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Louis XVI Furniture

LOUIS XVI STYLE

Reflecting the final era of royal opulence before the upheaval of the French Revolution, antique Louis XVI furniture features more angular shapes than the Rococo curves of the Louis XV style, harkening back to the imposing grandeur of Louis XIV.

Dating between 1750 and 1800, an era that overlapped with the last king of France whose reign was cut short by the guillotine, Louis XVI furniture, known as the goût grec, is emblematic of the neoclassical revision that French furniture underwent during the second half of the 18th century.

Authentic Louis XVI furniture characteristics include clean lines and carved details such as scrolls and acanthus flourishes that were inspired by ancient Greece and Rome. This was informed by a burgeoning interest in antiquity in the 18th century, owing to new archaeological excavations at sites including Pompeii and Herculaneum. It largely eclipsed the more East Asian–influenced ornamentation of Louis XV for something more geometric and symmetrical.

The Louis XVI style was defined by what was being created for the palatial rooms at Versailles and Fontainebleau, particularly for the queen, with cabinetmaker Jean-Henri Riesener being a favorite of Marie-Antoinette’s for his luxurious pieces accented with gilded bronze and marquetry. Furniture maker Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené was also a major designer of the period, with his pieces for the royal residences adorned with giltwood and neoclassical touches like tapered columns for chair legs and laurel leaf carvings. Cabinetmaker Adam Weisweiler occasionally incorporated into his furniture porcelain panels produced by Sèvres, a popular manufacturer of European ceramics that served the crown with serveware, vases and other decorative objects.

Find a collection of antique Louis XVI seating, tables, cabinets and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Style: Louis XVI
Italian Ebonized And Giltwood Side Tables W/ French Louis XV Styling -Pair
Located in Kennesaw, GA
This is a pair of ebonized side tables with gilt accents. They have a modern interpretation of Louis XV styling. Each table has a single drawer. They are unmarked.
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Poplar

Gilt Bronze and Sèvres Style Porcelain Louis XVI Style Casket on Stand
Located in London, GB
Gilt bronze and Sèvres style porcelain Louis XVI style casket on stand This magnificent Louis XVI style ormolu casket is supported by a mirror-topped table stand, which sits on four tapered, fluted legs connected by a curving X-form stretcher. In the centre of this stretcher is an ormolu urn decorated with rams heads, four hoof feet and birds on the top. The legs of the table are also ornately decorated with draped garlands and scrolled detailing. The apron is inset with Sèvres style porcelain plaques depicting scenes of cherubs and children in landscapes as well as decorative floral detailing, and is surmounted with laurel leaf mounts. The casket itself is of oval architectural form, and is set on fourteen small feet. It features further porcelain plaques depicting cherubs, musical instruments and a central oval portrait of Queen Marie Antoinette within a crowned gilt cartouche. Her portrait is flanked by two cherubs and is sat within a decorative royal blue border, matching the turquoise colored borders of the other plaques. The reverse of the casket is similarly decorated and features a painted plaque of her husband King Louis XVI. The plaques are separated by mounted ormolu columns decorated with crowns and draped laurel leaves, and each column is surmounted by floral crowns. Each curved side of the casket features an ormolu mask of a female figure, and the hinged lid is surmounted by two reclining female figures wearing draped dresses and holding a central crown. The casket opens at the lid to reveal a velvet interior. There is an inscription below the portrait of Marie Antoinette which spuriously reads ‘This casket formerly property of Marie Antoinette, presented to my beloved wife as souvenir of our European tour / Sept 8th 1886 / Louis L...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

19th Century Pair of Italian Sconces Louis XVI Style Gilt Bronze, 1880 circa
Located in Milano, MI
A pair of Louis XVI style, chiseled and gilt bronze three-armed antique wall sconces, of Italian origin, dating back to the late 19th century. Original and beautiful bronze casting ...
Category

Late 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Style Oak Marble Top End Table Nightstands
Located in Long Branch, NJ
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Style Oak Marble Top End Table Nightstands Dimensions : 18.5" Wide X 14" Deep X 28" Tall This bea...
Category

Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Oak

French Louis XVI Style Mahogany Bench or Diminutive Settee
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Exquisite French mahogany bench seat or diminutive settee crafted in the style of a small daybed. The hand-carved frame features an arched head and f...
Category

20th Century French Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Wood

Midcentury French Louis XVI Style Gilt Painted Striped Armchair
Located in Lambertville, NJ
French Louis XVI style cream and gilt painted wood armchair custom upholstered in a fabulous Geoffrey Beene inspired striped fabric by Schumacher. This round back chair features beau...
Category

Mid-20th Century Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Upholstery, Wood, Paint

Pair of 18th Century French Louis XVI Carved Wood Column Pedestals
Located in Houston, TX
Pair of 18th century French Louis XVI carved wood column pedestals. This gorgeous pair of carved wood with gesso Neoclassical style fluted columns or pedestals are great stand alone ...
Category

18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Wood

Louis XVI French Provincial Neoclassical Gilt Wood Marble Top Table
Located in Elkhart, IN
A stunning Louis XVI Neoclassical style wall-mounted console table France, Circa early 20th century Carved gilt wood, with foliate swags and hooved feet, and pink, gray , & white m...
Category

Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Marble

20th Louis XVI Style Marquetry Nightstands with Metal and Mirror Crest, a Pair
Located in Miami, FL
Louis XVI style pair of marquetry nightstands with metal crest one-drawer and one compartment. Originals handles and garniture. Measures: Total heigh...
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Metal

An Important 19th Century French Henry Dasson Commode in the Louis XVI Style Aft
Located in Benington, Herts
An Important French Mahogany and Gilt Bronze Commode in the Louis XVI Style by Henry Dasson (1825-1896) after the design in 1788 for the Kings Cabinet at Saint-Cloud by ebeniste Adam...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Louis XVI Fireplace In Gray Ardennes Marble, 18th Century
Located in Honnelles, WHT
Louis XVI fireplace in gray Ardennes marble, Restored shelf : see pictures Dimensions of the hearth: 96.5 x 140 cm
Category

18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Marble

Large Notary Writing Desk Louis XVI Style
Located in BARSAC, FR
Rare Louis XVI style notary writing desk made of mahogany frieze marquetry and light wood and rosewood fillet friezes. Four solid mahogany fluted legs joined by a spacer shelf. Fre...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Mahogany

Fantastic 19th Century French Dore Bronze Mounted Blue Opaline Crystal Box
Located in New York, NY
A Fantastic 19th century French Louis XVI Style Dore Bronze Mounted Blue Opaline Crystal Box. The box is composed of two sections of French opaline crystal which are mounted to a fab...
Category

1890s French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Crystal, Bronze

Louis XVI Walnut Fall Front Desk / Secretaire
Located in Darmstadt, DE
This Louis XVI walnut slant-front secretary desk is a fine example of 18th-century French craftsmanship and sophistication, ideal for collectors and interior enthusiasts seeking time...
Category

18th Century German Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Spruce, Walnut

Paint Decorated French Louis XVI Tapestry Upholstered French Salon Set
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This is a superb parlor or salon set from a famous (though we can't say who) philanthropist from Manhattan. The set features gorgeous tapestry upholstery which we believe is Aubusson...
Category

1920s French Vintage Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Tapestry, Walnut

Pair Of Marble And Bronze Cassolettes, 19th Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Pair of Louis XVI style cassolettes, in green marble with rich gilded bronze ornamentation: rams' heads, flower garlands Good general condition, regilded bronzes, old restorations a...
Category

19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Marble, Bronze

French 19th Century Louis XVI Style Mahogany Center Table
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A spectacular French mid-19th century Louis XVI style mahogany and marble center table. The rectangular frame is crowned with a slab of Calacatta type marble in ethereal veining of g...
Category

19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Marble, Ormolu

French Trumeau Louis XVI Children Scene, Late 18th Century
Located in Labrit, Landes
Late 18th century, Louis XVI Trumeau. The mirror is no the original, the painting representing a children scene needs a restoration Good condition. For shipping: 5 x 165 x 74 c...
Category

1790s French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Mirror, Wood

Elegant French 19' Century Gilt Living Room Suite with a Sofa and Four Armchairs
Located in Rome, IT
This extraordinary and finely carved and gilt -wood 6 piece suite comprising of one sofa, four armchairs and two single chairs with original gilding. Upholstery is in very good condi...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Giltwood

French 19th Century Louis XVI Style Center Table
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A versatile Louis XVI style center table from the 19th century, it has excellent proportions and color to suit a number of functions around the home from console, to occasional table...
Category

19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Marble

Louis XVI Style Burl Chest
Located in Westwood, NJ
Chest embodies the refined elegance of 18th-century French design through its masterful use of book-matched burl veneers and delicate inlays. Each drawer front showcases symmetricall...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Wood

1790s Louis XVI Period French Painted Sofa with Oval Back and Carved Foliage
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Louis XVI period sofa from circa 1790 with antique beige painted finish, oval back, carved foliage and fluted legs. Indulge in the romance of bygone eras with this exquisite...
Category

Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Upholstery, Wood

Louis XVI Leather Top Mahogany Desk
Located in Westwood, NJ
A mahogany and brass mounted bureau plat desk, with a leather inset writing surface and three frieze drawers, on turned legs French. The original Lou...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Brass

Marble Mortar from 18th Century
Located in Marcq-en-Barœul, Hauts-de-France
This nice mortar is made of white marble. This is a French work from 18th Century
Category

1780s French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Marble

Louis XVI Style Parcel Gilt / White Painted Pier / Trumeau Mirror
Located in Tarry Town, NY
Elevate your living space with this Very Large Trumeau Overmantel or Pier Mirror, a stunning piece of decor designed in the French Louis XV style. This mirror is not just a reflectiv...
Category

19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Mirror, Wood, Paint

French 19th Century Louis XV-XVI Ormolu Mounted Marquetry Commode Marble Top
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Very Fine French 19th Century Louis XVI-Louis XVI Transition Style Ormolu-Mounted Mahogany, Birdseye Maple, Fruitwood and Sycamore Marquetry and Parquetry Commode with a Brèche d'Alep Marble-Top, after the model by Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806). Circa: 1870-1880. The finely detailed commode with rounded sides, finely chased ormolu mounts with their original mercury gilt, a single center apron drawer with wreath ormolu pulls and an acanthus plate...
Category

19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Marble, Bronze, Ormolu

P.E Guerin Bronze And Glass Coffee Table
Located in Essex, MA
In the French taste with shaped circular top with inset thick glass with bronze reeded border. The square tapered fluted legs headed by a rosette and a laurel swag. Signed by maker u...
Category

1970s American Vintage Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Bronze

A French Louis XVI style ebonized mahogany, leather-top writing desk, C 1940.
Located in Philadelphia, PA
The apron being trimmed in bronze moldings above a single drawer all supported by slender turned legs. This is a very hard size to find and, not only works as a desk, but it would al...
Category

Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Antique Old Paris Porcelain Inkwell, Early 19th Century
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
Antique early 19C Old Paris Porcelain Inkwell Additional information: Materials: Porcelain Color: Gold Brand: Old Paris Designer: Old Paris Period: ...
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

19th Century Monumental Black Marble Antique Fireplace Surround
Located in Made, NL
Monumental Louis XVI black marble mantle in excellent condition. A true masterpiece. The carving is of such a high quality showing the true art of ...
Category

Late 19th Century Belgian Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Belgian Black Marble

Small 18/19th Century French Giltwood Louis XVI Style Mirror
Located in Buisson, FR
Small giltwood Louis XVI style mirror with its original mirror glass France, circa 1760-1850 Weathered, small ,losses and old repairs.
Category

19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Wood

21st Century, Hand Carved Clear crystal and Golden Bronze Table lamp
Located in Calenzano, FI
21st century hand carved clear crystal and golden bronze table lamp. This table lamp is finely chiseled lost wax castings and hand-grounded gl...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Crystal, Bronze

Ebonized Center or Writing Table, Napoleon III Period
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
An imposing Napoleon III center table (or 'Table de Milieu') in ebonized fruit wood, rectangular in shape, with rounded sides. Its ornate top, which is bordered all around with a gilt bronze frieze and two further inner bands, features at its centre an intricate marquetry inlaid design of a foliage cartouche framing a vase of flowers. The smoothly curving belt of the table encloses a frieze drawer on one long side, with a repeat, inlaid design that echoes that of the top. The table rests on four turned, tapered and fluted legs, ending in toupie feet, and these are connected by two half-moon spacers...
Category

19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Brass

GIANMARIA BUCCELLATI Italian Sterling Silver Tray Louis XVI style
Located in VALENZA, IT
Rectangular tray by Gianmaria Buccellati. The tray was made entirely by hand, starting from a sheet of sterling silver and hammered. The corners of the tray are rounded. A striped an...
Category

2010s Italian Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Sterling Silver

Antique French Louis XVI Style Sunburst Inlaid Bedside Cabinet
Located in Forney, TX
A stunning antique Louis XVI style bedside cabinet with outstanding patina. Hand crafted in France during the late 19th / early 20th century, having a marble-top on a parquetry and s...
Category

Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Metal

French Louis XVI Style Silvered Metal Jardiniere and Plateau
Located in Dallas, TX
A French Louis XVI style silvered metal jardinière and matching plateau.
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Pair of 18th Century French Communication Doors Circa 1790
Located in Atlanta, GA
This exquisite pair of French communication doors from the late 18th century, circa 1790, showcase the refined craftsmanship typical of the period. The doors are made from rich, dark...
Category

18th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Wrought Iron

SALE 19th Century French Louis XVI Mahogany Inlaid Ladies Desk Brass Ornaments
Located in Sofia, BG
This is a beautiful antique French mahogany inlaid Ladies writing desk made circa 1890. The fall front opens to reveal an interior of leather writing surface, and bank of three drawe...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Mahogany

Buffet haut en bois de rose et plaque de marbre style Louis XVI Francais
Located in London, England
Meuble en bois de rose style Louis XVI recouvert d'une plaque de marbre et des finitions en bronze sculptées. Adapté en meuble pour recevoir une télévision ainsi que pour la hi-fi...
Category

20th Century French Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Pair French Louis XVI Ivory Painted Oval Back Arm Chairs with Celadon Highlights
Located in San Francisco, CA
each neoclassical open armchair with beaded framed oval back above a bowed tight seat over a beaded apron flanked by scrolled arms and uprights with acanthus carving; raised on reede...
Category

Early 1800s French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Wood, Paint

19th Century French Silver Plated Bronze Table or Vanity Mirror Louis XVI Style
Located in Sofia, BG
French silver plated bronze vanity mirror richly decorated in Louis XVI style. Circa 1880.
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Antique 19th Century, Louis XVI Style Carrara Marble Fireplace Mantel
Located in New York, NY
A Spectacular Large antique 19th century French Louis XVI Style ormolu bronze mounted hand carved white carrara marble fireplace mantel of exquisite craftsmanship. The rectangular wh...
Category

19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Carrara Marble, Bronze

19th Century Dore Bronze Mounted Blue Opaline Cut Crystal Box
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This classic blue opaline cut crystal box catches the light in such a way as to make it seem as if it’s glowing from within. Note the lean cut and smooth edges of its crystal facets....
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Bronze

18th Century Bleached French Walnut Louis XVI Chest of Drawers / Commode
Located in Carmine, TX
Louis XVI chest of drawers hand-made in France in the mid 1800s using walnut for both the case as well as the veneer. This chest of drawers was originally built and used as vestments...
Category

Late 18th Century Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Walnut

19th Century French Louis XVI Style Carved Velvet Settee
Located in Doylestown, PA
Wonderful 19th century French Louis XVI style settee. Inspired by French forms of the baroque period, the settee has beautifully carved wood detail throughout. The carved leaf and...
Category

19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Paint

French 19th Century Louis XVI Style Ormolu-Mounted Grandfather - Tall Case Clock
By Kahn
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Very Fine French 19th Century Louis XVI style ormolu-mounted amaranth, tulipwood, sycamore and parquetry pedestal "Régulateur de Parquet" Clock, after the model attributed to Jean-...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Louis XVI Column Pedestal with a Red Veined Marble Top
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
An imposing 19th century Louis XVI-style solid wooden pillar, perfect for displaying small sculptural works or even architectural houseplants. Sitting on a substantial, square-shaped...
Category

19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Marble

20th French Louis XV Style Walnut Desk or Library table with Drawer
Located in Miami, FL
This elegant fruitwood desk was created in France, circa 1920. Made of blond walnut timber, the large writing table sits on four legs The front has a wide opening with plenty of kne...
Category

Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Bronze

French Parisian Maison Gouffé Louis XVI Style Painted Daybed W/ White Chenille
Located in Astoria, NY
A Magnificent 1930s French Parisian Daybed by Maison Gouffé in Grand Louis XVI Style. Sourced from Paris, this exquisite daybed epitomizes the elegance of the Grand Louis XVI style. ...
Category

Early 20th Century Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Chenille, Wood, Paint

Pair of 19th Century French Canapé in Style Louis XVI
Located in Charleston, SC
Elegant pair of 19th century French settees/banquette in Louis XVI style. The painted frames richly carved; the top gracefully curved, the seat rails and the fluted legs with florets...
Category

19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Paint

Magnificent Pair of Ormolu-Mounted Pink Chinese Porcelain Vases
Located in New York, NY
Magnificent Pair of Ormolu-Mounted Pink Chinese Porcelain Vases – A Fusion of East and West This fabulous and large pair of 19th-century Louis XVI style ormolu-mounted Chinese porcelain covered vases / jars is a stunning testament to the opulence and artistry of the era. The exquisite pink ground porcelain, an export creation from late 19th-century China, features vivid hand-painted enamel decorations depicting majestic Chinese roosters...
Category

19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Furniture

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Large Antique Italian Micro Mosaic plaque of St. Peters Square, Rome mid 1800's
By Vatican Mosaic Studio
Located in New York, NY
A Very Large and Exceptionally Fine Quality Antique Italian Micro-Mosaic Plaque Depicting "The Saint Peter Square" in Rome. The center medallion surrounded by a beautiful Laurel Wreath in multiple shades of Green Mosaic amidst a black Belgium Marble border. The interior rounded subject depicts Saint Peter Square which is found in Rome, Italy. The entire center panel is made up of a captivating array of tesserae in a variety of shapes and colors, which create this stunning mosaic construct. When inspected from up-close, small rectangular tesserae are found in an assortment of colors, which include: white, green, blue, red, black, brown, orange etc. When the subject is seen from afar, a fantastic image of the entire Saint Peter Square can be viewed as if a painting has been created. The oil on canvas of this scene, by was sold in Christie's Auction for over $2,000,000 USD. The plaque rests in a custom ebonized and gilt square frame. This can be used as a decorative object on the wall to serve as a painting, or, be converted to a table-top by mounting it on a table stand. Rome, Circa: 1850 Giovanni Paolo Panini (Piacenza 1691-1765 Rome), View of Saint Peter's Square, Rome. From Christie's Auction: Giovanni Paolo Panini arrived in Rome in 1711, painting capricci and architectural pieces in a vigorous if slightly eccentric style, and by 1719, when he was admitted to the Academy of St. Luke and the virtuosi al Pantheon, he was a rising star in the Roman art world. From around 1719-1726 he was much in demand for decorative frescoes, including quadratura, ornament and landscape and other genres, often in collaboration with figure or flower painters. During this period he worked for Cardinal Patrizi at Villa Patrizi, Cardinal Annibale Albani at Palazzo Albani (now del Drago) alle Quattro Fontane, Livio de Carolis at Palazzo de Carolis, Cardinal Alberoni at Palazzo Alberoni, Innocent XIII Conti in the Quirinal and in the library of S. Croce in Gerusalemme. In 1724 he married Caterina Gosset, the sister-in-law of Nicolas Vleughels, the director of the French Academy in Rome, to which he was admitted in 1732, and as a result he was much patronized by the French. During the 1720s he developed his figure style away from the awkwardness of his early works into one that concentrated on groups of stylishly-dressed aristocrats and skillfully modelled bystanders, sibyls and pseudo-antique figures. These he noted down in drawings (such as a sketchbook in the British Museum) that he drew upon to populate his paintings. He also began to receive commissions to design and record temporary festivals, often for French ambassadors to Rome. By the beginning of the 1730s Panini was developing a distinctive subgenre of the capriccio in which recognizable monuments are placed in imaginary topographical relationships, which were well-received in the classicizing era of Clement XII Corsini. In 1732 he was one of the panel of judges for the competition instituted by Clement for the Lateran façade, and in the following year painted an impressive View of Piazza del Quirinale for the pope. At about this time he was developing his best-known topographical subjects, interior views of St Peter's and the Pantheon, which were much in demand, to judge by the number of extant versions extending into the 1750s. By about 1734 he was beginning to attract the attention of English patrons, who ordered sets of Roman views, such as those at Marble Hill House (1738) and Castle Howard. In 1736, through Filippo Juvarra, he received important commissions from Philip V of Spain for scenes of the life of Christ in the Chinoiserie room at La Granja in Spain (1736). From as early as the 1720s he had been producing some vedute (view-paintings), initially based on prototypes by Gaspar van Wittel, and he developed the genre in subsequent decades in works that would include impressive panoramic views of the Forum or Palatine, although his staple genre was the capriccio rather than the veduta. He also expanded his repertory of church interiors, adding such churches as S. Paolo fuori le Mura and S. Agnese in Piazza Navona, as well as church interiors recording special events. His son by his first marriage, Giuseppe (1718-1805), began to support him in architectural and festival design projects. By the 1740s Panini was at the peak of his powers, and evidently had a considerable workshop helping him meet demand, especially of capricci to be used as overdoors and other decorative installations. Giovanni Paolo was successful in elevating himself socially above the usual artisanal status of genre painters, and would sometimes include a self-portrait in paintings commissioned by the great and powerful. He also appears to have been successful financially, and owned a substantial palazzo in via Monserrato. He increasingly concentrated on important commissions, such as a view of the Lottery in Piazza Montecitorio (London, National Gallery, 1743-1744), the designs for the festival decorations for the birth of the Dauphin in Palazzo Farnese (Waddesdon Manor, 1751), or the view of an imaginary picture gallery housing the collection of Cardinal Valenti Gonzaga (Wadsworth Atheneum, 1749). In the mid-1750s he received an important series of commissions from the Duc de Choiseul, French ambassador to Rome and soon to become one of the most powerful men in France, that included his best-known compositions, Ancient Rome (Roma Antica) and Modern Rome (Roma Moderna). These large paintings, of which there are three sets (in Boston and Stuttgart, the Metropolitan Museum, and the Louvre) represent imaginary picture galleries based on the Valenti Gonzaga composition but hung with what purport to be Panini's own vedute of ancient and modern sites respectively (with corresponding pieces of sculpture). These paintings sum up the eighteenth-century canon of the greatest works of architecture and sculpture, and the equivalence between modern and ancient Rome. By this time Panini was being assisted by his son by his second marriage, Francesco (1748-1800), who was a skilled draughtsman and painter who continued his father's work after his death in 1765. The Farnborough Hall paintings The Piazza S. Pietro and the Campidoglio are important vedute by Panini painted in 1750 and originally installed, with other works by Panini and Canaletto, in the seat of the Holbech family, Farnborough Hall, Warwickshire (National Trust). Farnborough Hall had been inherited in 1717 by William Holbech (circa 1699-1771), who is documented on the Grand Tour in Florence, Rome and Venice from late 1732 until his return home at the end of April 1734 with his brother Hugh. Holbech is said to have gone on the Grand Tour to recover from a broken heart and to have spent a considerable time there prior to these documented appearances. During his time in Rome he acquired two Paninis, which were seen by an anonymous antiquary around 1746, who referred to various sculptures "all brought from Rome with two pictures, one of the Rotunda, and the other of diverse buildings by Panino" (British Library, Add. MS 6230, pp. 31-32). The Rotunda (the Pantheon) is a painting now in a private collection in New York, and is signed and dated 1734. The Diverse Buildings, which was probably one of Panini's capricci, has not been identified. On his Grand Tour Holbech seems also to have acquired two Canalettos, although they are not mentioned by the antiquary, who may only have had eyes for things Roman. In about 1746-1747, Holbech remodelled the house by creating a Saloon, now the dining room, at the back of the house. This room, the entrance hall, the staircase, library and closet were stuccoed by William Perritt of York, and a bill for this work dated 14 November 1750 survives (or survived until recently; G. Beard, Decorative Plasterwork in Great Britain, London, 1975, p. 233). The two Canalettos acquired on the Grand Tour were installed in the Saloon, together with two new works commissioned from Canaletto, who was then in England and working nearby at Warwick Castle in 1748. The two Paninis acquired on the Grand Tour may have been installed in the Library, as Alastair Laing assumes (op. cit.), while three new works commissioned from Panini in Rome were placed in the Hall and Saloon: the Piazza S. Pietro for the overmantel in the Hall (fig. 1), the Campidoglio as the overmantel in the Saloon (fig. 2), and an Interior of St Peter's (now in Detroit) (fig. 3) on the adjacent wall facing the windows. Two of the Canalettos flanked the Campidoglio, while the others were on the opposite wall. The Interior of St Peter's was therefore effectively the fifth member of the Canaletto set, distinct from the two overmantels. Holbech's installation of his Canalettos and Paninis in fixed stucco frames was unusual for England in 1750, and had probably been inspired by what he had seen on his Grand Tour in Northern Italy, where fixed stucco installations of canvases were common in the 1720s and 1730s (Cornforth, II, p. 51). The Campidoglio and the Interior of St Peter's are both signed and dated 1750, a date that corresponds to the payments for the stucco. The commission for the new Paninis would have been made through an agent, possibly the Roman dealer in antiquities Belisario Amidei from whom some of the antique busts in the Hall were acquired in 1745, who was also a picture dealer; or perhaps the painter Pietro Berton, who on 7 December 1750 shipped a Panini to England. The paintings were sold to Savile Gallery in 1929 and replaced by copies by one Mohammed Ayoub. The four Canalettos were exhibited at Savile Gallery in 1930 and entered the London art trade, finding their way at various times to Augsburg, Melbourne, Ottawa and a private collection. The Paninis seem to have been resold immediately to Knoedler & Co. in New York. When the stucco was removed from the library by Holbech's great-grandson, another William Holbech, shortly after his succession in 1812, the Interior of the Pantheon and the Diverse Buildings may have been taken down. Although there is no record of either painting being at Farnborough subsequently, the Interior of the Pantheon at least must have remained there, since it appeared at Knoedler's in 1930 at about the same time as the other Paninis, and was presumably acquired at the same time from the same source. The Campidoglio was a rare subject for Panini: this is the only known extant version, apart from fictive versions in the Metropolitan Museum (1757) (figs. 4) and Louvre (1759) versions of his Roma Moderna composition (but not in the first Boston version of 1757). Probably Holbech insisted on the choice of subject in order to represent the centre of Rome's civic administration to complement the religious one of St Peter's. The Campidoglio may have been of interest to English patrons because it represented the seat of a form of government they were more comfortable with than the papacy. For example, Canaletto painted the subject, together with English subjects, for Thomas Hollis, 'the most bigoted of all Republicans' in 1755, who may have wanted to 'represent London as the heir to the legacy of Ancient Rome and Renaissance Italy' (see Michael Liversidge and Jane Farrington, eds., Canaletto and England, exhibition catalogue, Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, London, 1993, p. 25). Canaletto also painted the subject for Sir Richard Neave, Ist Baronet (1731-1814) of Dagnam Park, Essex, at the end of his English stay or shortly afterwards (i.e. 1755-1766) (sold, Sotheby's, London, 10 July 2002, lot 8). Like Holbech, Neave mixed Venetian and Roman subjects, but his Roman subjects steer clear of St Peter's: the others were the Piazza del Quirinale and Piazza Navona. While Holbech had gone to both Venice and Rome and commissioned views of both cities, Rome sets the keynote for his decoration: antique busts line the Hall, and its religious and civic centres are the overmantels in the Hall and Saloon respectively. The Piazza S. Pietro The Piazza S. Pietro shows the piazza much as it appears today, apart from the absence of Valadier's late eighteenth-century clocks on the towers. Bernini's colonnade (1656-1667), both ends of which are visible, reaches out its arms to embrace the viewer. In the center of the piazza is the obelisk moved by Sixtus V in 1586 from the left side of the church where it had formed part of the Circus of Nero. On either side are two fountains, the one on the right by Carlo Maderno (1613) and the one on the left created to match it by Carlo Fontana in 1677. Beyond is the rectangular forecourt to the church, the piazza retta, leading to the façade by Maderno, completed in 1610, and the dome by Michelangelo, Giacomo della Porta and Domenico Fontana. To the right of the façade the roof of the Sistine Chapel is just visible, followed by the Cortile di S. Damaso, the palace of the Swiss Guards and the palace of Paul V. A Cardinal is being driven in a carriage across the piazza at the right in the direction of the Borgo Nuovo and Ponte S. Angelo with his blue-liveried retinue and subsidiary carriages. Unlike the later versions of the subject that depict the Duke de Choiseul, there seems to be no intent to portray any particular cardinal: the procession of a cardinal here is presented simply as characteristic activity within the piazza. Various groups of figures, including well-dressed women in brightly colored dresses, Swiss Guards, priests, gentlemen, idlers and a pilgrim are distributed around the piazza. In the foreground an imaginary heap of fallen masonry provides visual interest in an otherwise dead space. Panini painted the Piazza S. Pietro on a number of occasions, and his works falls into two types, one with the viewpoint shifted slightly to left of the axis, as in the Farnborough Hall version, and one with it shifted slightly to the right. The first type is based on a composition by Gaspar van Wittel, of which there are numerous versions from 1684 until 1721 (Fig. 9 van Wittel). The work by Panini that seems closest to Van Wittel and therefore probably the earliest is the version in the Circolo della Caccia, Rome, which has been dated to the second half of the 1730s, but is probably a decade or so earlier. Another, on the London art market in 2002-2009, and a version with workshop participation at Sotheby's, Milan (20 November 2007, lot 137) and currently on the art market in Rome, are closer to an important painting in Toledo (Arisi no. 308) that is signed and dated 1741 (fig. 6). Van Wittel employed a wide format (about 2:1), showed both of the end faces of the colonnade almost to their full extent, and introduced the theme of a heap of masonry to enliven the foreground. His choice of perspective implies a viewpoint located in the small piazza between the Borgo Nuovo and Borgo Vecchio, now the Piazza Pio XII at the top of the Via della Conciliazione. From this viewpoint a building at the left tended to interfere with the view of the end of the left arm, as can be seen from the Nolli map...
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