The decadence of the Baroque style, in which ornate furnishings were layered against paneled walls, painted ceilings, stately chandeliers and, above all, gilding, expressed the power of the church and monarchy through design that celebrated excess. And its influence was omnipresent — antique Baroque furniture was created in the first design style that truly had a global impact.
Theatrical and lavish, Baroque was prevalent across Europe from the 17th to mid-18th century and spread around the world through colonialism, including in Asia, Africa and the Americas. While Baroque originated in Italy and achieved some of its most fantastic forms in the late-period Roman Baroque, it was adapted to meet the tastes and materials in each region. French Baroque furniture informed Louis XIV style and added drama to Versailles. In Spain, the Baroque movement influenced the elaborate Churrigueresque style in which architecture was dripping with ornamental details. In South German Baroque, furniture was made with bold geometric patterns.
Compared to Renaissance furniture, which was more subdued in its proportions, Baroque furniture was extravagant in all aspects, from its shape to its materials.
Allegorical and mythical figures were often sculpted in the wood, along with motifs like scrolling floral forms and acanthus leaves that gave the impression of tangles of dense foliage. Novel techniques and materials such as marquetry, gesso and lacquer — which were used with exotic woods and were employed by cabinetmakers such as André-Charles Boulle, Gerrit Jensen and James Moore — reflected the growth of international trade. Baroque furniture characteristics include a range of decorative elements — a single furnishing could feature everything from carved gilded wood to gilt bronze, lending chairs, mirrors, console tables and other pieces a sense of motion.
Find a collection of authentic antique Baroque tables, lighting, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Italian Baroque Rocking Chair by Pauly & Co., 19th Century Silver Leaf
By Pauly & Co.
Located in Queens, NY
Italian Venetian Grotto (19th cent.) silver gilt rocker with carved seashell seat & back and seahorse sides (att: Pauly et Cie, Venice)
Silver Leaf
$11,249Sale Price|20% Off
Rocking Chair by Anton Fix and Micheal Thonet, 1850s
By Michael Thonet, Portois & Fix
Located in Milano, IT
Very rare rocking chair made and designed by Micheal Thonet and Anton Fix , circa 1860. The beautiful rocking chair was made with curved woodworking, a techn...
Velvet, Wood
French 19th Century Wrougt Iron Rocking Chair
Located in Charleston, SC
Rare 19th century French wrought iron rocking chair with most of its original green paint with patient rust. Upholstered in natural colored antique linen.
Linen, Paint
Child’s Thonet Rocking Chair
By Thonet
Located in New York, NY
Stylish child’s bentwood rocking chair attached to Thonet. This example is in very good original condition showing only light wear normal and consistent with age. Measures: Total H ...
Cane, Bentwood
Vintage Bentwood Rocking Chair Att. to Thonet
By Thonet
Located in New York, NY
Unusual bentwood and cane rocking chair, in the Vienna Secessionist style, probably mid 20th C vintage, Thonet - made in USA, unsigned. The chair is slightly smaller in scale, a vari...
Cane, Bentwood
Bentwood rocking chair by Thonet
By Thonet
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Bentwood rocking chair by Thonet in excellent original codnition.
Rattan, Beech, Bentwood
$4,031Sale Price|20% Off
H 42.13 in W 22.45 in D 34.26 in
19th Century English Iron Rocking Chair Leather Seat John Porter London
Located in Epfach, DE
An English iron rocking chair, 19th century, its sinuous, continuously bent tubular frame ranking among the most inventive seating forms to emerge from the Victorian iron trade. The ...
Iron
Exceptional Rocking Chair by Thonet
By Thonet, Michael Thonet
Located in Vlimmeren, BE
This old authentic rocking chair was designed Michael Thonet and manufactured by Thonet. It was in the catalogue of 1904. It is a design classic. This dark brown rocking chair is in very good vintage condition with normal signs of age and use. The chair is stamped. Take your chance to get this Thonet collector’s item. Michael Thonet (1796-1871) was a German-Austrian cabinet maker, known for the invention of bentwood furniture, which ment the beginning of Modern Design. Le Corbusier used Thonet chairs...
Bentwood
Vintage Thonet Ebonized Bentwood and Rattan Rocking Chair
By Thonet-Mundus, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Iconic, ca. 1920s Thonet rocking chair Model #10 (in 1923, Thonet was forced to merge with Kohn-Mundus to form Mundus-Allgemeine- Handels-und Industrie-Gesellschaft, and production w...
Cane, Beech, Bentwood
$2,200Sale Price|20% Off
H 43.5 in W 22.5 in D 49 in
Late Victorian Oak & Caine Scrolling Rocking Chair by Thonet No. 4
By Thonet
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Turn of the century Vienna Secession bent oak No. 4 rocking chair by Thonet features an elegant, sculptural frame crafted from warm-toned bentwood with striking fluid curves and eleg...
Wicker, Oak
Vintage Thonet Caner Bentwood Rocking Chair
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Bring a touch of Old World charm to your home with this elegant Thonet-style bentwood rocking chair, a vintage piece that captures the romance and craftsmanship of 19th-century Europ...
Cane, Bentwood
Rocking Chair S826 by Thonet
By Thonet
Located in Neuss, NW
Classic rocking chair by Ulrich Böhme for Thonet. Designed in 1971, model S826. Frame made of chrome-plated tubular steel. The rocking chair has been reupholstered and covered with a...
Steel
$1,360Sale Price|20% Off
H 43 in W 23 in D 51 in
Mid Century Elegant Rocking Chair in the Thonet Style
By Thonet
Located in Miami, FL
In the style of the French designer Thonet . Elegant design Rocking Chair Mid Century Modern .
Wood
Early 19th Century "Boston Rocker" Rocking Chair Hand Made
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Early 19th Century Boston Rocker rocking chair totally hand constructed from 1st cut pine trees. Somevearly repairs were made and have worn in over time. Runners i believe to have be...
Pine, Paint
Sold
H 46.86 in W 27.56 in D 31.5 in
Antique English Lambing Rocking Chair with Red Velvet Upholstery, 19th Century
Located in Odense, DK
A sculptural antique English lambing chair with a rocking function, crafted in England circa 1890s. The design reflects the provincial style of traditional 19th-century lambing chair...
Oak, Velvet
Venetian Grotto Giltwood Rocking Chair, 19th Century
Located in El Monte, CA
Italian Venetian Grotto (19th century) shell carved back and seat with carved seahorse and sea dragon arm supports and rocker heads. Extremely popular in the late 19th century, Fanta...
Giltwood
Rocking Chair Baroque Style, Germany, 19th Century
Located in Brussels, BE
Rocking chair Baroque style, Germany, 19th century.
Leather, Wood