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
Period: 20th Century
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
J. Stobart Lithograph "Mystic Seaport. "The Charles L. Morgan" at Chubb's Wharf
By John Stobart
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Marked mystic seaport Member's Edition #136/736 on the frame's plaque. Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the ship. Includes a framed swatch of the sh...
Category
20th Century Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Wood
French Neoclassical Clarinet Wood Brass & Metal Table Lamp Black Gold Drum Shade
Located in Miami, FL
Neoclassical rosewood & brass clarinet table lamp mounted on a round metal base made in France.
Comes with harp and carved gilt wood finial an...
Category
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal, Brass
Antique Articulating Teddy Bear Driving Wagon Platform Pull Toy Americana
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique wheeled platform articulating pull toy featuring a teddy bear stuffed animal seated in a red white and blue wagon with arms that move up and down a...
Category
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Mohair, Hardwood
Pair of Porcelain Apothecary Jars
Located in Guaynabo, PR
This a pair of wide cylindrical white porcelain apothecary lidded jars. They are hand painted and decorated with some laurel’s branches in the front. The lids are shaped as doctoral ...
Category
Early 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Porcelain
Mid-Century Expanding Spyglass Brass & Leather
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Mid-century spyglass brass & leather (similar to a telescope) expands from 7 1/8 to 17 1/4" - from a Palm Beach estate.
How you focus a spyglass - Pull out all sections all the way ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Brass
Important Teddy Roosevelt Letter of January 1918
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting a very important Teddy Roosevelt letter of January 1918.
On ‘Sagamore Hill’ letterhead. Fully handwritten and personally signed by President...
Category
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
American Car Design Now: Inside the Studios of America's Top Car Designers
Located in North Hollywood, CA
American Car Design Now: Inside the Studios of America's Top Car Designers
by C. Edson Armi.
This title provides in-depth examinations of the creative process behind more than 30 c...
Category
20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Important Teddy Roosevelt Letter of June, 1911
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting a very important Teddy Roosevelt Letter of June 1911 .
On ‘The Outlook’ letterhead. Typed and personally signed and amended by President Theodore Roosevelt.
Dated June 20th 1911.
What makes this letter so important is the author, the office and the content.
It refers to the beliefs and opinions of the then President and First Lady (Edith) towards the women’s sufferage and empowerment movement that was the ‘hot topic’ of the time.
It is addressed to Eliza Calvert Hall/Obenchain who was a well known author at the end of the 19th Century and Early 20th Century. In 1905, Teddy referred to her book “Aunt Jane of Kentucky’ in a speech and recommended that every man in America should read it to understand ‘the plight of their womenfolk’. He regularly corresponded with her and we have a number of those letters in our collection. It appears that both he and Edith became big fans of Mrs Hall/Obenchain who was also heavily involved in the Suffragist movement.
The letters also provide a fascinating and historic record of Roosevelt’s personal beliefs and feelings on female empowerment.
The Letter Reads:
The Outlook
287 Fourth Avenue
New York
Office of Theodore Roosevelt
June 20th, 1911
“My dear Miss Hall:
I am touched by your sending me “To Love and To Cherish”. But then, I am one of those included in the dedication, for I well know and dearly love ” Aunt Jane of Kentucky”. Mrs. Roosevelt and I do not feel that the hero ought to have yielded to his wife’s feelings ! Ultimately it was doing an injustice to her and to his children, as well as to the State. It is a good thing to have a Governor’s wife a woman who can be as gracious a hostess, and of as fine a type, as Dolly Madison...
Category
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
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
Mid-Century Royal Trust Company Framed Wall Plaque with Indigenous Chief
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This wall plaque is unsigned with respect to the maker, but it is presumed to have been made in Canada in approximately 1950 in a traditional style. The plaque is composed of a very ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Canadian Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Spelter
Douglas Kirkland's Light Years Three Decades Photographing Among the Stars
Located in North Hollywood, CA
For thirty years Douglas Kirkland's camera has negotiated our relationship with the stars. Light Years is his photographic autobiography --a brilliant cons...
Category
20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Important Teddy Roosevelt Letter from White House June 1907
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting A Very Important Teddy Roosevelt Letter from White House June 1907.
On ‘The White House’ letterhead. Typed and personally signed and amended by President Theodore Roosevelt.
With it’s original White House envelope, stamp and postage marks.
Dated June 14th 1907.
What makes this letter so important is the author, the office and the content.
It refers to the beliefs and opinions of the then President and First Lady (Edith) towards the women’s sufferage and empowerment movement that was the ‘hot topic’ of the time.
It is addressed to Eliza Calvert Obenchain who was a well known author at the end of the 19th Century and Early 20th Century. In 1905, Teddy referred to her book “Aunt Jane of Kentucky’ in a speech and recommended that every man in America should read it to understand ‘the plight of their womenfolk’. He regularly corresponded with her and we have a number of those letters in our collection. It appears that both he and Edith became big fans of Mrs Obenchain who was also heavily involved in the Suffragist movement.
The letters also provide a fascinating and historic record of Roosevelt’s personal beliefs and feelings on female empowerment.
The Letter Reads:
The White House
Washington
Oyster Bay, N.Y.,
June 14, 1907
Personal
“Dear Mrs. Obenchain:
I gladly accept the autographed copy of “Aunt Jane” which you have been so kind to send me. But Aunt Jane is so good and so wise that she must not (amount “race (illegible)) fall into the terrible mistake of the self-indulgent, selfish, shortsighted women, cold in heart and in temper, who shirk the duties of mother-hood and then try to cover up to themselves and to others their cowardice or self-indulgence by making believe they are actuated by wise or lofty motives. *
With great regard, believe me,
Sincerely yours,
Theodore Roosevelt
*And she must not give aid and comfort to unsexed or sexless creatures by a jest which they may take for earnest !
Mrs. Eliza Calvert Obenchain,
Bowling Green, Kentucky.“
The envelope is From: The White House.
Addressed to: Mrs. Eliza Calvert Obenchain, Bowling Green, Kentucky and marked ‘Personal’.
It is stamped on the front as posted from Oyster Bay, New York Post Office on June 16 1907.
It has a red 2 Cent...
Category
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Round Commemorative Plate of President Nixon 37th President
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A circular cream round commemorative plate of President Nixon. Reads Richard M. Nixon 37th President. Gold detail around the edges, with the image of P...
Category
20th Century North American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Ceramic
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
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
1930s Cast Iron Checkered Potted Geranium Floral Bouquet Painted Doorstop
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A vintage cast iron doorstop showing a geranium plant set inside a woven checkered flower pot on an iron plinth. Retaining the original painted finish. Beautiful patina.
Circa 1930 ...
Category
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Iron
Jean-Gabriel Domergue's French Academician Sword
By Odette Domergue
Located in New Orleans, LA
This important and unique sword was presented to the famed French painter Jean-Gabriel Domergue to commemorate the painter's election to the illustrious Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1950. One of the highest honors bestowed on a French artist, the ceremonial induction into the French Academy has been accompanied by the presentation of a sword since the age of Napoléon. Rather than a weapon, the sword became part of the Academician's uniform, and, over time, its design came to represent the interests and aspirations of its recipient. This example was designed entirely by Domergue's wife Odette, a great sculptor in her own right, and thus it represents both a highly personal gift and an important art historical relic.
The design of the sword is simply magnificent. Odette Domergue found her inspiration in antiquity, a theme that is also seen in the neoclassical sculptures that occupy the gardens of the couple's famous home, Villa Fiesole - also known as Villa Domergue - in Cannes. The impressive weapon boasts a solid gold handle that takes the form of a sinuous caryatid, who is nude save for a single swath of drapery. While the female figure recalls the sculpted supports prevalent in ancient Greek architecture, she also calls to mind the subjects for which Domergue was renowned - languorous, slightly risqué women with a seductive air.
Other decorative elements such as fauna, cypresses, and grotesque heads enhance the whimsy and imagination of the incredible neoclassical design. Furthermore, the scabbard that contains the finely etched blade is also an impeccable work of art. Crafted of black Moroccan leather in imitation of the snake skin, it displays intricately engraved foliage patterns with a lion's head and Domergue's coat of arms.
Though imagined by his wife, the sword was expertly chiseled by the celebrated goldsmith R. Delsinne and assembled by the atelier of the famed sculptor and medalist Raymond Delamarre...
Category
20th Century Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Steel
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
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
Fine Romance Hollywood Broadway: the Magic, the Mayhem, Hardcover Table Book
Located in North Hollywood, CA
A Fine Romance Hollywood Broadway: The Magic, The Mayhem, The Musicians
By Denkert, Darcie.
New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2005. 360 pages.
Darcie covers the love/hate rel...
Category
20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Early Panorama Children’s Book Hiawatha Illustrated by Willy Pogany London 1914
By Willy Pogany
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Antique panorama children’s book illustrated by Willy Pogany and retold by Edith L Elias. A total of 14 panels, one side with illustrations, and the other with text.
Published by George G. Harrap & Company.
This book is part of a children’s series by Willy Pogány of folding panoramas illustrations and text, inspired by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1855 epic, The Song of Hiawatha. Lines from Longfellow run underneath Pogány’s illustrations, which follow the Ojibwe child Hiawatha from his early kinship with the wild animals, through his struggles with Nahma, King of Fishes, and his own estranged father, Mudjekeewis, up to his courtship of Laughing Water (Minnehaha). The prose text by Edith Elias, printed on the verso of the panorama, carries Hiawatha’s story farther, through the death of Minnehaha and the coming of “the Pale-Face Chief.” Pogány’s dynamic frames, with their striking use of negative space, show the influence not only of Golden Age illustrators like Walter Crane, but also the new generation of cartoonists like Winsor McCay...
Category
1910s English Vintage Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Nautical Sailboat or Yacht Model in Blue and White with Painted Wood Body, 1930s
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Beautiful model sailboat or yacht created from wood, brass, and canvas. The body is painted in a deep blue at the bottom with white edges. A brass propeller sits underneath. All on a...
Category
20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Pair of Maitland Smith Style Obelisks with Travertine and Marble Veneer
Located in Stamford, CT
Pair of handsome and high quality stone veneered obelisks. Done in a pale travertine outlined with gray marble borders, the upper part raised on four marble balls above a rectangular...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Travertine
American Realism A Pictorial Survey from the Early 18th Century to the 1970s
Located in North Hollywood, CA
American Realism, a pictorial survey from the early 18th century to the 1970s.
Mathey, François
Published by Portland House, 1987
Title: American Realism: A pictorial survey from....
Category
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
President Dwight D. Eisenhower Commemorative Ceramic Plate
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A round ceramic commemorative plate of President Dwight Eisenhower. The plate is circular, with gold detail around the edges, and a portrait of Presi...
Category
20th Century North American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Gold
H.M. Tomlinson "The Sea and The Jungle" 1st Edition Woodcuts by Clare Leighton
By Tomlinson
Located in San Francisco, CA
H.M. Tomlinson "The Sea and The Jungle" First Edition with woodcuts by Clare Leighton, circa 1930
Rare First Edition. Very good condition. Fantastic woodcuts by noted artist Clare...
Category
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Other
The New Clay Techniques and Approaches to Jewelry Making, book
Located in North Hollywood, CA
The New Clay: Techniques and Approaches to Jewelry Making.
A wonderful book, with over 100 color photos, on making intricate beads and jewelry using modeling clays such as "Fimo" and "Sculpey."
Everything you need to know to work with the new polymer clays is covered clearly in this book. Excellent working diagrams show how easy it is to make the most complex looking designs.
One of the first books...
Category
20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Italian Venetian Gilt Wood Barometer
Located in New York, NY
Italian Venetian-style (20th Century) gilt carved and black painted barometer,with wreath top and cornucopia sides with scroll motifs.
Category
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Giltwood
Monumental Pair of Italian Obelisks Covered in 19th Century Sheet Music
Located in San Francisco, CA
Italian monumental pair of wood obelisks made in the 20th century. Resting on four gold painted wood spheres and square bases, all covered in 19th century sheet music.
Category
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
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
20th Century "The Last Supper" Metal Relief
Located in Miami, FL
"The Last Supper" metal relief.
Category
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Antique WWII B24 Liberator Bomber Airplane Aviation Fuselage Shadowbox
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique World War II era United States Army Air Force airplane fuselage segment, mounted in a shadowbox frame and featuring the stars and bars decal ...
Category
1940s Vintage Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Weber Upright Piano Flame Mahogany Fluted Legs Stylised Neoclassical Inlay
Located in Leeds, GB
A 1912, Weber upright piano for sale with a figured, mahogany case. Piano has fluted Doric style piano legs with an urn shaped pedestal.
Entire cabinet is inlaid in a variety of woods with stylised Neoclassical motifs and geometric forms.
The front panel is inlaid with a central oval and inverted scalloped stringing, surrounded by crossbanded hexagons and circles.
The piano fall features stringing in a classical meander. The key escutcheon is surrounded by swagged bellflowers. Swagged bellflowers also adorn the square piano cheeks. The base of the piano fall is inlaid with a scrolling guilloche punctuated with trefoils. The piano top rim is inlaid with crossbanded satinwood with circular inserts. Piano has an eighty-eight keyboard and two pedals.
Neoclassicism draws inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity.
European Neoclassicism began c. 1760 in opposition to the then-dominant Rococo style. Rococo architecture...
Category
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Mahogany
Bright Stars American Painting and Sculpture Since 1776 Hardcover Book
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Bright stars: American painting and sculpture since 1776 Hardcover - January 1, 1976
by Jean Lipman (Author), Helen M. Franc (Author), John I. H. Baur (Introduction)
Publisher: E. ...
Category
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
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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