Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
LOUIS XIV STYLE
As opposed to the styles that would follow from the other 18th-century French kings, Louis XV and Louis XVI, antique Louis XIV furniture is rigid and imposing. It expresses opulence — even its armchairs, with their upright backs, straight legs and lavish ornamentation, look like thrones. Authentic Louis XIV sofas, a then newly emerging iteration of seating, are fully upholstered and often feature decoratively carved frames of walnut, chestnut or oak.
When French King Louis XIV established his royal court at Versailles in 1682, he transformed what was once a hunting lodge into a palace that declared his wealth and power through its design. Until his death in 1715, he reigned with a spirit of excess and absolute political dominance. The “Sun King,” as he called himself, believed that France revolved around him as planets do the sun. Louis XIV adopted the sun as his emblem, decorating the grounds with symbols of the sun and Apollo, the Greek god of the sun. As he stated, “There is nothing that indicates more clearly the magnificence of great princes than their superb palaces and their precious furniture.” He was a child when he became king in 1643, only shaping his style after he became absolute monarch in 1661.
Reflecting trends in French Baroque art, Louis XIV furniture characteristics included exuberant decoration. There were gilded bronze details including shells, suns, grotesques, lions and classical references like acanthus leaves. The years of growth in the country’s manufacturing, such as the tapestries and cabinets made at Gobelins, led to design innovations. The commode replaced the chest as a storage device, with drawers and a surface that could double as a desk.
The materials were luxurious, such as the popular tortoiseshell veneer technique that leading cabinetmaker Pierre Golle used in his designs. André-Charles Boulle, who became royal cabinetmaker in 1672, was a masterful artist of marquetry, using inlays of ebony, exotic woods and mother-of-pearl.
Find a collection of antique Louis XIV bedroom furniture, chairs, tables and other pieces on 1stDibs.
to
2
1
3
207
87
77
74
59
46
39
19
18
12
11
10
6
4
3
1
2
1
2
2
1
3
3
3
3
3
Style: Louis XIV
Pheasant maker Daubiere Chaponniere -Bronze - Louis XIV - France 17th / 18th
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Faisandiere or Daubiere or Chaponniere, Louis XIV, oval tripod in bronze, with a crenellated lid with a U-shaped handle, from the end of the 17th / beginning of the 18th century.
Su...
Category
Late 17th Century French Antique Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Bronze
French Censer / incense burner / Church clock / perfume burner - Bronze - 17th
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Very beautiful baluster censer decorated with gadroons from the Louis XIV period.
This censer / incense burner / church clock / perfume burner in openwo...
Category
17th Century French Antique Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Bronze
19th Century French Siege of Arras Floor Screen
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique Louis XIV Siege of Arras floor screen, 19th century, a four panel screen with paper lithograph laid down on wooden panels, depicting the schematic pla...
Category
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Paper
Related Items
19th Century Italian Floral Painted 3 Panel Folding Floor Screen / Room Divider
Located in Atlanta, GA
Antique 19th century Italian Floral Painted 3 panel folding floor screen / room divider.
The screen has been expertly painted by an Italian sch...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Leather, Canvas, Paint
H 82.25 in W 64 in D 1 in
Pair of Large 19th Century Italian Grand Tour Black Marble Nero Antico Obelisks
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
A very attractive pair of Italian Grand Tour black marble obelisks. Detailed hieroglyphics to the front side, on a green marble plinth. Minor corner chips to both obelisks, otherwise...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Marble
H 18.51 in W 4.93 in D 4.93 in
Bronze Weight, 18th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Weight of the 18th century. Bronze.
Bronze weight, incomplete, with the container glass and two of the smallest, all decorated in cold with incised and...
Category
18th Century European Antique Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Bronze
19th Century French Fireplace Screen
Located in Wilton, CT
Used during warmer months to cover the opening of a fireplace, this rare, 19th Century French fireplace screen retains its antique original fabric. The design is identical on both si...
Category
19th Century Antique Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Fabric, Wood
English 19th Century Edwardian Folding Screen
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A massive antique English five-panel folding screen from the 19th century, this was probably used in a commercial or hospitality setting to divide a large space into more intimate pr...
Category
19th Century English Antique Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Cotton, Mahogany
19th Century German Miniature Pocket Terrestrial Globe
Located in Essex, MA
A miniature 19th century 3.5 inch diameter pocket terrestrial globe by C. Abel-Klinger, Nuremberg, Germany, in English for the English speaking markets. Signed with cartouche reading...
Category
1880s German Antique Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Brass
19th Century Leather Studded Folding Screen
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
A 19th century studded leather three-sectional folding screen, or room divider, its decorative leather panels backed with canvas, and stretched over a hinged wooden frame. This unusu...
Category
19th Century Unknown Antique Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Leather
17th Century Thai Bronze Bust Of The Buddha
Located in Stamford, CT
A Thai bronze head of the Buddha. Sukothai period, late 16th-early 17th century. His face with serene expression, arched eyebrows above incised eyes a...
Category
Early 17th Century Thai Antique Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Bronze
French 19th Century Medieval Château Pewter and Wood Birdcage with Turrets
Located in Atlanta, GA
A large 19th century pewter and wood decorative birdcage shaped as a French medieval château. This exquisite French château birdcage is a definite must in terms of decorative accents...
Category
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Pewter
Late 19th Century Terrestrial Globe, French
Located in Firenze, IT
SHIPPING POLICY:
No additional costs will be added to this order.
Shipping costs will be totally covered by the seller (customs duties included).
By Charles Delagrave, Paris. On eb...
Category
1890s French Antique Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Paper
19th Century Carved Screen
Located in Pasadena, CA
This is a finely carved late 19th century Indian Anglo-Raj Hardwood Screen that was fabricated for the export market. The four-panel screen features four distinctly carved floral panels to the front and four matching panels...
Category
1890s Indian Antique Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Hardwood
19th Century French Chinoiserie Four Panel Giltwood Screen
Located in Houston, TX
A lovely 19th Century French giltwood folding screen painted in the Chinoiserie style and backed in silk.
Category
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Canvas, Silk, Wood, Giltwood
Previously Available Items
Mid-18th Century Carved Oak Wall Sculpture with Kingdom of France Coat of Arms
Located in Dallas, TX
Decorate a man's study or an over door with this important antique carving. Crafted in France circa 1650 and made of oakwood, the six foot carved piece features two winged angels wit...
Category
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Oak
H 18 in W 72 in L 18 in
1930s WPA Plaster/Resin Sculpture Petit Trianon at Versailles
Located in New York, NY
This plaster or resin model dates to the late 1930s when a program that was part of the government's Work's Progress Administration's or WPA program employed hundreds of thousands of artists and artisans to built and produce a diverse array of projects. This model stems from Pennsylvania Museum Extension project and by the number 2 was produced in Pittsburgh Pa. These models are becoming quite difficult to find.
The following paragraph from a museum will explain the program which started in 1937:
The Pennsylvania Museum Extension Project
In 1935, “the first year of its existence the Work Projects Administration in Pennsylvania gained the distinction of originating the State-Wide Museum Extension type of project.” (26), and it is obvious from the surviving literature and artifacts made in Pennsylvania that it was the model emulated by many of the other state programs. In fact, Pennsylvania’s prominence in producing visual aids was made quite evident by its proud and boastful offer to willingly share “blue prints and other plans” (27) with any State MEP project that requested them. The PMEP fulfilled two distinct purposes during its existence. The first and most obvious propose was to “prepare… historical and educational objects and exhibits for use as visual aids in education.” (28) The second aim of the Project was to help “museums in their normal work and to organize and operate children’s museums in schools.” (29)
The objects were either distributed free of charge or sometime sold for a nominal fee to tax supported Pennsylvania schools, libraries, and museums. Teachers, librarians, and museum curators then used these “visual props” (often thought of as education-through-play) in the classroom as a way to bring alive the culturally diverse, global and rapidly modernizing world that the children of Pennsylvania and America were increasingly caught up it.
Mrs. Martha Colt was the Director of the State-Wide office of the PMEP from 1935-1943. The office was located in Harrisburg, the state capitol, at 46 North Cameron Street. Pennsylvania was divided into 16 Districts, and in 1939, there were seven production facilities, or work units...
Category
1930s American Vintage Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Paint, Plaster, Wood
Louis XIV Royal Presentation Sword
Located in New Orleans, LA
This exceptionally rare silver gilt sword was presented by the French King Louis XIV to Alain Porée, Captain of the Corsairs, for his role in defending Saint-Malo against the English in 1693. Adorned with portraits of King Louis XIV and Alain Porée on the guard, this is one of two Royal swords presented to the legendary corsair by a French King; the second was awarded to him in 1730 by Louis XV. Considered an exceptional honor, these two presentation swords...
Category
18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Silver
Louis Xiv historical memorabilia for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Louis XIV historical memorabilia for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 19th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage historical memorabilia created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with paper and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Louis XIV historical memorabilia made in a specific country, there are Europe, and France pieces for sale on 1stDibs. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for historical memorabilia differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $3,400 and tops out at $3,400 while the average work can sell for $3,400.