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.
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Ceramic, Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porphyry, Ormolu
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-19th Century Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Ormolu
2010s French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Plaster
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain, Earthenware
Late 19th Century Irish Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Ormolu, Metal
1950s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze, Ormolu
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
Early 20th Century Austrian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Bronze, Ormolu
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Blown Glass, Hardwood
1880s English Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver Plate
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Murano Glass
1820s German Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
1930s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster
20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Rock Crystal
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
Early 20th Century Chinese Neoclassical Table Lamps
Enamel
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Bronze
20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Ormolu, Bronze
20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
Mid-20th Century German Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Bronze, Ormolu
Early 20th Century Bulgarian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Bronze
1860s French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Giltwood, Wood
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal, Brass
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Table Lamps
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Irish Neoclassical Table Lamps
Ormolu
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal
20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster
1890s European Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze