Neoclassical Furniture
Neoclassical design emerged in Europe in the 1750s, as the Age of Enlightenment reached full flower. Neoclassical furniture took its cues from the styles of ancient Rome and Athens: symmetrical, ordered, dignified forms with such details as tapered and fluted chair and table legs, backrest finials and scrolled arms.
Over a period of some 20 years, first in France and later in Britain, neoclassical design — also known as Louis XVI, or Louis Seize — would supersede the lithe and curvaceous Rococo or Louis XV style.
The first half of the 18th century had seen a rebirth of interest in classical antiquity. The "Grand Tour" of Europe, codified as a part of the proper education of a patrician gentleman, included an extended visit to Rome. Some ventured further, to sketch the ruins of ancient Greece. These drawings and others — particularly those derived from the surprising and rich archaeological discoveries in the 1730s and ’40s at the sites of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum — caused great excitement among intellectuals and aesthetes alike.
Neoclassical furniture is meant to reflect both grace and power. The overall appearance of neoclassical chairs, tables and cabinetry is strong and rectilinear. These pieces are, in effect, classical architecture in miniature: chair and table legs are shaped like columns; cabinets are constructed with elements that mirror friezes and pediments.
Yet neoclassicism is enlivened by gilt and silver leaf, marquetry, and carved and applied ornamental motifs based on Greek and Roman sculpture: acanthus leaves, garlands, laurel wreaths, sheaves of arrow, medallions and chair splats are carved in the shapes of lyres and urns. Ormolu — or elaborate bronze gilding — was essential to French design in the 18th and 19th centuries as a cornerstone of the neoclassical and Empire styles.
As you can see from the furniture on these pages, there is a bit of whimsy in such stately pieces — a touch of lightness that will always keep neoclassicism fresh.
Find antique neoclassical furniture today on 1stDibs.
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Furniture
Marble, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
1890s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Gold, Bronze
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
1930s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Furniture
Ormolu, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Marble, Onyx, Ormolu, Bronze, Enamel
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-20th Century European Neoclassical Furniture
Stone, Marble, Brass, Bronze
1970s Spanish Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Gold
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
Early 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Brass, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Onyx, Bronze, Enamel
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century Spanish Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
1950s Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century Russian Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
2010s American Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Metal, Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 1900s Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Rock Crystal, Bronze
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze, Other
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Griotte Marble, Bronze, Other
20th Century European Neoclassical Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze, Other
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Griotte Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Onyx, Bronze, Ormolu
Early 19th Century Polish Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Alabaster, Vermeil
1860s French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
1890s American Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Griotte Marble, Bronze
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze