Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
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.
Late 18th Century Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Leather, Wood
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
1970s Vintage Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Cherry, Maple, Walnut
Early 19th Century Dutch Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Satinwood
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Bronze
1920s British Vintage Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Wood
1790s German Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze, Iron
1760s North American Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Birch
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Maple, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Maple
1860s Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany, Paint
Early 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany, Pine
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble
1780s Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Ormolu
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Stone
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
Early 1800s Swedish Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Birch
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Fruitwood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
16th Century British Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Ormolu
Late 18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Oak
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Giltwood, Wood, Lacquer
Early 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass, Bronze
18th Century Belgian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Oak
20th Century German Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany, Maple, Softwood
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Mirror, Wood
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Swedish Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Birch
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Metal
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Metal, Brass, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Onyx, Marble
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Metal, Brass, Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Kingwood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Granite, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood, Glass
Early 19th Century Baltic Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Birch
Early 19th Century Portuguese Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Satinwood, Walnut