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.
2010s French Neoclassical Furniture
Paper
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Carrara Marble
18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Silver
Early 19th Century Irish Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Giltwood
19th Century Irish Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Majolica
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Marble, Bronze
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Marble
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Furniture
Wood
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Silver, Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century Irish Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Mirror, Giltwood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Wool, Wood
1970s European Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze, Steel
1790s Italian Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Wood
Early 1800s Spanish Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
1930s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Alabaster
Mid-19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze, Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s French Neoclassical Furniture
Paper
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Silver
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Ormolu
1930s Swedish Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Velvet, Birch
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Silver
1910s American Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Iron
1870s Italian Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Terracotta
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Creamware
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Iron
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Creamware
19th Century Irish Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Iron
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Scagliola
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Sterling Silver
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Wood, Velvet
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Earthenware
1780s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Furniture
Marble, Metal
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Marble
Mid-19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Silver
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
Early 1800s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Furniture
Malachite
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Stone, Marble
1890s Danish Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Silver
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Ceramic
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Stone, Limestone
1770s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Sterling Silver
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Ceramic, Wood
1870s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Stoneware
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Marble
20th Century French Neoclassical Furniture
Malachite, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze, Enamel
2010s French Neoclassical Furniture
Paper