Like France’s Empire style, Regency-style furniture was rooted in neoclassicism; the characteristics of its bedroom furniture, armchairs, dining room tables and other items include clean lines, angular shapes and elegant details.
Dating roughly from the 1790s to 1830s, antique Regency-style furniture gets its name from Prince George of Wales — formally King George IV — who became Prince Regent in 1811 after his father, George III, was declared unfit to rule. England’s Regency style is one of the styles represented in Georgian furniture.
George IV’s arts patronage significantly influenced the development of the Regency style, such as the architectural projects under John Nash, which included the renovation of Buckingham House into the formidable Buckingham Palace with a grand neoclassical facade. Celebrated designers of the period include Thomas Sheraton, Henry Holland and Thomas Hope. Like Nash, Hope instilled his work with classical influences, such as saber-legged chairs based on the ancient Greek klismos. He is credited with introducing the term “interior decoration” to English with the 1807 publishing of Household Furniture and Interior Decoration.
Although more subdued than previous styles like Rococo and Baroque, Regency interiors incorporated copious use of chintz fabrics and wallpaper adorned in chinoiserie-style art. Its furniture featured fine materials and luxurious embellishments. Furniture maker George Bullock, for instance, regularly used detailed wood marquetry and metal ornaments on his pieces.
Archaeological discoveries in Egypt and Greece informed Regency-era details, such as carved scrollwork, sphinxes and palmettes, as well as the shape of furniture. A Roman marble cinerary chest, for example, would be reinterpreted into a wooden cabinet. The Napoleonic Wars also inspired furniture, with martial designs like tented beds and camp-style chairs becoming popular. While the reddish-brown mahogany was prominent in this range of pieces, imported woods like zebrawood and ebony were increasingly in demand.
Find a collection of antique Regency tables, seating, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
$3,750 / set
English Pottery Pearlware Figures of Sailors
Located in Downingtown, PA
English Pottery Pearlware Sailor Figures, Circa 1820. A lovely pair of English pottery pearlware figure groups each depicting a sailor resting on his sea trunk...
Pearlware, Pottery
19th Century Sea Captain's Tea Caddy
Located in Nantucket, MA
Early 19th century sea captain's tea caddy, circa 1830, made of coramandel wood gathered in the Spice Islands China Trade, with sailor's grommet-spliced rope becket handles. The inte...
Wood
Antique British Colonial Sailors Valentine with Seashells
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Transporting 19th century English sailors valentine hand crafted in exotic organic seashells ambitiously arranged around a clipper ship image under a convex lens.
Shell, Organic Material
19th Century Chinese Export Tea Caddy
Located in Charlottesville, VA
A black lacquered tea caddy. Great decoration and has interior compartment.
Wood, Paint
French Carved Snuff Box, Mid-19th Century
Located in Spencertown, NY
The elaborately carved snuff box with a scene of two mermaids on the cover and deeply carved shell on the reverse.
Boxwood
19th Century Chinese Export Lacquer Tea Caddy
Located in Mt Kisco, NY
The burgundy / brown lacquer is decorated with gold depicting figures and buildings in a landscape. The caddy stands on four carved wooden feet in the shape of claws. The interior contains a single pewter canister...
Paper
19th Century Double Sailor's Valentine
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique Double Sailor's Valentine, circa 1880, a pair of handcrafted shell collages mounted in mahogany octagonal shadowboxes, hinged together and mounted with a clasp and a chain for hanging. This valentine features a heart and the message "Forget Me Not." The valentine is in great condition, but does of course have a few shells that have come loose over the past century and a half. The cases remain in great condition as well. Each Measures: 9-1/8 in H x 9-1/8 in W Victorians in the Age of Exploration and its accompanying Eclectic Movement embraced arts and crafts from around the world. Shell boxes are frequently seen, and even the odd shell diorama...
Shell, Mahogany
19th Century Chinese Black Lacquer Tea Caddy
Located in Tampa, FL
Nineteenth century Chinese chinoiserie black lacquer tea caddy richly decorated in gold. The exterior shows delicate garden scenes with birds, flowers, and foliage painted with fine ...
Lacquer
19th Century English Regency Tea Caddy
Located in Charlottesville, VA
A large English tea caddy. It is mahogany with brass feet.
Brass
19th Century English Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy
Located in Atlanta, GA
19th Century English Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy
Tortoise Shell
Antique British Colonial Heart Form Sailors Valentine
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Charming 19th Century English heart form sailors valentine ambitiously handcrafted with exotic seashells around a sailboat image as seen through a glass lens.
Shell
$4,800
H 13.63 in W 13.5 in D 1.5 in
19th Century Large Sailor's Valentine in Mahogany Case, circa 1880
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique Large Sailor's Valentine in Mahogany Case, circa 1880, a hand-crafted shell collage with heart and rosebuds pattern within an eight-pointed star, set in a large mahogany octa...
Shell, Wood
Antique Sailor’s Valentine Shellwork in Octagonal Wooden Case
Located in Sarasota, FL
Traditionally associated with Barbados in the West Indies, this late 19th-century Sailor’s Valentine is a finely preserved example of shellwork folk art. Composed of hundreds of natu...
Shell, Velvet, Glass, Wood
Burr Yew 19th Century Tea Caddy
Located in Bedfordshire, GB
A Very Attractive And Good Quality Early 19th Century Regency Period, Burr Yew Wood Tea Caddy Having Boxwood Strung Decoration Throughout, The Hinged Pagoda Top Enclosing Two Lidded ...
Yew
Monumental William IV Convex Bullseye Mirror
Located in Essex, MA
Monumental convex mirror of nautical motif with gilt hippocampus crest --Large scale and original gilding. Regency or William IV convex mir...
Giltwood
Sold
H 6 in W 11.75 in D 8.5 in
English Regency Sarcophagus Shaped Nautical Landscape Penwork Box, Circa 1810
Located in Charleston, SC
English sarcophagus shape hinged penwork box decorated with landscape and nautical scenes, opening to reveal a blue lined interior with additional nautical and landscape scenes. Box ...
Brass