Louis XV Furniture
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.
1760s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Carrara Marble
1890s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Ormolu
2010s British Louis XV Furniture
Wood, Paint
1880s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Gesso
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
2010s English Louis XV Furniture
Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Brass
2010s British Louis XV Furniture
Wood, Giltwood
1860s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Giltwood, Mirror
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Furniture
Rock Crystal, Ormolu
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
1930s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Fruitwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
2010s British Louis XV Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Hardwood
1950s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Other
1860s European Antique Louis XV Furniture
Other
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Velvet, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
19th Century English Antique Louis XV Furniture
Oak, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Brass, Ormolu
1760s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Faience
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
1980s American Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Mirror, Fruitwood
20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
2010s British Louis XV Furniture
Wood
20th Century European Louis XV Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Fruitwood
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Brass
2010s British Louis XV Furniture
Hardwood
1760s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Crystal, Ormolu
2010s English Louis XV Furniture
Giltwood, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Giltwood, Paint
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Limestone
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Mid-19th Century Spanish Antique Louis XV Furniture
Mahogany, Pine, Mirror, Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble