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.
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble
1790s French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver, Vermeil
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal, Iron
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Wood
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Giltwood, Lucite
18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze, Other
Mid-18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Metal
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Lapis Lazuli, Bronze
18th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
1760s Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Lucite, Wood
Early 18th Century Dutch Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass, Bronze
Late 18th Century Chinese Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain
18th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Wood
Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
1930s Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass, Sheet Metal
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster, Brass
1950s German Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Tin
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze, Ormolu
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Sterling Silver
18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver Plate, Bronze, Tin
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster, Marble, Bronze
1760s Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Giltwood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass, Steel
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal, Ormolu
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Terracotta
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Wood, Linen, Lucite
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Linen, Lucite, Giltwood