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.
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Metal
Late 19th Century German Antique Louis XV Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century American Antique Louis XV Furniture
Tapestry, Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Silk, Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Linen, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
19th Century Antique Louis XV Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Canvas, Paint
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ceramic, Faience
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Textile, Oak
1890s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Late 19th Century European Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Breccia Marble
1890s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Oak
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
1860s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood, Fabric
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
1880s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Giltwood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Rosewood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood, Walnut
1870s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Boxwood, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Mirror, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Metal, Steel
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Mirror, Wood, Giltwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Mirror, Giltwood
1880s American Antique Louis XV Furniture
Mother-of-Pearl, Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Crystal, Brass
1820s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Oak
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
1890s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Oak
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
1890s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Breccia Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Giltwood
19th Century English Antique Louis XV Furniture
Mirror, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Mirror, Birdseye Maple, Oak, Rosewood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Metal, Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Giltwood
1880s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Pine
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Fabric, Fruitwood
19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Furniture
Metal, Gold
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Paint
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
1850s French Antique Louis XV Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Walnut