Neoclassical Mirrors
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.
1760s Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Giltwood
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Wood, Paint
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Wood, Giltwood
Early 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Wood, Giltwood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Gold Leaf
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Wood
1820s American Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Giltwood, Mirror, Gesso
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Walnut, Mirror
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Poplar
Early 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Mirrors
Glass, Wood
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Late 18th Century Great Britain (UK) Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Giltwood, Mercury Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Mirrors
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Glass, Wood
1870s American Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Ash, Walnut
1970s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Nickel
Early 20th Century German Neoclassical Mirrors
Brass, Bronze
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Gesso, Mirror
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Giltwood
1970s European Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
1790s Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Pine, Giltwood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Early 1900s Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Wood, Mirror
1980s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Glass, Mirror, Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Mahogany
1980s European Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Glass, Foam
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Iron
Mid-20th Century European Neoclassical Mirrors
Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Mirrors
Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Mirrors
Glass, Mirror
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Walnut
19th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood, Paint
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Gesso, Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Wood, Giltwood
1880s Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Glass, Wood
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
20th Century Neoclassical Mirrors
Wood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Onyx, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Mirrors
Giltwood, Mirror
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Walnut
Early 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Gesso, Glass, Giltwood, Paint
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Brass, Iron