Louis XV Cupboards
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.
2010s American Louis XV Cupboards
Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s American Louis XV Cupboards
Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s American Louis XV Cupboards
Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s American Louis XV Cupboards
Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s American Louis XV Cupboards
Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s American Louis XV Cupboards
Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s American Louis XV Cupboards
Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s American Louis XV Cupboards
Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s American Louis XV Cupboards
Metal, Sheet Metal
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Cupboards
Oak
2010s American Louis XV Cupboards
Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s American Louis XV Cupboards
Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s American Louis XV Cupboards
Metal, Sheet Metal
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Cupboards
Oak
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Wood, Oak
20th Century French Louis XV Cupboards
Iron
1930s British Vintage Louis XV Cupboards
Walnut, Satinwood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Cupboards
Glass, Walnut
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Fruitwood, Walnut
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Cupboards
Glass, Oak
1870s European Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Oak
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Oak
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Iron
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Iron
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Iron
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Cupboards
Ormolu
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Iron
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Glass
1730s French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Oak
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Marble, Steel
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Mahogany
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Oak, Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Elm
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Iron
20th Century French Louis XV Cupboards
Beech
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Oak
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Walnut
Late 18th Century European Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Brass
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Wood
18th Century Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Cupboards
Walnut
20th Century French Louis XV Cupboards
Beech
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Oak
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Oak
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Cherry
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Brass
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Wood, Cherry
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Cherry
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Cupboards
Bronze
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Iron
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Iron
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Oak
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Cupboards
Walnut