Neoclassical Dressers
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.
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
2010s American Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Cherry, Pine
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Cherry, Poplar, Pine
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Wood, Paint
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Brass
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Giltwood, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
18th Century German Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Wood, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Brass
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Walnut
19th Century South American Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Marble, Brass
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Dressers
Walnut
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Dressers
Maple
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Dressers
Maple
18th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Bronze
2010s French Neoclassical Dressers
Wood, Cherry, Oak
2010s French Neoclassical Dressers
Wood, Cherry, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
2010s French Neoclassical Dressers
Wood, Cherry, Oak
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Dressers
Brass
Early 1800s German Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Marble
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Marble
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
2010s American Neoclassical Dressers
Chrome
2010s Neoclassical Dressers
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
Early 1800s German Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Mahogany
1790s German Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
1970s American Vintage Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Mahogany
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Dressers
Marble
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Maple, Olive, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Dressers
Brass
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Dressers
Bronze
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Dressers
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Neoclassical Dressers
Wood
Early 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Dressers
Mirror, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Dressers
Mirror, Glass, Wood
2010s American Neoclassical Dressers
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Dressers
Glass, Wood