Louis XVI Secretaires
Reflecting the final era of royal opulence before the upheaval of the French Revolution, antique Louis XVI furniture features more angular shapes than the Rococo curves of the Louis XV style, harkening back to the imposing grandeur of Louis XIV.
Dating between 1750 and 1800, an era that overlapped with the last king of France whose reign was cut short by the guillotine, Louis XVI furniture, known as the goût grec, is emblematic of the neoclassical revision that French furniture underwent during the second half of the 18th century.
Authentic Louis XVI furniture characteristics include clean lines and carved details such as scrolls and acanthus flourishes that were inspired by ancient Greece and Rome. This was informed by a burgeoning interest in antiquity in the 18th century, owing to new archaeological excavations at sites including Pompeii and Herculaneum. It largely eclipsed the more East Asian–influenced ornamentation of Louis XV for something more geometric and symmetrical.
The Louis XVI style was defined by what was being created for the palatial rooms at Versailles and Fontainebleau, particularly for the queen, with cabinetmaker Jean-Henri Riesener being a favorite of Marie-Antoinette’s for his luxurious pieces accented with gilded bronze and marquetry. Furniture maker Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené was also a major designer of the period, with his pieces for the royal residences adorned with giltwood and neoclassical touches like tapered columns for chair legs and laurel leaf carvings. Cabinetmaker Adam Weisweiler occasionally incorporated into his furniture porcelain panels produced by Sèvres, a popular manufacturer of European ceramics that served the crown with serveware, vases and other decorative objects.
Find a collection of antique Louis XVI seating, tables, cabinets and other furniture on 1stDibs.
18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Kingwood, Satinwood
Early 1900s Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Burl
Late 18th Century Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Walnut
18th Century German Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Spruce, Walnut
Late 18th Century Dutch Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Satinwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Carrara Marble, Bronze
Late 18th Century German Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Maple, Oak, Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Marble
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Walnut
18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Wood
1780s French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Kingwood, Rosewood
Early 19th Century European Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Leather, Mahogany, Satinwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Oak
1770s German Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Marble, Brass
Late 18th Century Danish Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Oak
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Fruitwood
Late 18th Century Danish Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Oak
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Brass
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Secretaires
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Wood, Rosewood, Walnut, Softwood
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Brass
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Marble, Bronze, Gold Leaf
1790s French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Walnut
1780s Italian Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Walnut
1880s French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Marble, Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Ormolu
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Louis XVI Secretaires
Brass
1780s French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Mahogany, Satinwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Stone, Marble, Metal, Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Louis XVI Secretaires
Brass, Bronze
1780s German Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Wood
1780s French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Boxwood, Cherry, Walnut
18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Cherry
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Marble, Brass
Mid-20th Century Dutch Louis XVI Secretaires
Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Brass
1940s French Vintage Louis XVI Secretaires
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Marble
1980s Vintage Louis XVI Secretaires
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Mahogany
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Leather, Cherry
Late 18th Century Danish Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Brass
Late 18th Century Danish Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Mahogany
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Brass
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Leather, Cherry
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Bronze
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Bronze
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Bronze
1780s German Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Cherry
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Mahogany
20th Century Louis XVI Secretaires
Wood, Fruitwood
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Bronze
1790s German Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Secretaires
Oak