Neoclassical Floor Lamps
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.
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Brass
1940s European Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Plaster
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Onyx, Metal
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Brass, Bronze
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Porcelain
1810s American Antique Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Bronze
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Iron
Mid-19th Century Antique Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Brass
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Bronze, Wrought Iron
1890s Swedish Antique Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Brass, Steel
1980s German Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Bronze, Nickel
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Travertine, Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Brass, Bronze
1950s English Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Beech
1930s British Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Brass
Early 1900s Unknown Antique Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Silver Plate
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Gold Leaf
20th Century French Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Wood
1980s European Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Metal
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Copper
Early 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Steel, Bronze
1980s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Gold Plate, Brass, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Bronze
1870s English Antique Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Brass
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Brass, Bronze
1970s American Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Metal, Brass
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Metal, Silver Plate
1950s Spanish Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Iron
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Walnut
1980s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Metal
1970s Swedish Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Brass
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Alabaster
20th Century Spanish Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Alabaster
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Brass, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Zinc
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Wood, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Metal, Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Wrought Iron
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Brass
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Bronze, Steel
1930s American Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Slate
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Wood, Giltwood
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Metal
1910s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Bronze, Iron
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Floor Lamps
Bronze