Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
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.
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1880s French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
1880s French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
1770s French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Steel
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
1760s French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Steel
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Iron
1770s French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
1820s French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak, Walnut
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Poplar
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Bronze
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Ormolu
19th Century Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Fruitwood, Walnut
19th Century European Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Pine, Lacquer, Paint
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Metal
1780s Austrian Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Fir
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1750s French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Iron
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood, Paint
Early 20th Century Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
1750s French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Iron
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Metal, Steel
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Mirror, Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Mirror, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Iron
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Hardwood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
1780s French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
1770s French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Mirror, Fruitwood
1970s French Vintage Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut, Mirror
Early 1800s French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Steel
Late 19th Century European Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
1780s French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
1820s Belgian Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
1820s French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Cherry
Early 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Wrought Iron, Metal
18th Century Belgian Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Cherry
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Wardrobes and Armoires
Mahogany