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.
1880s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Ceramic, Stoneware
1910s English Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
1880s French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
1810s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Paper
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
1760s French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Paper
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Paper
1780s French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Paper
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century Neoclassical Furniture
Paper
Early 20th Century British Neoclassical Furniture
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Furniture
Giltwood, Paper
1950s Danish Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
1990s English Neoclassical Furniture
Ceramic
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Furniture
Pottery
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Furniture
Majolica, Wood, Faience, Earthenware
20th Century English Neoclassical Furniture
Rock Crystal
Mid-20th Century German Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century Belgian Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Paper
1910s English Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
1910s English Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
1910s English Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
1880s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Pottery
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
1920s Belgian Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Crystal
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
1910s English Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
1910s English Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
1890s German Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
1930s German Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
1880s European Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze