Louis XV Seating
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.
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Seating
Cane, Hardwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Oak
1940s Vintage Louis XV Seating
Cotton, Cane, Walnut
2010s American Louis XV Seating
Brass
1930s Italian Vintage Louis XV Seating
Walnut
1890s German Antique Louis XV Seating
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Cane, Walnut
1940s American Vintage Louis XV Seating
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Velvet, Wood, Lacquer
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Faux Leather, Cane, Fruitwood
20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Cane, Wood
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Cane, Wood
20th Century Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Wood
20th Century Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Seating
Cotton, Wood
2010s Indian Louis XV Seating
Metal, Brass, Bronze, Copper, Sheet Metal
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Mohair, Oak
1980s Vintage Louis XV Seating
Wood
20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Cane, Giltwood, Wood
2010s Indian Louis XV Seating
Metal, Bronze, Sheet Metal
Late 19th Century Antique Louis XV Seating
Leather, Walnut
2010s Indian Louis XV Seating
Metal, Bronze, Sheet Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Wood
2010s Italian Louis XV Seating
Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Wood
1890s French Antique Louis XV Seating
Oak
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Leather, Walnut
20th Century Louis XV Seating
Wood
Late 20th Century American Louis XV Seating
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Louis XV Seating
Leather, Wood
2010s British Louis XV Seating
Gesso, Wood
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Seating
Wood
20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Cane, Wood
2010s British Louis XV Seating
Wood, Giltwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Beech
1940s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Beech
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Tapestry, Oak
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Walnut, Cane
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Louis XV Seating
Wood, Fabric, Walnut, Feathers
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Silk, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Seating
Wood, Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Louis XV Seating
Wood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Oak
1970s American Vintage Louis XV Seating
Lacquer
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wicker, Wood
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Bouclé, Upholstery, Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Cane, Oak