Neoclassical Wall 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.
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
1780s Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Gesso, Mirror, Wood, Giltwood
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Glass, Giltwood
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Wood, Mirror, Giltwood
Early 1800s Spanish Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood, Giltwood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Ebony, Giltwood
19th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood, Paint
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Wood
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
18th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Giltwood
20th Century Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
1780s Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood, Paint
1830s French Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Walnut
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Glass, Wood
19th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Ormolu
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary Moldovan Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Moldovan Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Ash
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood, Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary Moldovan Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Moldovan Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Moldovan Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Giltwood
1810s Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Walnut
20th Century French Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Faux Bamboo, Mirror, Wood, Beech
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Silver Leaf
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Gesso, Wood
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Glass, Mirror, Wood
20th Century European Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood, Gesso
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Giltwood
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Glass, Giltwood
1760s Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Giltwood
18th Century American Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mahogany
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Giltwood
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Mahogany
1790s French Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Giltwood
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Glass, Mirror
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Brass
1960s Spanish Vintage Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Giltwood
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Gesso, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood, Giltwood
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Giltwood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood, Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
20th Century French Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Gold Leaf