Neoclassical Table 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.
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Stoneware, Ceramic
2010s American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Ceramic, Lacquer
20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain, Wood
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century English Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Tin
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster
20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Rock Crystal, Metal
1970s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
1950s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal, Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Onyx, Ormolu
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Iron
Early 20th Century Bulgarian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver Leaf
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Wood
1940s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain
1990s American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass, Aluminum, Steel
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Earthenware, Porcelain
Mid-20th Century European Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Brass
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Walnut
20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
1940s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Linen
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-20th Century German Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Bronze, Ormolu
1960s Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass, Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Onyx
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver Leaf
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Neoclassical Table Lamps
Composition
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster, Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze, Metal
Late 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Rock Crystal, Marble, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Griotte Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze, Ormolu
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Acrylic, Plaster
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster, Metal
19th Century Chinese Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
2010s French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Plaster
1950s Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver Plate, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Ormolu
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Glass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
1940s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Linen