Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
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.
2010s French Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Cherry, Oak
Early 20th Century Hungarian Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Hardwood
Early 20th Century Hungarian Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Other
1850s Hungarian Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Walnut, Braid
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
1780s German Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Bronze
1830s German Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
Late 18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Oak
1920s Hungarian Vintage Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Pine
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Cherry
1890s Italian Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass, Bronze
1850s Italian Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Bone, Ebony, Mahogany
Late 18th Century Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
Early 1800s German Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
1830s French Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Beech
18th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
18th Century Maltese Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Fruitwood, Walnut
Early 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Fruitwood
16th Century British Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Ormolu
2010s Italian Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Bronze
Late 18th Century German Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
2010s French Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Cherry, Oak
2010s French Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Cherry, Oak
2010s French Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Cherry, Oak
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
2010s French Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Cherry, Oak
2010s French Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
2010s Italian Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
1860s English Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Pine
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
2010s French Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
2010s Italian Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
2010s Italian Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
2010s Italian Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
2010s Italian Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
2010s Italian Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Silver Leaf, Gold Leaf
20th Century German Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany, Maple, Softwood
2010s Italian Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Ormolu
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal