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.
$3,850Sale Price|30% Off
Wellington Hall Italian Walnut Library Bookcase Breakfront Display Cabinet Mesh
By Wellington
Located in Dayton, OH
Mid century Wellington Hall breakfront library bookcase or china cabinet. Handmade in Italy from Italian walnut featuring beautful columns, linen lined interior and chicken wire mes...
Walnut
18th-19th Century Swedish Baroque Pinewood, Glass Bookcase, Antique Showcase
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A light-grey, antique large Swedish Baroque two-part bookcase made of hand crafted painted Pinewood, in good condition. The upper part of the detailed Scandinavian library, showcase is composed with two doors featuring its original glass and two long arched shelves...
Metal, Chrome
18th Century Italian Bookcase with Glass Doors
Located in Houston, TX
18th Century Italian Bookcase with Glass Doors 18th Century Italian Painted And Gilt Bookcase. This 18th century Italian bookcase is painted and parcel gilt and has 3 glass cabinet doors above for display, 3 drawers below and 3 wood cabinet doors at the bottom for storage. The paint decoration on this outstanding Tuscan bookcase...
Wood
18th Century Italian Pair of Baroque Pinewood Libraries - Antique Book Cabinets
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An early 18th Century, pair of antique Italian Baroque libraries or shelved cabinets made of hand crafted Pinewood with a weathered burgundy colored speckled patina, in good conditio...
Mirror, Pine
$5,512Sale Price|20% Off
Late 19th Century Spanish Walnut Bureau Bookcase ‘Secretaire’
Located in Miami, FL
A late 19th century Spanish Walnut Bureau bookcase ‘secretaire’ with fretwork open swan neck pediment, centred by a shaped finial, above a pair of doors, slant front enclosed writing...
Walnut
18th/19th century library or buffet, Tuscany or Umbria
Located in Jesteburg, DE
An impressive sculptural two-body library or buffet, Tuscany or Umbria, early 18th century in beautiful warm patina. The upper part with panelled doors on both sides accentuated wi...
Softwood
$6,920Sale Price|20% Off
Antique French Carved Oak Vitrine Cabinet Bookcase Barley Twist Renaissance
Located in Miami, FL
Antique French carved oak vitrine cabinet bookcase barley twist renaissance from France. A gorgeous antique French bookcase cabinet, unusually...
Bronze
$9,700Sale Price / item|51% Off
17th C Style Tuscan Italian Fir Library Credenza In-Stock or custom quote
Located in Encinitas, CA
Our new Cortina Library features rustic Old Fir with a unique patinated antique beige finish. Available to order in a variety of wood species and finish colors, and in custom size an...
Iron
$47,720Sale Price|20% Off
A Impressive Italian Baroque Polychrome and Giltwood Open Bookcase, 19th Century
Located in ARMADALE, VIC
A Impressive Italian Baroque Polychrome and Giltwood Open Bookcase, 19th Century The broken pediment comprised of three downturned C scrolls, the two flanking with rocailles interio...
Wood
19th Century Italian Pair of Painted Walnut Library Steps - Antique Book Shelfs
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An antique pair of 19th Century Italian library stairs with wide steps in the Baroque style and patinated in a warm natural colored light-grey, in good condition. These large and ver...
Walnut
Italian Early 18th Century Baroque Walnut Secretary-Bookcase
Located in Troy, NY
Italian Early 18th Century Baroque Walnut Secretary-Bookcase with beautiful, thick walnut radica veneer, wonderful color, ebonized moldings, most likely retaining the original mirror plates. The two upper doors open to reveal a fitted interior, the lower part has a fitted desk compartment...
Walnut, Mirror
Gold Twisted Metal Two Tier Glass Hanging Wall Shelf
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A small hanging wall shelf created from gold twisted metal. This shelf will be great in a bathroom for holding beauty products, or small decorative ite...
Metal
Bureau Bookcase C 1720 Flemish Bookcase 18th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Bureau, bookcase c 1720. Flemish bookcase with hunting scene made in mahogany and oak. Overall. Size: 231x122x60 cm very good condition.
Wood
18th Century Cupboard or Bookcase with Glass Vitrine, Walnut, Spain Restored
Located in Miami, FL
Exquisite 18th century Spanish cupboard or bookcase with glass vitrine, constructed from walnut and original glasses of this period. Features a coffered case fronted by four large do...
Walnut, Glass
Large Early 18th Century Buffet Library Louis XIV
Located in Vosselaar, BE
A monumental French early 18th century oak buffet cupboard. Cupboards/Buffets like this were used in castles and large mansions to either store...
Oak
Italian Inlaid Venetian Burlwood Baroque Cabinet, Bookcase, Vitrine or Cupboard
Located in Manhasset, NY
Italian Inlaid Venetian Burlwood Baroque Cabinet, Bookcase, Vitrine or Cupboard A fine cabinet of burl wood with a lower commode having three drawers ...
Glass, Wood
Italian 19th Century Bookcase
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A lovely large libreria. A master Italian restorer took old 19th century parts of a bookcase and rebuilt them to this. This remarkable piece would look stunning in a kitchen filled...
Wood
Painted wood shelving unit-bookcase Italy
Located in PARIS, FR
A striking testament to Italian craftsmanship, this late 19th-century painted wood bookcase embodies the elegance of centuries-old decorative traditions. Showcasing the renowned Ital...
Wood
$46,120
The Trafalgar Bookcase
Located in Sturminster Marshall, Dorset
A fine Vanbrugh architectural design open bookcase. The upper section is open fronted without doors and flanked by half columns and has adjustable shelving with an architectural pedi...
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Trumeau Bureau in Ferrara Walnut Briar , from Bovolone Italy
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Italian Early 20th Century small baroque Trumeau Bureau desk cabinet in Ferrara walnut burl , manufactured in Bovolone - Verona ; polished to wax in exc...
Walnut, Burl
18th-Century Dutch Trumeau Cabinet Bookcase in Burl and Bois de Rose early 1700s
Located in Roma, IT
Spectacular and completely original 18th-Century Dutch Trumeau of outstanding quality in Walnut Burl and Bois de Rose. Acquired in 2005 at the prestigious Sotheby’s auction house for €51,000 and with the complete documentation. Original High-Era Piece with Hidden Compartments, made in a magnificent walnut burl, bois de rose with exquisite inlays, curved profiles, and a splendid carved pediment, characteristic of Dutch cabinetmaking of the period. Completed by its original beveled antiqued mirror doors...
Crystal, Brass
Mid 19th century carved mahogany Danish bookcase
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Rare danish carved mahogany bookcase circa 1840. 2 part bookcase. Top section with hidden drawer below the cornice. Applied carving to corners and around the key hole. Double gla...
Glass, Mahogany
$4,480Sale Price|40% Off
Early 18th Century Burl Walnut Veneered Bureau Cabinet
Located in Kastrup, DK
Early 18th century burl walnut veneered bureau cabinet. The upper section with swan neck top over double doors, the lower section with a sloping-f...
Oak, Walnut
$24,109Sale Price|20% Off
Late 17th Century Antique Walnut Large Bookcase
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
We present this majestic antique bookcase dating back to the Baroque period of the late 17th century. The bookcase is made of walnut wood and consists of three modules. It is an open...
Walnut
18th century Norwegian carved oak bureau bookcase
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Stunning and rare norwegian baroque oak bureau bookcase circa 1760. Comprising of 3 sections due to the monumental proportions. Top section with shaped cornice, below which the car...
Oak
Late 19th Century Spanish Walnut Bureau Bookcase ‘Secretaire’
Located in Miami, FL
A late 19th century Spanish Walnut Bureau bookcase ‘secretaire’ with fretwork open swan neck pediment, centred by a shaped finial, above a pair of doors, slant front enclosed writing...
Walnut
18th Century Italian Cube Parquetry Bookcase Cabinet in Walnut and Fruitwood
Located in Charlottesville, VA
A beautiful 18th Century Italian bookcase cabinet featuring striking cube-pattern parquetry in walnut and fruitwood. The upper glazed doors open to painted shelving, while the lower ...
Fruitwood, Walnut
George III Mahogany Astral Glazed Secretaire Bookcase
Located in Basingstoke, Hampshire
An early 19th century astral glazed bureau bookcase of large proportions. Displaying a pair of astral glazed doors. The base houses four long drawers, on...
Mahogany
$3,941
H 84.26 in W 79.53 in D 14.57 in
Vintage Flame Mahogany Breakfront Bookcase / Display Cabinet 20th Century
Located in London, GB
A delightful Vintage flame mahogany Georgian Revival library breakfront bookcase / display cabinet, dating from the mid 20th Century and the rear bearing the makers label for the ren...
Mahogany
Chippendale Breakfront Bookcase Cabinet Mahogany 1900
Located in Potters Bar, GB
Impressive mahogany Chippendale style 4 door breakfront bookcase. Circa 1900 This quality 4 door bookcase stands upon a squat cabriole legs with bold...
Mahogany
$2,590
H 48.42 in W 46.45 in D 11.81 in
French Provincial Plantation Style Walnut Vitrine, Bookcase, 19th Century
Located in Miami, FL
This early (circa 1830) French Provincial plantation style walnut bookcase features an upper part topped by a cornice above two glazed doors opening u...
Walnut
George III style mahogany breakfront library bookcase
Located in Cheshire, GB
Large George III style mahogany display bookcase the projecting carved molded cornice above four large well-figured astragal glazed doors, opening to reveal an adjustable shelved int...
Wood
$2,495
H 58 in W 29.75 in D 15 in
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Style Mahogany Vitrine, Bookcase, Marble Top
Located in Fayetteville, AR
Standing at 58 inches in height, this small scale late nineteenth century Louis XVI style mahogany vitrine or bookcase is finished with stunning bronze banding and a red marble top with white veining. Its corners feature fluting with inset bronze filets. Its single door is finished with a bronze border and key surround and opens to reveal an interior with three adjustable shelves. The cabinet rests on Classic finial...
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Louis Philippe Rosewood Bookcase
Located in Dallas, TX
19th Century French Louis Philippe Rosewood Bookcase is the perfect choice for those with a special collection, prized family heirlooms, or for your library of books! Rosewood, some...
Rosewood
French Vitrine Cabinet, Glass Door Walnut, Rosewood with Ormolu Mounts
Located in Toronto, CA
A French vitrine cabinet with glass door and sides, in walnut with rosewood and tulipwood, top with a grey marble top. The ormolu mounts give the cabinet the Louis XV styling tha...
Walnut
English Breakfront Library Bookcase
Located in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Good English painted breakfront library bookcase. All adjustable shelving. 1840. Dimensions 122 inches (310 cms) Wide 18.5 inches (47 ...
Oak
19th Century Country English Fruitwood Library Bookcase Cabinet
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Unique 19th century country English library bookcase or cabinet crafted from fruitwood. The tall two-part case has a six shelf bookcase on the top featuring glazed doors. The bookcas...
Brass
19th Century Biedermeier Walnut Secretaire
Located in Darmstadt, DE
This stunning Biedermeier secretary desk is an authentic antique piece crafted from walnut wood, both inside and out. Dating back to the early 19th century, this masterpiece showcase...
Pine, Walnut
Small 18th Century Mahogany Secretaire Bookcase
Located in Lymington, GB
A rare, diminutive, late-18th century secretaire bookcase / cabinet. George III-period, circa 1790. Mahogany of very good rich color and well patinated. Inlaid and crossbanded throu...
Mahogany
18th Century Norwegian carved oak bureau bookcase
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Stunning and rare Norwegian baroque oak bureau bookcase circa 1760. Comprising of 3 sections due to the monumental proportions. Top section with shaped cornice, below which the car...
Oak
Mid 19th century carved mahogany Danish bookcase
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Rare Danish carved mahogany bookcase circa 1840. 2 part bookcase. Top section with hidden drawer below the cornice. Applied carving to corners and around the key hole. Double gla...
Glass, Mahogany
Oliviere Italian Venetian Carved Painted Wood Bibliotech / Bookcase
Located in Queens, NY
Italian Venetian (modern) 3-tiered narrow rust painted etagere featuring an open back, molded beveled top, parcel gilt highlighting and having an additional removable top shelf, stan...
Giltwood
Baroque Display Cabinet in Walnut, Late 18th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Baroque display cabinet with curved cornice and a glazed and strutted door. The cabinet is veneered in walnut on all sides and decoratively inlaid on the sides and accentuated in a d...
Glass, Walnut
Baroque-style bookcases, 18th/21st century
Located in Greding, DE
A delightful pair of bookcases, reimagined in the Baroque style using antique components. Each bookcase features three shelves and two drawers, culminating in gracefully curved arche...
Wood
Sold
H 50.01 in W 31.89 in D 15.36 in
Elegant Minimalistic 17th Century Ebonized Cabinet on a Contemporary Steel Stand
Located in Jesteburg, DE
A statement piece that will make an impact in most settings. The antique cabinet itself is 36 cm high. It is mounted on a modern hand-forged frame. Which shows a perfect symbiosis of antique and...
Wood
Pine Three Drawer Console Bookcase
Located in Baltimore, MD
This is a handsome and sturdy bookcase of considerable presence and character. The top is made of two planks over 1.5” thick above a frieze that houses three lap-jointed drawers. T...
Pine
Spanish Baroque Vargueno Style Burl Walnut Cabinet Chest
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Petite Spanish cabinet or chest on stand made in the baroque taste in the manner of a vargueno cabinet. The cabinet features a burl walnut veneer case with decorative etched brass ha...
Brass, Iron
Sold
H 98 in W 79 in D 19.25 in
Italian Baroque Style Pinewood Bookcase Cabinet, Early 18th Century and Later
Located in Atlanta, GA
Having a stepped cornice and accompanying lower molding on the upper (later) bookcase section which houses 4 levels of shelves, the lower section is a credenza with four doors openin...
Pine
Sold
H 69.49 in W 48.63 in D 15.04 in
19th Century Spanish Walnut Cabinet or Bookcase with Stained Glass Doors
Located in Miami, FL
19th century Spanish walnut cabinet or bookcase can store books, heirlooms, a special collection, or any objets d'art! Glazing colored stained o...
Stained Glass, Walnut
18th Century Norwegian Carved Oak Bureau Bookcase
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Stunning and rare Norwegian Baroque oak bureau bookcase, circa 1760. Comprising of 3 sections due to the monumental proportions. Top section ...
Oak
Lacquered Bureau Bookcase Piedmont, Italy, Mid-18th Century
Located in Milano, IT
Bureau bookcase composed of a cupboard with two doors and drop-leaf door with inner compartments as a base and upper case with shelves and two doors. Poplar interiors. The piece is m...
Walnut