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.
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Metal, Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Crystal, Ormolu
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
Early 1900s Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Leather, Walnut
Early 1900s English Antique Louis XV Furniture
Paper
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Ormolu
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut, Oak
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Leather, Wood
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu, Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Brass, Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wool, Wood
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Plaster
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
Early 1900s Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze, Iron
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Breccia Marble, Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
Early 1900s Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery
Early 1900s European Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Early 1900s German Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Gesso, Mirror, Giltwood
Early 1900s European Antique Louis XV Furniture
Giltwood, Beads
Early 1900s Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ceramic
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Amethyst, Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood, Giltwood, Paint
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Leather, Walnut
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Cane, Giltwood
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood, Giltwood, Paint
Early 1900s European Antique Louis XV Furniture
Kingwood
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 1900s Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Steel, Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Giltwood
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze, Wrought Iron