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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.

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Style: Neoclassical
Color:  Silver
Reliquary Cross Pendant, Silver, Glass, 17th-18th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Devotional pendant made in silver with a Latin cross shape, decorated on the outside with simple scrolls, spikes, pearls and other elements of classicist inspiration, as well as a ri...
Category

18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Silver

Reliquary Cross Pendant, Silver, Glass, 17th-18th Century
Reliquary Cross Pendant, Silver, Glass, 17th-18th Century

Reliquary Cross Pendant, Silver, Glass, 17th-18th Century

Jewish Ritual Objet Totem
Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Jewish ritual objet Besamin TOTEM Silver spice tower Origin Germany Circa 1900 at its base it has the silver seals Possibly a flag missing 95 g of weight.
Category

Early 1900s German Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Silver

Jewish Ritual Objet Totem
Jewish Ritual Objet Totem

Jewish Ritual Objet Totem

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Silver Incense Boat (Naviculae). with Hallmarks. Spain, 18th Century
By Juan Antonio Sanz de Velasco
Located in Madrid, ES
Silver incense boat (naviculae). SANZ DE VELASCO, Juan Antonio (1720-1778). Valladolid, Spain, 18th century. With hallmarks. The hallmarks on the base place the realization of the piece in Valladolid (note that it is the one which some experts place in time until the appointment as a "fiel contraste" of Antonio González...
Category

18th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Silver

Silver Incense Boat (Naviculae). with Hallmarks. Spain, 18th Century
Silver Incense Boat (Naviculae). with Hallmarks. Spain, 18th Century

Silver Incense Boat (Naviculae). with Hallmarks. Spain, 18th Century

Silver Mesh Bag, 19th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Silver mesh bag in its color decorated with triangular elements on the bottom that has a smooth closure by hinges and a chain of alternating long and short li...
Category

19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Silver

Silver Mesh Bag, 19th Century
Silver Mesh Bag, 19th Century

Silver Mesh Bag, 19th Century

Italian 18th Century Relic Stand of Carved Wood & Silver Plate
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
Italian relic stand from the 1700s! Made of carved wood with detailed silver plate decorating the front side of this wonderful relic stand with Lou...
Category

18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Silver Plate, Iron

Italian 18th Century Relic Stand of Carved Wood & Silver Plate
Italian 18th Century Relic Stand of Carved Wood & Silver Plate

Italian 18th Century Relic Stand of Carved Wood & Silver Plate

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Silver Knife 19th Century
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18th Century Italian Carved Giltwood Polychrome Cherub Sculpture
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H 20 in W 11 in D 10 in
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Located in Miami, FL
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H 20.5 in W 0.5 in D 4 in
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Located in Buisson, FR
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Located in Forney, TX
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18th Century Spanish Silver on Wood Baroque Reliquary
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18th Century Spanish Silver on Wood Baroque Reliquary

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Silver Pax, Manuel Aguilar and Diego De La Vega, Córdoba, Spain, 1816
By Manuel de Aguilar
Located in Madrid, ES
Portapaz. Silver in its color. Manuel Aguilar and Diego de la Vega, Córdoba, 1816. With contrast marks. Portapaz made of silver in its color with an architectural distribution of a pedestal with garlands and a shield with a Latin cross in the center, a central body with two pilasters with an Ionic capital and scrolls on the sides of a relief, and a top finish with architectural elements, scrolls and vegetal motifs, all of strong classicist influence. The relief mentioned is an Immaculate Conception, located on a crescent moon; in this area are the contrast marks. The altarpiece composition of the piece was common in the examples of the 19th century, and it is necessary to highlight the lack of Rococo influence it presents. Compare, for example, with the pair of portapaces from the Parroquia de San Lorenzo (Córdoba, Spain) dated between 1816 and 1826 with a punch from Manuel Aguilar Guerrero and “… / VEGA” (instead of the Virgin, one presents a Sal Lorenzo ). Likewise, other works are conserved:adapter for silver basin...
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1810s Spanish Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities

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Silver Pax, Manuel Aguilar and Diego De La Vega, Córdoba, Spain, 1816
Silver Pax, Manuel Aguilar and Diego De La Vega, Córdoba, Spain, 1816

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The Executive Toy YO-YO-Sterling Silver Repoussé by The Gorham Mfg. Co.
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An executive vintage toy in sterling silver repoussé by the Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence Rhode Island. The design is of acanthus leaves which is a nod to neoclassicism....
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1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities

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The Executive Toy YO-YO-Sterling Silver Repoussé by The Gorham Mfg. Co.
The Executive Toy YO-YO-Sterling Silver Repoussé by The Gorham Mfg. Co.

The Executive Toy YO-YO-Sterling Silver Repoussé by The Gorham Mfg. Co.

H 1.5 in W 2.5 in D 2.5 in
Silver Chrismatory Box or Chrismarium, with Hallmarks, Córdoba, Spain, 1789
By Bernabé García y Aguilar
Located in Madrid, ES
Silver chrismatory box or chrismarium. Bernabé García y Aguilar; Mateo Martínez Moreno. Córdoba, Spain, 1789. With hallmarks. Silver box with a rectangular base with curved minor s...
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1780s Spanish Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities

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Silver Chrismatory Box or Chrismarium, with Hallmarks, Córdoba, Spain, 1789
Silver Chrismatory Box or Chrismarium, with Hallmarks, Córdoba, Spain, 1789

Silver Chrismatory Box or Chrismarium, with Hallmarks, Córdoba, Spain, 1789

H 2.17 in W 4.34 in D 2.17 in
Silver Crown, 18th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Royal crown closed with a glow made of silver in its color. A smooth ring for the most part (except for a thin line with simple plant elements) supports the basket decorated with som...
Category

18th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

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Silver Crown, 18th Century
Silver Crown, 18th Century

Silver Crown, 18th Century

H 11.82 in W 10.63 in D 4.34 in
Devotional Pendant with St. George, Silver, 19th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Devotional pendant with St. George. Silver filigree and gilt silver. 19th century. Silver filigree pendant in its color with a top shell-like...
Category

18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Silver

Devotional Pendant with St. George, Silver, 19th Century
Devotional Pendant with St. George, Silver, 19th Century

Devotional Pendant with St. George, Silver, 19th Century

H 2.76 in W 1.78 in D 0.28 in
Silver Mesh Bag, 19th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Silver mesh bag in its color decorated with triangular elements on the bottom that has a smooth closure by hinges and a chain of alternating long and short li...
Category

19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Silver

Silver Mesh Bag, 19th Century
Silver Mesh Bag, 19th Century

Silver Mesh Bag, 19th Century

H 6.7 in W 5.52 in D 1.58 in
Silver Pax Board, 18th-19th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
With a burr mark. Portapaz silver in its color topped by a cross decorated with a symmetrical composition based on architectural and plant elements inspired by Rococo models of the e...
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Early 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

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Silver Pax Board, 18th-19th Century
Silver Pax Board, 18th-19th Century

Silver Pax Board, 18th-19th Century

H 9.45 in W 5.71 in D 2.37 in
Crown, Silver with Hallmarks, Cordoba, Spain, 1827
By Francisco de Paula Martos
Located in Madrid, ES
Contrast Diego de la Vega y Torres; silversmith Francisco de Paula Martos (Córdoba, 1775-1850). Crown made of silver in its color, with smooth ring, basket with circular mirrors surrounded by "ces" and accompanied by leaves and flowers alternating with plant compositions topped by a bouquet of flowers; four bands or imperial sinuous profiles decorated with a string of pearls in light relief with a flower towards the centre, composition flanked by smooth "ces" with interspersed positions (facing and curved outwards); Around it, there is the usual burst of profile flanked by a band with flowers inside, a circular mirror in the centre surrounded by flowers and leaves and topped with a cross with powers, and a growing line towards the centre of stepped powers. This type of pieces were common in fraternities and churches, often commissioned with a processional purpose and to enhance a religious image (usually the Virgin Mary). This example shows a very lively combination of lines, something that was common in the Rococo silverware...
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Silver

Crown, Silver with Hallmarks, Cordoba, Spain, 1827
Crown, Silver with Hallmarks, Cordoba, Spain, 1827

Crown, Silver with Hallmarks, Cordoba, Spain, 1827

H 12.21 in W 9.85 in D 7.09 in
Sterling Silver Freemason Shovel by P. Hertz, Copenhagen, Denmark
By Peter Hertz
Located in Copenhagen, K
Silver Freemason shovel hallmarked by P.Hertz and the three towers for Danish sterling silver.
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19th Century Danish Antique Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities

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Sterling Silver

Sterling Silver Freemason Shovel by P. Hertz, Copenhagen, Denmark
Sterling Silver Freemason Shovel by P. Hertz, Copenhagen, Denmark

Sterling Silver Freemason Shovel by P. Hertz, Copenhagen, Denmark

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H 10.63 in W 2.76 in D 0.79 in

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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