Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
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.
Early 18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Olive
Early 20th Century Italian Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
19th Century Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Bronze
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Bronze
Early 18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Ormolu
Late 20th Century French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Late 18th Century Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Oak
20th Century French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Bronze
1740s French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Ormolu
1750s Italian Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut, Olive
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
1950s Italian Vintage Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Beech
1960s Romanian Vintage Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Bronze
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Brass
1910s Italian Vintage Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
20th Century Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
20th Century Unknown Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Stone, Marble, Metal, Brass, Ormolu
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Lacquer, Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Kingwood
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Brass, Bronze
1950s Swedish Vintage Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
18th Century Unknown Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Ormolu
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
1750s French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Walnut
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Griotte Marble, Bronze
1720s French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Beech, Poplar
1950s Vintage Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
Early 20th Century Unknown Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
1950s Vintage Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
1830s French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Rosewood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Fruitwood
1950s Vintage Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Late 20th Century French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Fruitwood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Bronze
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Palisander
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Ormolu
1950s Italian Vintage Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
1950s Swedish Vintage Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble