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.
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Gold Leaf
1890s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
1880s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 20th Century Louis XV Furniture
Cotton, Walnut
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Fir
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Linen, Wood, Paint
1940s American Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Brass
1750s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Mirror, Wood, Paint
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Louis XV Furniture
Maple, Upholstery
1940s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1950s American Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Glass, Walnut
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Wood, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood, Walnut
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Gold
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery
1970s American Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Brass, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century European Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Breccia Marble
1960s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Textile, Upholstery, Cane, Wood, Oak
1940s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century Unknown Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Louis XV Furniture
Elm
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Pine
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Mirror
Mid-18th Century Austrian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Furniture
Fabric, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Ormolu
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Stone, Wrought Iron
20th Century American Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1950s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Brass
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Mirror, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Early 20th Century Louis XV Furniture
Oak
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Beech
1930s Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Other
1740s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Beech
1840s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Oak
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Linen, Mahogany
1870s Swedish Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut, Fabric
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Brass, Bronze
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
1970s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Brass
18th Century Dutch Antique Louis XV Furniture
Porcelain
1960s American Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Cherry
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Gold Leaf
20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century Unknown Louis XV Furniture
Wood
1890s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
1890s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1770s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
1850s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Fruitwood
Late 20th Century Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Cane, Walnut
1940s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Cotton, Walnut
Late 20th Century Unknown Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century Italian Louis XV Furniture
Walnut, Upholstery
1980s French Vintage Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
20th Century French Louis XV Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
1760s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze