Louis XV Chairs
The style of 18th-century French furniture was guided by the court. When Louis XV, who reigned from 1715–74, focused royal life on the smaller salons of Versailles rather than its grand chambers, it transformed the aesthetics away from the imposing and angular furniture that characterized the style of Louis XIV. A broader focus on comfort and more delicate forms define antique Louis XV furniture, with nature-inspired carvings, wood inlays, curved cabriole legs, asymmetrical shapes and rounded oval seat backs. The furnishings changed throughout the king’s life, as he ascended to the throne as a child and then grew to establish his own tastes.
Pieces like the bergère, an upholstered armchair with a wide cushion that fit the flowing dresses in fashion at the time, reflected this more informal court. Introduced at the start of Louis XV’s reign, bergère chairs in this style were deeper and broader than other chairs of the period.
Louis XV tapestries and carpets tended to be floral and colorful, and design elements were borrowed from Asia. Dutch-born cabinetmaker Bernard van Risenburgh brought lacquer techniques influenced by Japan and China into his luxuriously made furniture. Along with its fine details, the furniture of the era also featured new innovations including mechanical devices. Jean François Oeben, a royal cabinetmaker, created such intricate pieces as a mechanical table for Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV’s mistress. It involved a sliding top and a writing surface that extended from its marquetry panels.
During the later years of Louis XV’s reign, there was a shift from the ostentatious rocaille style, part of the exuberantly decorative Rococo movement in Europe for which designers such as Nicolas Pineau and Juste-Aurèle Meissonier are known. The style under Louis XVI would return to boxier forms, but with a neoclassical touch inspired by the ancient world.
Find antique Louis XV bedroom furniture, seating, tables and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Oak, Paint
1890s German Antique Louis XV Chairs
Walnut
1870s French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Cane, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Brass
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Chairs
Fabric, Wood
19th Century Antique Louis XV Chairs
Fruitwood
1860s French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Cane, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century Antique Louis XV Chairs
Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Mohair, Giltwood
19th Century Antique Louis XV Chairs
Brass
19th Century Antique Louis XV Chairs
Giltwood
19th Century Antique Louis XV Chairs
Upholstery, Reed, Giltwood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Velvet, Walnut
19th Century Antique Louis XV Chairs
Wood
1890s French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Metal
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Cane, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Fruitwood, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Velvet, Walnut
1880s French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Giltwood
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Wood
1890s French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Giltwood
Late 19th Century Antique Louis XV Chairs
Cotton, Mahogany
1890s French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Silk, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Velvet, Beech
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Oak
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Fabric, Oak
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Walnut, Cane
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Giltwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Wood
1860s French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Wood
1890s Italian Antique Louis XV Chairs
Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Linen, Paint
1890s French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Tapestry
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Silk, Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Walnut
19th Century Unknown Antique Louis XV Chairs
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Chairs
1880s French Antique Louis XV Chairs
Walnut