Neoclassical Lanterns
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 American Neoclassical Lanterns
Copper
20th Century Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
Late 20th Century French Neoclassical Lanterns
Crystal, Metal, Bronze, Copper, Tin
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
20th Century Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Lanterns
Blown Glass
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
20th Century American Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass, Copper
20th Century American Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Lanterns
Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century French Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Lanterns
Bronze, Wire
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Lanterns
Crystal, Ormolu
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Lanterns
Metal, Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Lanterns
Bronze
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
Late 20th Century French Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Lanterns
Crystal, Bronze
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
20th Century American Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical Lanterns
Glass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
Early 20th Century Belgian Neoclassical Lanterns
Blown Glass
Late 20th Century British Neoclassical Lanterns
Nickel
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Lanterns
Iron
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Lanterns
Bronze
1910s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lanterns
Blown Glass
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass, Silver
20th Century European Neoclassical Lanterns
Crystal, Bronze
20th Century Neoclassical Lanterns
Bronze
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Lanterns
Crystal, Bronze
1940s American Vintage Neoclassical Lanterns
Bronze
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lanterns
Nickel
Early 1900s French Antique Neoclassical Lanterns
Crystal, Bronze
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Lanterns
Bronze
Early 20th Century Spanish Neoclassical Lanterns
Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Neoclassical Lanterns
Bronze
1920s British Vintage Neoclassical Lanterns
Silver Plate, Bronze
20th Century French Neoclassical Lanterns
Bronze
20th Century French Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical Lanterns
Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Lanterns
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary English Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Lanterns
Crystal, Bronze
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Lanterns
Fir
20th Century French Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
20th Century French Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
20th Century French Neoclassical Lanterns
Brass
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Lanterns
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lanterns
Bronze
20th Century European Neoclassical Lanterns
Crystal, Bronze
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Lanterns
Crystal, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Lanterns
Bronze
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lanterns
Iron, Tin
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lanterns
Bronze