s American Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Porcelain
1790s British Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
1830s American Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Silver
1790s German Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Porcelain
Early 1800s English Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Stoneware
Mid-19th Century Maghreb Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Copper, Brass
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Tea Sets
Silver
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Porcelain
1780s English Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Sheffield Plate
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Silver Plate
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Opaline Glass
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Tea Sets
Ceramic
Early 1900s Belgian Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Silver
1780s English Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
1970s German Vintage Neoclassical Tea Sets
Porcelain
1780s English Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Silver
1780s English Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Silver
1780s English Antique Neoclassical Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Tea Sets
Silver Plate