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 Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany, Walnut
Early 1900s American Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Carrara Marble, Brass
18th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Oak
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble
Mid-19th Century Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
2010s French Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Cherry, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary German Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Early 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Cherry
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Carrara Marble
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Elm
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
20th Century American Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble
2010s American Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood, Paint
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mirror, Wood
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Metal
1940s Vintage Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Pine
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
1850s Danish Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Mahogany
1790s Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
1970s Vintage Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
1820s North American Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Pine
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Ormolu
1840s French Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
2010s French Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood, Cherry, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Cherry, Satinwood, Walnut
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
18th Century Dutch Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Fruitwood, Walnut
Late 20th Century French Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze, Stainless Steel
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
20th Century American Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Giltwood
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut, Glass
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood, Paint
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Fruitwood
20th Century French Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
20th Century French Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
20th Century Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Oak
20th Century Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Oak
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
18th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
Mid-19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
Early 20th Century Belgian Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Wood
20th Century American Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Ormolu
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Stone
1790s Danish Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Ormolu