With clean lines and muted colors, antique Gustavian furniture is understated and elegant. It represents a more restrained version of the transition from Rococo to neoclassicism that was happening in France under Louis XVI. The style developed under Swedish King Gustav III, who reigned from 1771 until his assassination in 1792, and his son Gustav IV, who ruled until 1809. Although Gustavian furniture is mostly used to refer to pale painted cabinets, commodes, armchairs and other items, it involved a range of influences.
Gustavian-style furniture was inspired by discoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum as well as the grandeur of European palaces like Versailles, with local softwoods such as pine and birch. There was also an emphasis on natural light; crystal chandeliers and large mirrors played a role in radiating the fleeting daylight of winter, giving it a distinctive aesthetic.
Where earlier furniture was curvy and florid, this new era was more architectural, with tapered and fluted legs and rectangular and oval shapes. Luminous gilt contrasted with the palette of soft blues on upholstery and painted surfaces. Leading furniture builders included Gottlieb Iwersson, Louis Masreliez and Erik Öhrmark. The latter, a French-born Swedish decorator, designed the Sulla chair, a seat that was demonstrative of technical skill and precise craftsmanship and drew on Greek klismos chairs. Masreliez’s Sulla chair was made by Öhrmark and featured decorative ornamentation produced by Jean-Baptiste Masreliez, Louis’s younger brother.
While the wealthy had furniture carved with neoclassical details like scallops and rosettes, more affordable options were adorned with faux finishes that mimicked marble and stenciled patterns. The simple elegance of Gustavian furniture would have a long impact on Swedish design, informing the 20th-century appreciation for function and form. In the 1950s, IKEA mass-produced copies of a Gustavian commode designed by cabinetmaker Georg Haupt, who created pieces for the Royal Palace, making the furniture a fixture of everyday Swedish life.
Find a collection of antique Gustavian seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
18th Century Swedish Gustavian Gold Leaf Gilded Wall Mirror
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A Swedish 18th Century Gustavian gilt wall mirror with the classic festoons decorations, an urn on the top and a shield framed by another festoon on the bottom section. The patina of...
Mirror, Giltwood
Swedish Neoclassical Mirror, Circa 1810
Located in Atlanta, GA
This elegant Swedish mirror dates to the early nineteenth century and reflects the refined neoclassical aesthetic associated with the Gustavian period. Crafted with balanced proporti...
Glass
Early 19th Century Late Gustavian Giltwood Mirror, Stockholm
Located in Atlanta, GA
An elegant late Gustavian mirror, crafted in Stockholm in the early 19th century. The giltwood frame retains its well-preserved original gilding, now gently washed to reveal its soft...
Mirror, Giltwood
Swedish Gustavian Style Mirror in Light Sand Patina, circa 1920
Located in Atlanta, GA
A fine Swedish mirror in the Gustavian style, dating to approximately 1920. The rectangular frame is delicately carved with understated floral and foliate motifs, reflecting the grac...
Mirror, Wood
French Provencal Mirror with Antique blue and white Tiles Surround
Located in Greenwich, CT
French Provençal Mirror in the Gustavian style, with a surround of Blue and white antique hand-painted tiles ( most probably Delft) set in...
Ceramic, Mirror
18th Century Swedish Gustavian Pinewood Wall Glass Mirror - Scandinavian Décor
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A late 18th Century, antique Swedish Gustavian wall mirror made of hand crafted Pinewood with its original mirrored glass, in good condit...
Pine
$15,120Sale Price|20% Off
18th - 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Gilded Pine Wall Glass Mirror
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A late 18th Century, antique Swedish Gustavian rectangular wall mirror with its original mirrored glass and blue color paint, made of hand crafted gilded Pinewood, in good condition....
Mirror, Pine, Giltwood
18th Century Swedish Gustavian Gilded Wood Wall Glass Mirror, Antique Wall Décor
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An 18th Century Swedish Gustavian mirror gilded with original glass. Richly hand carved antique wall mirror in the Gustavian style with medallion in good condition, enhanced by detai...
Mirror, Giltwood, Wood
18th - 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Gilded Pinewood Wall Glass Mirror
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A late 18th Century - 19th Century, antique Swedish Gustavian wall mirror made of hand crafted gilded Pinewood with its original two-part mirrored glass, in good condition. The Scand...
Mirror, Pine, Giltwood
Late 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Period Trumeau Mirror with Swag and Roses
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Swedish period Gustavian painted and gilt trumeau mirror from the late 18th century with original paint and original split mercury glass. This exquisite Swedish trumeau mirror feat...
Mercury Glass, Wood, Giltwood
Late Gustavian or Early Biedermeier Painted Wall Mirror
Located in Atlanta, GA
Antique painted mirror with gilded accents and beveled mercury mirror. The painted finish has been distressed over time, but we will be happ...
Mirror
Swedish Gustavian Mirror, circa 1820
Located in Huntington, NY
A Swedish Gustavian mirror scraped to its original surface with remnants of original paint and gilt. Detailed carvings adorn the upper molding with stars in each corner. Two carved p...
Glass, Wood
19th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Gilded Pinewood Wall Glass Mirror
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A 19th Century, antique Swedish Gustavian wall mirror made of hand crafted gilded Pinewood, in good condition. The Scandinavian mirror is particularized with a medallion and it is co...
Mirror, Pine, Giltwood
18th - 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Gilded Pinewood Wall Glass Mirror
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A gold, antique Swedish Gustavian wall mirror made of hand crafted gilded Pinewood with its original two-part mirrored glass, in good condition. The particularized carved Scandinavia...
Mirror, Pine, Giltwood
Swedish Gustavian Mirror, circa 1820
Located in Huntington, NY
A Swedish Gustavian mirror scraped to its original surface with remnants of original paint and gilt. Detailed carvings adorn the upper molding with overlapping stars in each corner. ...
Wood, Paint
19th Century Swedish Gustavian Gilded Pine Wall Glass Mirror, Scandinavian Decor
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A gold, antique Swedish Gustavian lunette-shaped crown wall mirror made of handcrafted gilded Pinewood with its original mirrored glass, in good condition. The particularized carved Scandinavian bronze...
Mirror, Pine, Giltwood
18th Century Swedish Gustavian Pair of Gilded Wood Wall Glass Mirrors
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A gold, antique Swedish Gustavian pair of wall mirrors made of hand crafted gilded wood with its original mirrored glass, in good condition. The Scandinavian wall décor...
Glass, Mirror, Giltwood
19th Century Swedish Gustavian Gilt & Polychromed Neoclassical Mirror
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
19th Century Swedish Gustavian Gilt & Polychromed Neoclassical Mirror This exquisite 19th-century Swedish Gustavian mirror is a stunning example of Neoclassical design. The mirror ...
Wood
19th century Swedish Giltwood Mirror
Located in Leesburg, VA
19th century Swedish Giltwood Mirror Approximate size: 40.25”H x 25”W x 2”D This ornate 19th century Swedish rectangular giltwood mirror evokes a sense of elegance and beauty with ...
Glass, Giltwood
18th c, Swedish Gustavian Mirror
Located in Allerum, SE
Swedish 18th century Gustavian gilded mirror in it's original condition with an nice patinated surface . Ca 1790 Sweden.
Giltwood
Large 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Mirror
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
18th Century Swedish Gustavian mirror of large proportions. In original paint and a mercury glass plate. Circa 1740.
Mercury Glass, Wood
Antique Gustavian Gray and Gold Mirror, Sweden circa 1880
Located in Round Top, TX
Lovely Gustavian style mirror with light gray painted finish with white undertones. Carved accents in gold gilt with red undertones. At just under 4' tall, its size allows it to be d...
Mirror, Giltwood, Paint
18th Century Gustavian Mirror by Johan Åkerblad
Located in Ljungby, SE
A Gustavian mirror made in Stockholm in the 18th century, bearing the signatures of Johan Åkerblad and the gilder Erik Törngren. The mirror is crafted from gilded pine and has mercur...
Giltwood
Swedish Gustavian Period Gilt Pier Mirror with Ribbon & Foliate Swag Decoration
Located in Milford, NH
A Swedish Gustavian Period gilt pier mirror with pierce carved ribbon and foliate crest decoration, accented with foliate swags, continued on the beveled mirror surround and base. Da...
Gesso, Glass, Wood
18th Century Swedish Gustavian Pine Wall Glass Mirror - Antique Wall Décor
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A gold, antique Swedish Gustavian wall mirror made of handcrafted gilded Pinewood with its original mirrored glass, in good condition. The particularized carved Scandinavian wall déc...
Mirror, Pine, Giltwood
18th Century Gustavian Sconce Mirror with Center Cameo, Sweden, Circa 1780
Located in New York, NY
18th century Swedish Gustavian single arm candle sconce mirror with center cameo, origin: Sweden, circa 1780 In Scandinavia, candlelight is an important element found in any interio...
Giltwood
$6,700
Mirror Gustavian Sweden
Located in New York, NY
Description: A guilded mirror made from carved wood with a mirror glass in two pieces. Made in Sweden between 1775-1810 and the Gustavian period.
Wood
French Distressed Ivory Color Mirror with Gilt Decoration 48.5" h x 33.75" w
Located in Atlanta, GA
French Distressed Ivory Color Mirror with Gilt Decoration, France, 20th Century. It measures 48.5" height x 33.75" width.
Mirror, Wood
Exceptional Pair of 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Gilt Wood Mirrors
Located in Allerum, SE
Exceptional, rare and unusually large pair of late Gustavian gilt wood mirrors with gouaches in neoclassical Pompeian style and faux porphyry marble mirror frame. Stockholm, ca 1790.
Mirror, Wood, Giltwood
18th-Century Gustavian Giltwood Mirror with Mythological Scenes, Stockholm 1780-
Located in Kastrup, DK
A beautiful Gustavian mirror, carefully scraped to reveal its original gilding and color decoration. The top is adorned with a finely carved wooden ribbon, followed by a decorative c...
Glass, Mirror, Wood, Paper
Gustavian 18th Century Giltwood Mirror with Gouaches
Located in Stockholm, SE
A fine gustavian gilt wood mirror with gouaches made in Stockholm c. 1790. Original gilding. The gouaches painted in the neoclassical pompeian style.
Mirror, Giltwood
Exceptional Antique Gustavian Style Carved And Painted Oval Mirror
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Large and impressive time-worn Gustavian Style Mirror in a Pale Grey and Gilt Paint finish. The dish form surround in off white paint with an outer band of gilt acanthus leaves, the...
Wood
Swedish Gustavian Two-Light Giltwood Wall Scones
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Swedish Gustavian two-light giltwood wall scones.
Mirror, Giltwood
$16,000 / set
Pair of 1790 Gustavian Mirror Wall Sconces
Located in Ljungby, SE
A pair of beautiful late Gustavian mirror sconces made in Stockholm around 1790. The sconces feature polychrome gouache paintings in the crowns and glass in front. The brass light ar...
Brass, Other
Swedish Gustavian Late 18th Century Giltwood Mirror Signed by Johan Åkerblad
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
A fine Swedish Gustavian carved two-tone giltwood mirror signed by the master mirror maker Johan Åkerblad (1728-1799) and with the stamp of the Stockholm gilt (hallsta¨mpel). Åkerbla...
Giltwood
19th - 20th Century Swedish Gustavian Pair of Oval Gilded Wood Glass Mirrors
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A late 19th Century, antique pair of Swedish Gustavian style oval shaped wall mirrors made of hand crafted gilded Pinewood, bronze with its original mirrored glass, in good condition. Each of the Scandinavian wall décor...
Metal, Bronze
18th Century Swedish Fruitwood Mirror
Located in Woodbury, CT
18th c. swedish fruitwood mirror with ormolu mounts and finials. Fruitwood is framed by ebony inlay.
Ormolu
Gustavian Hand Painted and Gilt Mirror
Located in Atlanta, GA
Elegant Gustavian Style Mirror with Hand Painted and Gilt Decoration, believed to be from the Netherlands (as the Netherlands flag is painted at the top), circa 20th Century. Retains...
Mirror, Wood
Oval Gustavian Giltwood Wall Mirror
Located in Kastrup, DK
Classic Gustavian or Louis Seize carved giltwood wall mirror. Features an oval mirror with pearl beading on the interior perimeter, exterior frame decorated with a bow-tied ribbon on...
Wood
19th Century Swedish Trumeau Mirror
Located in Bradenton, FL
19th century Swedish Trumeau mirror, painted wood in florals topped with raised gold fruit basket surrounded by dolphins. Color is a dark blue-green with cream and gold trim.
Mirror, Wood
18th Century Gustavian Mirror, Sweden 1780
Located in Belmont, MA
Exquisite 18th century Gustavian mirror, Stockholm circa 1780. Mahogany, carved and partly gilded. The Swedish Gustavian Style was named after King Gustav III of Sweden (reign 1771-92). Gustav III visited the French Court during the reign of Louis XVI several times and loved the French neoclassical...
Mahogany
Very Fine Gustavian Period Giltwood Pier Mirror, Swedish Circa 1800
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
The very fine water-gilded frame showing an architectural cornice above a rectangular frieze decorated with burnished relief moulded neoclassical motifs, surmounting a very old recta...
Giltwood, Mirror
Eric Wahlberg 18th Century Gustavian Mirror, Stockholm, Sweden, Dated 1792
By Lago Lundén, Eric Wahlberg
Located in New York, NY
Eric Wahlberg (1760 Stockholm, Sweden 1811), 18th century Gustavian mirror with center cameo, origin: Stockholm, Sweden, hallmarked and stamped on verso: Eric Wahlberg and Lago Lunde...
Giltwood, Paint
Gustavian Italian Wall, Console Mirror, Cornucopia Motif, Parcel Gilt Decorated
Located in Manhasset, NY
Antique Gustavian Italian wall, console mirror, Cornucopia Motif, Parcel Gilt Decorated A finely carved and paint decorated wall or console mirror. Late 19th Early 20th century having a mint green paint...
Mirror, Wood
Antique Hollywood Regency Wall/Console Mirror, Parcel Gilt and Paint Decorated
Located in Manhasset, NY
Antique Gustavian wall/console mirror. This stunning, fnely carved mirror is wonderfully Parcel Gilt and Paint Decorated in a mint green color. The frame having shell and leaf motif ...
Mirror, Giltwood
Mirrored Wall Sconces Swedish Gustavian 18th Century Signed Gilded Sweden, Pair
Located in New York, NY
A pair of mirrored wall sconces made during the early part of the Gustavian period 1775-1790. Made and signed by frame maker Johan Martin ...
Wood
Unique Hand Carved Wall Mirror
Located in Hollywood, FL
This is a Unique Hand Carved Wall Mirror. it was stained Dark brown and I stripped it down to raw wood and left it that way.
Wood
Gustavian Mirror, 18th Century
Located in Ljungby, SE
A high-quality Gustavian piece from Stockholm, dating from the late 18th century. The mirror features polychrome paintings on the crest and base. The glass is mercury-backed. The top...
Mercury Glass