Neoclassical Painted Furniture
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 1800s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Fir
1810s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Fir
1770s Italian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Fir
Mid-19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Hardwood
1780s Italian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Wood, Giltwood, Paint
Mid-19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Hardwood, Paint
Mid-19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Pine
Late 19th Century Scandinavian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Beech
1830s Italian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Brass
1810s American Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Silk, Upholstery, Pine, Giltwood, Lacquer, Paint
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Marble
1840s Italian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Cane, Wood
1780s Italian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Gold
1780s Italian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Pine
17th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Walnut
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Pine
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Wood
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Walnut
1880s American Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Tin
1830s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Fir
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Pine
Mid-19th Century North American Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Wood
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Wood, Paint
1790s Italian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Fir
1810s Italian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Fir
1810s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Fir
1830s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Fir
1770s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Fir
1810s Italian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Fir
1820s Swiss Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Fir
1810s Italian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Fir
1810s Italian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Fir
1810s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Fir
1820s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Fir
Early 1800s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Painted Furniture
Fir