Louis XIV Seating
As opposed to the styles that would follow from the other 18th-century French kings, Louis XV and Louis XVI, antique Louis XIV furniture is rigid and imposing. It expresses opulence — even its armchairs, with their upright backs, straight legs and lavish ornamentation, look like thrones. Authentic Louis XIV sofas, a then newly emerging iteration of seating, are fully upholstered and often feature decoratively carved frames of walnut, chestnut or oak.
When French King Louis XIV established his royal court at Versailles in 1682, he transformed what was once a hunting lodge into a palace that declared his wealth and power through its design. Until his death in 1715, he reigned with a spirit of excess and absolute political dominance. The “Sun King,” as he called himself, believed that France revolved around him as planets do the sun. Louis XIV adopted the sun as his emblem, decorating the grounds with symbols of the sun and Apollo, the Greek god of the sun. As he stated, “There is nothing that indicates more clearly the magnificence of great princes than their superb palaces and their precious furniture.” He was a child when he became king in 1643, only shaping his style after he became absolute monarch in 1661.
Reflecting trends in French Baroque art, Louis XIV furniture characteristics included exuberant decoration. There were gilded bronze details including shells, suns, grotesques, lions and classical references like acanthus leaves. The years of growth in the country’s manufacturing, such as the tapestries and cabinets made at Gobelins, led to design innovations. The commode replaced the chest as a storage device, with drawers and a surface that could double as a desk.
The materials were luxurious, such as the popular tortoiseshell veneer technique that leading cabinetmaker Pierre Golle used in his designs. André-Charles Boulle, who became royal cabinetmaker in 1672, was a masterful artist of marquetry, using inlays of ebony, exotic woods and mother-of-pearl.
Find a collection of antique Louis XIV bedroom furniture, chairs, tables and other pieces on 1stDibs.
Mid-20th Century French Louis XIV Seating
Fabric, Wood, Giltwood
1930s Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century French Louis XIV Seating
Chestnut
1940s French Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century French Louis XIV Seating
Upholstery, Oak
Mid-20th Century Louis XIV Seating
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XIV Seating
Fabric, Giltwood
1940s French Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Iron
1930s Italian Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Jute, Poplar
1940s Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
1930s Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Wood
1930s French Vintage Louis XIV Seating
1940s French Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Iron
1940s Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Fabric, Walnut
1960s Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Cane, Wood
Mid-20th Century Louis XIV Seating
Linen, Hardwood
1960s Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Ultrasuede, Wood
1950s French Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Fabric, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century French Louis XIV Seating
Wood
1960s Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Hardwood, Upholstery
1930s French Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Walnut
1950s French Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
1960s Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Upholstery, Wood
1960s Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Cane, Wood
1950s French Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Fabric, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century European Louis XIV Seating
Giltwood
1960s Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Linen, Wood
1930s American Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Fabric, Mahogany
1970s American Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Chrome
1940s French Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Velvet, Oak
20th Century French Louis XIV Seating
Fabric
Mid-20th Century French Louis XIV Seating
Oak, Lambskin
Late 19th Century Antique Louis XIV Seating
Cotton
Mid-20th Century American Louis XIV Seating
Metal
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Seating
Cotton, Upholstery, Oak
1870s French Antique Louis XIV Seating
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Louis XIV Seating
Brass
Late 20th Century American Louis XIV Seating
Fabric, Rattan
1880s French Antique Louis XIV Seating
Upholstery, Textile, Wood, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century Danish Louis XIV Seating
Lambskin, Wool, Oak
Mid-20th Century French Louis XIV Seating
Faux Leather, Oak
Mid-20th Century French Louis XIV Seating
Mohair, Oak
1930s European Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Louis XIV Seating
Cane, Beech
1930s French Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Beech
1930s Italian Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Velvet, Beech
Mid-20th Century Louis XIV Seating
Leather, Wood
1960s French Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Upholstery, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century French Louis XIV Seating
Leather, Cherry
1960s French Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Elm, Fabric, Upholstery
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XIV Seating
Walnut
1930s Italian Vintage Louis XIV Seating
Walnut