Neoclassical Bookcases
Neoclassical design emerged in Europe in the 1750s, as the Age of Enlightenment reached full flower. Neoclassical furniture took its cues from the styles of ancient Rome and Athens: symmetrical, ordered, dignified forms with such details as tapered and fluted chair and table legs, backrest finials and scrolled arms.
Over a period of some 20 years, first in France and later in Britain, neoclassical design — also known as Louis XVI, or Louis Seize — would supersede the lithe and curvaceous Rococo or Louis XV style.
The first half of the 18th century had seen a rebirth of interest in classical antiquity. The "Grand Tour" of Europe, codified as a part of the proper education of a patrician gentleman, included an extended visit to Rome. Some ventured further, to sketch the ruins of ancient Greece. These drawings and others — particularly those derived from the surprising and rich archaeological discoveries in the 1730s and ’40s at the sites of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum — caused great excitement among intellectuals and aesthetes alike.
Neoclassical furniture is meant to reflect both grace and power. The overall appearance of neoclassical chairs, tables and cabinetry is strong and rectilinear. These pieces are, in effect, classical architecture in miniature: chair and table legs are shaped like columns; cabinets are constructed with elements that mirror friezes and pediments.
Yet neoclassicism is enlivened by gilt and silver leaf, marquetry, and carved and applied ornamental motifs based on Greek and Roman sculpture: acanthus leaves, garlands, laurel wreaths, sheaves of arrow, medallions and chair splats are carved in the shapes of lyres and urns. Ormolu — or elaborate bronze gilding — was essential to French design in the 18th and 19th centuries as a cornerstone of the neoclassical and Empire styles.
As you can see from the furniture on these pages, there is a bit of whimsy in such stately pieces — a touch of lightness that will always keep neoclassicism fresh.
Find antique neoclassical furniture today on 1stDibs.
Late 18th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Mahogany
1950s English Vintage Neoclassical Bookcases
Wood
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Ormolu
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Textile, Paper, Pine, Walnut, Wood
1930s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Bookcases
Brass
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Bookcases
Brass
Mid-20th Century Belgian Neoclassical Bookcases
Oak, Plywood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Brass
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Walnut
20th Century American Neoclassical Bookcases
Brass
20th Century American Neoclassical Bookcases
Brass
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Oak
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Bookcases
Glass, Walnut
1850s Danish Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Glass, Mahogany
1930s British Vintage Neoclassical Bookcases
Bronze
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Satinwood, Paint
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Satinwood, Paint
19th Century British Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Mahogany
Early 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Bookcases
Wood, Glass
Early 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Bookcases
Glass, Wood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Oak
2010s American Neoclassical Bookcases
Wood, Paint
Early 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Bookcases
Brass
Late 18th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Mahogany
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Metal, Gold Plate, Brass
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Bookcases
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Neoclassical Bookcases
Iron, Zinc
20th Century Neoclassical Bookcases
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Bookcases
Iron
Late 18th Century British Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Mahogany
20th Century American Neoclassical Bookcases
Glass, Hardwood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Oak, Walnut
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Pine
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Wood
1950s English Vintage Neoclassical Bookcases
Wood
Early 1900s Italian Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Brass
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Glass, Wood
2010s Neoclassical Bookcases
Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Pine
1890s Swiss Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Ormolu
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Neoclassical Bookcases
Wood
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Walnut
Early 1800s German Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Brass
1870s French Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Brass
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Fruitwood
18th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Oak
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Bookcases
Wood
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Bookcases
Pine
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Gold Leaf
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Bookcases
Walnut
19th Century British Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Mahogany
1940s Vintage Neoclassical Bookcases
Pine
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Pine
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Bookcases
Wood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Pine
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Satinwood, Paint
Late 19th Century North American Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Oak, Walnut
Late 18th Century Dutch Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Brass
Early 1900s British Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Brass
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Bookcases
Satinwood, Paint