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.
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver Plate
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Belgian Black Marble, Metal, Bronze
1880s English Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver Plate
2010s Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver Plate, Bronze
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
1990s Philippine Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Rock Crystal
1990s French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze, Silver Plate
20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Brass
1890s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass, Bronze
Late 20th Century Dutch Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Brass
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century German Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Bronze, Ormolu
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Iron
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze, Tôle
Early 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
1880s Danish Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
1990s Philippine Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
Late 19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
Early 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
1930s Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass, Metal
1930s British Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
1930s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster
1890s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Milk Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Onyx
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
1850s Danish Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Table Lamps
Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Slate, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Brass
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
1890s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
1780s Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Walnut
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
Early 1900s European Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster, Marble, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Belgian Black Marble, Wire, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal, Chrome