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.
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble
20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Bronze
2010s French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Plaster
20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Ormolu, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Opaline Glass
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porphyry, Ormolu
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Onyx, Brass
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Wood
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal, Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal, Brass
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Brass
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
1950s Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Giltwood, Paint
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silk, Giltwood
20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain
20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
Early 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Table Lamps
Wood, Paint
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver Plate, Wire
20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain, Giltwood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass, Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal, Bronze
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
1870s French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster
Early 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster, Brass
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal, Iron
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Stained Glass
1980s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Rock Crystal, Brass, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain, Giltwood
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass, Bronze
2010s Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster, Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain
20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster, Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal, Wire
Mid-20th Century Swedish Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Art Glass
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver Plate
20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
1940s European Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Zinc
1950s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster
1930s Spanish Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Earthenware
Early 20th Century Austrian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Ormolu, Bronze
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Quartz, Rock Crystal
20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Plaster
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Ceramic