Louis XV Cabinets
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.
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Wood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Cabinets
Iron
1930s British Vintage Louis XV Cabinets
Walnut, Satinwood
1950s American Vintage Louis XV Cabinets
Brass
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Walnut
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Iron
1970s French Vintage Louis XV Cabinets
Brass
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Cabinets
Marble, Brass
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Oak
1880s French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Marble, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Spanish Louis XV Cabinets
Bronze
19th Century Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Marble, Brass, Bronze, Ormolu
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Fruitwood, Walnut
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Bronze
2010s French Louis XV Cabinets
Pine
1880s French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Ormolu
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Bronze
1870s French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Ormolu
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Cabinets
Ormolu
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Oak
Late 18th Century Dutch Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Walnut
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Iron
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Kingwood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Cabinets
Glass, Wood, Paint
19th Century Dutch Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Wood
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Wood
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Ormolu
Late 20th Century Louis XV Cabinets
Brass, Wire
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Marble, Bronze
Early 1700s French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Brass
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Other
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Cabinets
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Oak
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Cabinets
Glass, Mahogany
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Walnut, Burl
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Walnut
Late 20th Century Unknown Louis XV Cabinets
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Cabinets
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XV Cabinets
Wood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Cabinets
Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Walnut
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Oak
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Iron
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Cabinets
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Cherry, Oak
18th Century European Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Maple, Oak, Burl
1910s Italian Vintage Louis XV Cabinets
Walnut
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Ormolu
1880s French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cabinets
Ormolu