Neoclassical Lighting
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 French Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster, Bronze
1940s American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
1970s Spanish Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Tin, Wire
20th Century Neoclassical Lighting
Metal, Other
2010s Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Marble, Lapis Lazuli, Malachite, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1890s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Stone, Alabaster, Brass
1920s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Marble, Bronze
1960s Swedish Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster, Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Aluminum, Bronze
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
20th Century Spanish Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Marble, Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Iron
1970s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Ormolu
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Wood, Paint
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Ormolu
1910s American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
19th Century Danish Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Onyx, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze, Iron
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster, Metal
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Lighting
Brass, Bronze
20th Century British Neoclassical Lighting
Silver Plate
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Iron
1980s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal, Chrome
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1950s British Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Giltwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Porphyry, Ormolu
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary British Neoclassical Lighting
Wood
1890s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1910s English Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Silver Plate
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Ormolu
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Lighting
Composition
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
Early 20th Century Russian Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Wood, Giltwood
1990s French Neoclassical Lighting
PVC
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Travertine, Brass
Early 1900s American Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Silver Plate, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Rock Crystal, Ormolu
Late 19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze





