With clean lines and muted colors, antique Gustavian furniture is understated and elegant. It represents a more restrained version of the transition from Rococo to neoclassicism that was happening in France under Louis XVI. The style developed under Swedish King Gustav III, who reigned from 1771 until his assassination in 1792, and his son Gustav IV, who ruled until 1809. Although Gustavian furniture is mostly used to refer to pale painted cabinets, commodes, armchairs and other items, it involved a range of influences.
Gustavian-style furniture was inspired by discoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum as well as the grandeur of European palaces like Versailles, with local softwoods such as pine and birch. There was also an emphasis on natural light; crystal chandeliers and large mirrors played a role in radiating the fleeting daylight of winter, giving it a distinctive aesthetic.
Where earlier furniture was curvy and florid, this new era was more architectural, with tapered and fluted legs and rectangular and oval shapes. Luminous gilt contrasted with the palette of soft blues on upholstery and painted surfaces. Leading furniture builders included Gottlieb Iwersson, Louis Masreliez and Erik Öhrmark. The latter, a French-born Swedish decorator, designed the Sulla chair, a seat that was demonstrative of technical skill and precise craftsmanship and drew on Greek klismos chairs. Masreliez’s Sulla chair was made by Öhrmark and featured decorative ornamentation produced by Jean-Baptiste Masreliez, Louis’s younger brother.
While the wealthy had furniture carved with neoclassical details like scallops and rosettes, more affordable options were adorned with faux finishes that mimicked marble and stenciled patterns. The simple elegance of Gustavian furniture would have a long impact on Swedish design, informing the 20th-century appreciation for function and form. In the 1950s, IKEA mass-produced copies of a Gustavian commode designed by cabinetmaker Georg Haupt, who created pieces for the Royal Palace, making the furniture a fixture of everyday Swedish life.
Find a collection of antique Gustavian seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
18th/19th Century Cranberry and Glass Lantern with Gilt Metal and Cut Glass
Located in Stamford, CT
A large cranberry glass and gilt metal lantern / chandelier composed of late 18th century and early 19th century parts. Having been in its current at least since 1969. Acquired from Denton-Grant, 1969. Christies - Collection of Anthony Hail...
Blown Glass
19th Century Swedish Gustavian Chandelier, Wood & Crystal, 6 Arms
Located in Sheffield, MA
Large, elegant and impressive, newly restored antique Swedish Gustavian style chandelier with 6 scrolled arms and gold hanging wood and mult...
Wood
French Etched Glass Globe Bell Jar Lantern, Chapel Lantern, Late 19th Century
Located in Frankfurt am Main, DE
One of kind antique hand blown clear etched glass three-light bell lantern with very elegant brass mounts, France, circa 1880-1890. The glass bowl and the upper glass plate are entir...
Brass
19th Century Baccarat Crystal Chandelier Five-Light Chandelier
Located in Frankfurt am Main, DE
A lovely antique Baccarat crystal electrified chandelier, gilt brass beautifully decorated with several tiers of large pendaloques in different shapes and sizes, finishing at the bot...
Crystal, Brass
Vintage Gilt Metal Lantern
Located in Tarrytown, NY
Vintage gilt metal lantern with gold and patinated mixed finishes and glass shade.
Metal
Pair of Late 19th Century Bronze and Crystal Plafonniers
Located in New Orleans, LA
French late 19th century bronze and crystal plafonniers featuring bronze ring with octagonal crystal beads and acorn finial Each piece in our shop is professionally rewired and in w...
Bronze
$165,000Sale Price|26% Off
H 76 in Dm 50 in
Very Impressive and Palatial Late 19th Century Bronze and Crystal Chandelier
Located in Long Island City, NY
A very impressive and palatial late 19th century gilt bronze and crystal twenty four light basket chandelier The large sunburst corona above a reticulated pierced crown adorned with...
Crystal, Bronze, Ormolu
$2,950
H 25.5 in Dm 13.5 in
French Mid-20th Century Louis XIV Style Gilt-Metal & Glass "Versailles" Lantern
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A French mid-20th century Louis XIV style gilt-metal and molded glass "Versailles" style single-light hanging hall lantern. The elongated blown glass body banded with gilt-metal stri...
Metal
$9,850Sale Price|46% Off
H 38 in Dm 20.5 in
French, 19th-20th Century Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze and Glass Lantern
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine French 19th-20th century Louis XV style pear-shaped gilt bronze and diamond-cut-bent-glass lantern. The ovoid gilt bronze body with a single light, surmounted with three glass panels centered with a sunburst design. The scrolled gilt bronze body with scrolls, acanthus, rosettes and leaves, each panel crowned with gilt bronze bows and ribbons...
Bronze
$12,950Sale Price|28% Off
H 43.5 in Dm 18.25 in
French 19th-20th Century Louis XVI Style Gilt Bronze and Cut-Glass Chandelier
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A fine French 19th-20th century Louis XVI style gilt bronze and cut-glass beaded Cascade ten-light chandelier with garlands and a crown top with a floral canopy, circa 1900, Paris. ...
Bronze
$126,000
H 55 in Dm 40 in
A Palatial and Exceptional Large 19th Century Baccarat Cut Crystal Chandelier
By Baccarat
Located in New York, NY
A palatial and large 19th century Baccarat cut crystal chandelier composed of tiered crystal elements, hand-cut prisms, and acid-etched glass shades. The chandelier features a centra...
Crystal
Louis XVI Bronze d’Ore Chandelier, French 19th Century
Located in New Orleans, LA
This French Louis XVI chandelier is made of bronze d’ore, dates back to the 19th century, and is elegant in simplicity. The piece features ...
Bronze, Gold
$6,895Sale Price|30% Off
H 31.5 in Dm 22 in
Fine French Belle Époque 19th-20th Century Gilt-Bronze and Cut-Glass Chandelier
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A fine French Belle Époque 19th-20th century three-light gilt-bronze and cut-glass basket chandelier. The circular basket shaped banded gilt-bronze frame surmounted with three scroll...
Brass, Bronze
$3,209
H 39.38 in Dm 21.66 in
19th Century French Gilt Bronze and Crystal Aesthetic Seven-Light Chandelier
Located in Antwerp, BE
A 19th century French gilt bronze and crystal Aesthetic seven-light chandelier France, circa 1880 Perfectly working and ready to be hung.
Crystal, Bronze
Antique Lantan from Sweden
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Swedish antique lantern. It is designed to be able to remove the bottom plate, you can use it as it is today, replacing the candle as it is.
Glass, Wood
Swedish Painted Gilt Iron Lantern
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Swedish gray painted iron and glass lantern. The simple lines of this fixture will work in any style home. The lantern has been newly rewired and is ready to install. The chain and c...
Wrought Iron
Pair of 19th Century Gustavian Column Lantern
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Pair of Gustavian column lantern, light fixtures are new, columns are period.
Sheet Metal
Swedish opaline glass lantern, circa 1810
Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län
A late Swedish gustavian opaline glass lantern with gilt bronze mounts. There are 3 candle arms and one in the middle The glass painted with figures in sepia. Made circa 1810.
Ormolu