Neoclassical Games
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.
Mid-19th Century North American Antique Neoclassical Games
Slate
1970s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Games
Marble, Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Games
Rope, Oak
Mid-20th Century European Neoclassical Games
Malachite, Marble
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Games
Onyx, Marble
Late 19th Century Indian Antique Neoclassical Games
Bone
1980s Vintage Neoclassical Games
Marble
20th Century Neoclassical Games
Wood
2010s Italian Neoclassical Games
Marble, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Neoclassical Games
Marble
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Games
Wood
2010s Mexican Neoclassical Games
Art Glass
2010s Mexican Neoclassical Games
Art Glass
20th Century American Neoclassical Games
Metal
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical Games
Metal
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Games
Malachite, Marble
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Games
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Games
String, Wood, Paint
Late 19th Century North American Antique Neoclassical Games
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Games
Ash
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Games
Paper
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Games
Paper
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Games
Paper
Mid-19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Games
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Games
Marble