Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
NEOCLASSICAL STYLE
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.
Style: Neoclassical
Color: Gray
Large Grand Tour Marble Column Plinth
Located in London, GB
A large Grand Tour specimen marble column plinth, in green serpentine and Carrara marble on a gilt-bronze (ormolu) base. Italy, 19th century.
Why we like it:
Its impressive scale a...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Marble
Epic of America by Jt Adams First Edition Re-Print
Located in Dallas, TX
PRESENTING A RARE EDITION hardback copy of The Epic of America by James Truslow Adams, Illustrated by M.J. Gallagher, Published by Little, Brown and Company of Boston in 1932.
Con...
Category
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
General William Tecumseh Sherman Autograph
Located in Dallas, TX
PRESENTING A RARE and FULLY AUTHENTIC General William Tecumseh Sherman Autograph.
Last page of a hand written letter, circa 1885-1890.
P...
Category
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
JFK & Jackie Unseen Archives Hardcover Book
Located in North Hollywood, CA
JFK & Jackie. Unseen Archives by Tim Hill.
London: Parragon, Incorporated, 2003. First edition; first printing. Hardcover.
JFK and Jackie: unseen archives c...
Category
Early 2000s American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Rare Set of Four Framed Antique Boxing and Sports Collectible Cards
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Four groups of colored paper collectible sports cards mounted on blue paper pierced in the margin for placing in a notebook. Now mounted on off white card and custom framed.
The cards include images of boxers Al Kaufman, Mike Sullivan, Gans and Nelson and many others. Along with images of track and field and swim athletes. Some faded black printed faded paper ones with portraits of boxers e.g Jack...
Category
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Cadillac 110 Years by Assouline Hardcover Book
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Cadillac Limited Edition: 110 Years by Assouline.
Kremer, Esther, Ed.
New York: Assouline Publishing, 2012.
First Edition; Second Printing. Hardcover.
In celebration of 110 years of one of the most iconic brands in the world, Assouline presents the first luxury book on America's foremost luxury car. Cadillac takes readers on a visual journey through all the decades of its history. Here are presidents and Hollywood stars, closed-body cars and concept cars, the classic and the cutting-edge. Cadillac enthusiasts and car collectors...
Category
2010s Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
From the Land Backen, Gillam, & Kroeger Architects Hardcover Book
Located in North Hollywood, CA
From the Land: Backen, Gillam, & Kroeger Architects Hardcover Book.
October 8, 2013 by Erhard Pfeiffer (Photographer), Stanley Abercrombie (Afterword), Diane Keaton.
Elegant rustic...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Historical American Civil War Era Wire Frame Magnifying Eye Glass Spectacles
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A delicate pair of handmade magnifying wire rim eye glasses from the American Civil War era, circa 1860.
A great looking historical conversation p...
Category
Mid-19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
The Well-lived Life: One Hundred Years of House & Garden
Located in North Hollywood, CA
The Well-lived Life: One Hundred Years of House & Garden by Dominique Browning.
Assouline Publishing, Inc. 2008.
Large hardcover coffee table book.
Size: 12 1/8" x 9 1/2" x 1" 1/4.
House & Home - 238 pages.
Few magazines can lay claim to a century of history or to having published work by some extraordinary and distinguished photographers and writers as House & Garden. Now, straight from the pages of this well-loved periodical, The Well-Lived Life presents a lavish chronicle of a country and a culture coming into its own, documenting America's continuing education in matters of house, home and garden over the course of the 20th century. Selecting high points from the magazine, this book surveys the growing confidence and imagination reflected in American interiors and entertaining over the last century -the dinners, picnics and parties of a country dedicated to welcoming others- and the changing definition of home. It also illuminates the joys -sedentary or sporting- Americans have always found in the out-of-doors. The Well-Lived Life surveys the landscape of our lawns and gardens...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Texas a Salute from Above Fehrenbach, T. R 1985
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Texas a Salute from Above Fehrenbach, T. R 1985.
Title: Texas: A salute from above
Publisher: Brand: Texas Books, World Pub. Services, Inc.
Publication Date: 1st Edition 1985
Language ? : ? English
Hardcover ? : ? 280 pages
Binding: Hardcover large coffee table book.
A birds-eye view of the vast state of Texas: Mountains, cities, stadiums, plains, etc. in full color with text by T.R. Fehrenbach.
Look with new eyes upon Texas. Its sweeping diversity is seen from another perspective--the view from above.
Texas Books, 1985. First Ed.. Hardcover. History; Texas; The Trans-Pecos Region, The Panhandle, West, North, Central and East Texas...
Category
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Fabrics The Decorative Art of Textiles Coffee Table Hardcover Book
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Fabrics The Decorative Art of Textiles
Spectacularly illustrated with richly colorful, sumptuously textured photographs, Fabrics is an enthusiastic trip through the history, technol...
Category
1990s Italian Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Montereau Creil French Creamware Faïence d’Aix en Provence Architecture Plate
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A French Neoclassical faïence transfer printed creamware plate produced by Montereau, Creil, circa 1824-1836.
A black transfer of an architectural im...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Creamware
Golden Moments: a Collection of United States 1984 Commemorative Olympic Issues
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Golden Moments: A Collection of United States 1984 Commemorative Olympic Issues
MICHENER, James A. (foreword)
Published by United States Postal Service, Washington, DC, 1984
Numerous color illustrations. A superb, tight first edition of what's really a study of "Paintings and 1984 Olympic postal designs by Robert Peak...
Category
20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Montereau French Creamware Faïence Le Palais Royal Architecture Plate
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A French Neoclassical faïence transfer printed creamware plate produced by Montereau, Creil, circa 1824-1836.
A black transfer of an architectural image on a creamware body, depicting Le Palais Royal...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Creamware
Creil Ét Montereau French Creamware École Militaire À Paris Architecture Plate
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A French faïence neoclassical transfer printed plate from Creil ét Montereau, circa 1820-1830.
A black transfer of an architectural image on a creamware body, depicting the École ...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Creamware
Annuaire connaissance des arts 1968 des ventes publiques en France Hardcover
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Annuaire connaissance des arts 1968 des ventes publiques en France Hardcover – January 1, 1968
French Edition by Francis Spar (Author)
Publisher ? : ? Hach...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Creil Neoclassical French Creamware Palais des Beaux Arts Architecture Plate
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A French neoclassical faïence transfer printed creamware plate, Creil, circa 1824-1836.
A black transfer of an architectural image on a creamware bod...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Creamware
Stone, Coquerel et Le Gros French Creamware Neoclassical Architecture Plate
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A French Neoclassical faïence transfer printed creamware plate from Stone, Coquerel et Le Gros, circa 1820-1830.
A black transfer of an architectural image on a creamware body, de...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Creamware
PH Choisy French Creamware Vue de Fontainbleu à Paris Architecture Plate
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A French Neoclassical faïence transfer printed creamware plate produced by P&H Choisy, circa 1824-1836.
A black transfer of an architectural image on a creamware body, depicting t...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Creamware
Sketches of North Carolina by Rev WH Foote
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting a rare book, namely, Sketches of North Carolina by Rev WH Foote.
Titled: “Sketches of North Carolina, Historical and Biographical, Illustrative of the principles of a p...
Category
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
The World of Armand Hammer by John Bryson, Hardcover Coffee Table Book
Located in North Hollywood, CA
The World of Armand Hammer by John Bryson -
Large hardcover coffee table book.
A photographic journal follows the eighty-seven year old oil executive as he chairs a panel devoted t...
Category
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
The Life of Francis Marion by Simms, 1855
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting a very rare eleventh edition hardback illustrated copy of The Life of Francis Marion W. Gilmore Simms. J.C. Derby 119 Nassau Street, New York...
Category
Mid-19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Red and Black FDR's Fala Scotty Dog American Glass Pitcher, circa 1930-1940
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A charming Pre midcentury pitcher, American clear glass, circa late 1930s-early 1940s. The Scotty dog glass collectible craze began when President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Scottish Te...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Glass
PH Choisy French Creamware Neoclassical Temple à Paris Architecture Plate
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A French Neoclassical faïence transfer printed creamware plate produced by P&H Choisy, circa 1824-1836.
A black transfer of an architectural image on a creamware body, depicting the Temple de Gloire...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Creamware
Red & Black FDR's Fala Scotty Dog American Glass Ice Bowl, circa 1930-1940
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A charming pre midcentury ice bucket or ice bowl, American clear glass, circa late 1930s-early 1940s. The Scotty dog glass collectible craze began when President Franklin D. Roosevel...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Glass
PH Choisy French Creamware Neoclassical Palais à Paris Architecture Plate
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A French neoclassical faïence transfer printed creamware plate, circa 1820-1830.
A black transfer of an architectural image on a creamware body, depicting the Palais de la Chambre...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Creamware
PH Choisy French Creamware Neoclassical Fontainbleu à Paris Architecture Plate
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A French Neoclassical faïence transfer printed creamware plate produced by P&H Choisy, circa 1824-1836.
A black transfer of an architectural image on a creamware body, depicting t...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Creamware
Choisy French Creamware Neoclassical Arc de l’ Étoile Paris Architecture Plate
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A French neoclassical faïence transfer printed creamware plate produced by P&H Choisy, circa 1824-1836.
A black transfer of an architectural image on a creamware body, depicting t...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Creamware
19th Century Porcelain Huqqa with Bird Paintings
Located in London, GB
This huqqa (or hookah) is a wonderful item which is crafted from porcelain and finely hand painted and parcel gilt. The huqqa was created in the late 19th century, most likely in Rus...
Category
Late 19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Porcelain
The Life Record of HW Graber Texas Ranger Dedicated First Edition
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting a very rare first edition hardback copy of The Life Record of H.W. Grabber, A Terry Texas Ranger 1861-1865 Sixty-Two Years in Texas. Copyright ...
Category
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
English Porcelain Armorial Plate Hand Painted Eagle Motto By Industry and Hope
Located in Katonah, NY
This armorial plate features a crest with an Eagle with outstretched wings and the motto "By Industry and Hope."
Made by Chamberlain's Worcester, the plate has a wide border with forest green ground and three cartouches, each showing a beautiful hand painted single flower.
The plate was made in England by Chamberlain's Worcester during the reign of George IV, circa 1825.
The armorial may be blazoned as follows:
Crest: On a rock, an eagle with wings elevated and addorsed proper pendant from the beak, a shield azure charged with a hank of cotton also proper.
Motto: Industria et spe [By Industry and Hope].
Dimensions: 9 inches diameter
Condition: Excellent
Price: $360
The crest was granted by the Kings of Arms at The College of Arms...
Category
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Porcelain
Neoclassical collectibles and curiosities for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Neoclassical collectibles and curiosities for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage collectibles and curiosities created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include more furniture and collectibles, decorative objects, wall decorations and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Neoclassical collectibles and curiosities made in a specific country, there are Europe, North America, and United States pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original collectibles and curiosities, popular names associated with this style include Choisy-le-Roi, Creil et Montereau, Theodore Roosevelt, and Assouline Publishing. 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 collectibles and curiosities differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $49 and tops out at $1,200,000 while the average work can sell for $1,300.
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