Louis XVI Chairs
Reflecting the final era of royal opulence before the upheaval of the French Revolution, antique Louis XVI furniture features more angular shapes than the Rococo curves of the Louis XV style, harkening back to the imposing grandeur of Louis XIV.
Dating between 1750 and 1800, an era that overlapped with the last king of France whose reign was cut short by the guillotine, Louis XVI furniture, known as the goût grec, is emblematic of the neoclassical revision that French furniture underwent during the second half of the 18th century.
Authentic Louis XVI furniture characteristics include clean lines and carved details such as scrolls and acanthus flourishes that were inspired by ancient Greece and Rome. This was informed by a burgeoning interest in antiquity in the 18th century, owing to new archaeological excavations at sites including Pompeii and Herculaneum. It largely eclipsed the more East Asian–influenced ornamentation of Louis XV for something more geometric and symmetrical.
The Louis XVI style was defined by what was being created for the palatial rooms at Versailles and Fontainebleau, particularly for the queen, with cabinetmaker Jean-Henri Riesener being a favorite of Marie-Antoinette’s for his luxurious pieces accented with gilded bronze and marquetry. Furniture maker Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené was also a major designer of the period, with his pieces for the royal residences adorned with giltwood and neoclassical touches like tapered columns for chair legs and laurel leaf carvings. Cabinetmaker Adam Weisweiler occasionally incorporated into his furniture porcelain panels produced by Sèvres, a popular manufacturer of European ceramics that served the crown with serveware, vases and other decorative objects.
Find a collection of antique Louis XVI seating, tables, cabinets and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Upholstery, Cane, Wood, Giltwood
19th Century European Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Wood
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Chairs
Leather, Linen
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Chairs
Cane, Walnut
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Brass
Late 18th Century Danish Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Linen, Beech
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Trimming, Velvet, Wood
20th Century French Louis XVI Chairs
Textile, Silk, Wood, Beech
1890s French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Mohair, Walnut
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Tapestry, Wood
20th Century French Louis XVI Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Giltwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Louis XVI Chairs
Wood
18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Fabric, Linen, Walnut
1780s Austrian Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Upholstery, Cherry, Maple
19th Century Unknown Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Iron
1950s American Vintage Louis XVI Chairs
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Louis XVI Chairs
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Textile, Cotton, Wood, Walnut
1750s Italian Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Straw, Walnut
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Chairs
Walnut, Giltwood
1940s French Vintage Louis XVI Chairs
Silk, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Early 2000s North American Louis XVI Chairs
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Paint
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Textile, Cane, Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Silk, Fruitwood, Paint
1790s German Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary French Louis XVI Chairs
Upholstery, Pine
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Fabric, Beech
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Fabric, Cane, Mahogany
1870s French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Brass
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Chairs
Mohair, Fruitwood
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Chairs
Fabric, Cane, Fruitwood
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Chairs
Mohair, Fruitwood
18th Century Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Wood, Silk
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Cane, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary French Louis XVI Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Late 18th Century Dutch Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Louis XVI Chairs
Velvet
20th Century French Louis XVI Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1940s French Vintage Louis XVI Chairs
Beech
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Chairs
Leather, Walnut
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Chairs
Wood
20th Century French Louis XVI Chairs
Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century Italian Louis XVI Chairs
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Velvet, Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary Louis XVI Chairs
Wood
Early 2000s Louis XVI Chairs
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Fabric, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Linen, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Silk, Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Chairs
Wood