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Louis XVI Seating

LOUIS XVI STYLE

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.

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Style: Louis XVI
Color:  Orange
French Pair of Medallion Armchairs Louis XVI Style in Orange Velvet, circa 1950
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Charming pair of Louis XVI style medallion armchairs dating from the 1950s. The base is typically Louis XVI fluted and tapered. The legs are connec...
Category

20th Century French Louis XVI Seating

Materials

Velvet, Wood

French Late 18th Century Louis XVI Period Painted and Parcel-Gilt Canapé Settee
Located in Palm Desert, CA
A French Louis XVI period painted and parcel-gilt canapé settee from the late 18th century, with rectangular back, out-scrolled arms, fluted legs and deep cantaloupe colored upholste...
Category

18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Seating

Materials

Upholstery, Wood

Pair of 19th-20th Century Louis XVI Style Carved Armchairs
Located in Stamford, CT
Pair of 19th-20th century Louis XVI style finely carved armchairs in Gianni Versace Fabric. These spectacular one of a kind antique walnut fauteuils or ...
Category

Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Seating

Materials

Wood

Late 19th Century Carved Oak Louis XVI Stool
Located in Hudson, NY
This stool is done in oak with great color and deep rich hand carving. Created in the last decade of the 19th century, the stool's apron is carved in a twisted ribbon that centers on...
Category

1890s French Antique Louis XVI Seating

Materials

Oak

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19th Century Louis XVI Style Giltwood Cream White Canapé
Located in Houston, TX
A Classic and stately 19th century Louis XVI giltwood canapé, newly upholstered in a creamy white ecru mohair silk velvet. Measures: 71.5" L.
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A French 19th Century Pair of Louis XVI Style Large Curule Stools
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
A French 19th Century Pair of Large Rectangular Curule Stools Gilt and carved wood, decorated with interlace frieze, acanthus leaves and rosaces The 4 feet linked by a gadrooned stretcher. Louis XVI Style Napoléon III Period In the manner of Georges Jacob (1739-1814) Attributed to Maison Jansen Circa 1900 Used Petit Point Tapestry Upholstery Maison Jansen, the French luxury: Opulence, refinement, audacity of style marriages… so many words agree with Maison Jansen. Through this name, a whole era sounds like a reminder of a certain French chic… Some names evoke immutable images, atmospheres... Like Jansen, for example. Let’s close our eyes… The 1960s and 1970s are at their peak. France is doing well. It is a country of full employment where everything seems possible. Within the international Jet Set, a carefree crowd of movie stars, public figures, literary idols and crowned heads, we love the Maison Jansen, its taste for styles struck with a good quality exuberance, and its brilliant side. It all began in 1880, when the Dutchman Jean Henri Jansen founded the epon-ymous house in Paris. Jansen is part of the continuity of these world-famous furniture manufacturers and companies that operated under the Second Empire and at the time of the Universal Exhibitions, as the ‘Escalier de Cristal’ teaches. At that time, the Union Centrale des Beaux-Arts appliqués à l'Indus-trie and the Société du musée des Arts Décoratifs merged to form the Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs. Supported by both gallery owners, collectors and manufacturers, this organi-zation gives the «la» to the whole profession, and in the prevailing politico-ideological slump (France was defeated by Prussia in 1871 and Napoleon III is in exile), the ‘Union Centrale des Art Décoratifs’ focuses production on the celebration of past styles. While this nostalgia evokes memories of an era that we imagine more stable, an innovative exoticism will be all the rage: the reign of Turkish style and Japonisme. The Jansen house masterfully rushed into the «exotic» trend, but quickly de-veloped a style derived from the ornamental splendor of the eighteenth, then a little later, so-called «imperial» styles mainly intended for royal families. Af-ter the First World War, J.H Jansen was joined by the cartoonist Albert Cazes, by Stéphane Boudin and by Pierre Delbée, who successively directed the house when it disappeared in 1929. At the end of the Kennedy era, Boudin complete-ly redecorated the White House, at the request of the First Lady, Jackie, who had fallen in love with his work after discovering it at Malmaison. In 1971, Jansen joined forces with Leleu-Deshays and continued its quest for excellence. From 1969 to 1979, the dandy decorator Serge Robin took the reins of the house, granting it an eclectic and luxurious style: he revisited the great eras of French art, from the Renaissance to Louis XVI, by modernizing them with more contemporary pieces in Plexiglas or wrought iron. His recomposed and sophisticated style met with resounding success. When Jackie Kennedy, who became the wife of the great Greek shipowner Aristotle Onassis, moved to France, the young architect married Louis XVI-style furniture to modernist designs from the 1950s. When the Shah of Iran decided to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Per-sian Empire in 1971, Serge Robin and his teams turned to the grandiose and ephemeral setting of Persepolis. A hundred semi-trailers then left the work-shops on Rue Saint-Sabin to reach Tehran. At the same time, Princess Soraya of Iran commissioned her a sumptuous palace for Avenue Montaigne, the princes Faisal bin Fahd of Arabia and Mubarak Al-Sabah, and the Agnelli snatched it. On the French side, he puts his talent at the service of Brigitte Bardot, for whom he completely revamped the Madrague and the Lannes boulevard. Serge Robin embodies all the audacity of the name Jansen with the most im-probable weddings. With him, Plexiglas tables, Japanese chairs from the 50s, gold thread curtains, zebra sofas...
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Pair of Louis XVI Style Giltwood Fauteuils / Armchairs, France Circa 1900
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An attractive & very comfortable pair of giltwood fauteuils, both frames showing arched crest-rails with upholstered backs, sided by padded armrests ter...
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Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Seating

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19th Century Oriental Carved Wood Stool
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A wonderfully stylish 19th century Oriental style stool, with pierced fretwork decoration to the frieze, stuff over upholstered seat, raised on classical carved cabriole legs with my...
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Located in Montreal, Quebec
French pair of Louis XVI style marquise bergère armchairs, gilt wood, 19th century. In the clean and classic Louis XVI style, the name Marquise is attributed due to their exceptiona...
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French Cane Back Louis XVI, Directoire Style Desk Armchair
Located in Montreal, Quebec
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French Louis XVI Style 19th Century Giltwood Upholstered Canapé en Corbeille
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Louis XVI style giltwood canapé en corbeille from the 19th century, with carved flowers and new upholstery. Created in France during the 1...
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19th Century English Oak Joint Stool
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Superb Quality Painted French Louis XVI Settee with Wedgwood Plaque, circa 1900
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
For customers that require professional insured delivery we are proud to have teamed up with a nationwide professional delivery company that will assist with coordinating your delivery needs! They offer a reasonable flat-rate fee for delivery and set up to the ground floor of your home. They deliver to the vast majority of the lower 48 states. They offer a flat rate for most of our items with exclusions for the largest or most complex items such as breakfronts or crystal chandeliers or other items of greater complexity. For those items please ask for a shipping quote prior to purchase as these rates are different from our stated pricing. For those items please ask for a shipping quote prior to purchase. Most deliveries to the East Coast will be 295.00, to the mid-west and Southern mid-west 395.00. To the areas west of Kansas 495.00 and the farthest points to the West coast will be 595.00. Again, some areas we can't cover, however we can deliver to most of the lower 48 states so please inquire to be sure! Delivery times range from as fast as 1-4 weeks for the east coast to 5-9 weeks to the farthest areas of the west coast, sometimes longer and sometimes even shorter. If it is a time sensitive purchase, we may be able to accommodate you for a higher price. It is our goal to please each and every one of our customers with the highest standard of service possible. You must realize and accept that we are shipping antique, vintage and quality used furnishings to your home. We cannot control traffic, weather, and acts of God. There will be times when additional patience will be necessary. This is a very special and rare piece of fine antique furniture. The antique white finish...
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Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
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Located in Winter Park, FL
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Louis Xvi seating for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Louis XVI seating for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage seating created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include seating, more furniture and collectibles, decorative objects and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, fabric and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Louis XVI seating made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and North America pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original seating, popular names associated with this style include Jumbo Collection, La Maison London, Maison Jansen, and Drexel. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for seating differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $220 and tops out at $115,000 while the average work can sell for $3,844.

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