Louis XV Lighting
The style of 18th-century French furniture was guided by the court. When Louis XV, who reigned from 1715–74, focused royal life on the smaller salons of Versailles rather than its grand chambers, it transformed the aesthetics away from the imposing and angular furniture that characterized the style of Louis XIV. A broader focus on comfort and more delicate forms define antique Louis XV furniture, with nature-inspired carvings, wood inlays, curved cabriole legs, asymmetrical shapes and rounded oval seat backs. The furnishings changed throughout the king’s life, as he ascended to the throne as a child and then grew to establish his own tastes.
Pieces like the bergère, an upholstered armchair with a wide cushion that fit the flowing dresses in fashion at the time, reflected this more informal court. Introduced at the start of Louis XV’s reign, bergère chairs in this style were deeper and broader than other chairs of the period.
Louis XV tapestries and carpets tended to be floral and colorful, and design elements were borrowed from Asia. Dutch-born cabinetmaker Bernard van Risenburgh brought lacquer techniques influenced by Japan and China into his luxuriously made furniture. Along with its fine details, the furniture of the era also featured new innovations including mechanical devices. Jean François Oeben, a royal cabinetmaker, created such intricate pieces as a mechanical table for Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV’s mistress. It involved a sliding top and a writing surface that extended from its marquetry panels.
During the later years of Louis XV’s reign, there was a shift from the ostentatious rocaille style, part of the exuberantly decorative Rococo movement in Europe for which designers such as Nicolas Pineau and Juste-Aurèle Meissonier are known. The style under Louis XVI would return to boxier forms, but with a neoclassical touch inspired by the ancient world.
Find antique Louis XV bedroom furniture, seating, tables and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
Mid-20th Century British Louis XV Lighting
Rock Crystal, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary English Louis XV Lighting
Rock Crystal, Bronze
20th Century French Louis XV Lighting
Crystal
18th Century Antique Louis XV Lighting
Giltwood
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XV Lighting
Metal
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Crystal, Brass
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
Mid-20th Century British Louis XV Lighting
Rock Crystal, Bronze
1950s French Vintage Louis XV Lighting
Metal, Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Lighting
Metal, Gold
1970s Dutch Vintage Louis XV Lighting
Brass
Late 19th Century Antique Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Ormolu
20th Century Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
1970s Dutch Vintage Louis XV Lighting
Brass
1970s French Vintage Louis XV Lighting
Metal, Bronze
1950s French Vintage Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
1880s French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
1960s French Vintage Louis XV Lighting
Cut Glass
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Lighting
Pine
20th Century French Louis XV Lighting
Crystal
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Lighting
Crystal, Brass
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Louis XV Lighting
Iron
Early 20th Century Italian Louis XV Lighting
Crystal
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary English Louis XV Lighting
Rock Crystal, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
20th Century Unknown Louis XV Lighting
Mirror, Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Crystal, Metal, Bronze
Late 20th Century French Louis XV Lighting
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Lighting
Silver Plate, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Brass, Bronze
1880s French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Rock Crystal, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Lighting
Mirror, Giltwood
1890s French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
20th Century Unknown Louis XV Lighting
Iron
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
1940s French Vintage Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Crystal, Metal, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
1950s Italian Vintage Louis XV Lighting
Art Glass
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Crystal, Ormolu
Early 20th Century Italian Louis XV Lighting
Crystal
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XV Lighting
Metal
2010s Italian Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
20th Century Italian Louis XV Lighting
Metal
1930s French Vintage Louis XV Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
2010s Italian Louis XV Lighting
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Crystal, Metal, Brass, Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Lighting
Crystal, Brass
Mid-18th Century Sicilian Antique Louis XV Lighting
Fruitwood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Lighting
Bronze, Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
20th Century French Louis XV Lighting
Amethyst, Rock Crystal, Bronze
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Lighting
Crystal, Bronze