Neoclassical Wine Coolers
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.
20th Century French Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Crystal, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Silver Plate
Early 19th Century Dutch Antique Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Fruitwood, Walnut
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Metal, Brass, Enamel
1890s English Antique Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Gold, Bronze
20th Century Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Iron
Mid-20th Century English Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Paper
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Silver Plate
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Porcelain
20th Century English Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Metal
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Crystal, Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Metal
2010s Argentine Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Onyx, Stone, Metal
2010s Dutch Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary European Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Silver Plate
2010s Dutch Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Travertine
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Crystal, Ormolu
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Aluminum
1940s American Vintage Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Silver Plate
Late 20th Century French Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Crystal, Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Crystal
1930s English Vintage Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Metal
20th Century American Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Metal, Brass
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Sterling Silver
20th Century French Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Silver
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Wicker
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Crystal
Early 1900s French Antique Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Silver Plate
1980s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Sterling Silver
20th Century German Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Silver
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Silver Plate
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Silver Plate
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Wine Coolers
Brass