Rococo Furniture
Rococo was an aesthetic movement in the fine and decorative arts in the 18th century that found its inspiration in nature and fostered an overall lightness and delicacy of form, construction and ornament in interior design. Rococo furniture, while greatly influenced by trends in Italy and Germany, is often called Louis XV style — the movement having reached its best expression during that sybaritic French king’s reign.
The term “rococo” is thought to be a portmanteau of the French words rocaille and coquilles — “rock” and “shells” — organic motifs frequently used in architecture and design of the style.
When it comes to authentic Rococo furniture's characteristics, it is above all sensuous and social. The furniture of earlier eras in Europe had been heavy in every sense; the Rococo period saw the appearance of light-framed upholstered armchairs, side chairs and occasional tables that could easily be moved to form conversational circles.
The signal detail of Rococo furniture design is the gently curved cabriole, or S-shaped chair-, table-, and cabinet-leg. It imitates the bend of a tree limb or a flower stem. In a further reference to nature, furnishings were often asymmetrical and painted white, or in soft, pastel shades. Rococo has become a timeless style, and as the furniture pieces presented on 1stDibs demonstrate, its playful, sculptural forms can provide visual excitement to contemporary, clean-lined spaces.
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Rococo Furniture
Gold Leaf
1890s French Antique Rococo Furniture
Gold Leaf
19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Ormolu
Early 19th Century Dutch Antique Rococo Furniture
Brass
1850s German Antique Rococo Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Giltwood, Mirror
19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Ormolu
1880s German Antique Rococo Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century German Antique Rococo Furniture
Porcelain
1890s Slovak Antique Rococo Furniture
Mirror, Plaster, Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Rococo Furniture
Wood
1870s German Antique Rococo Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Onyx, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Bronze
Mid-19th Century British Antique Rococo Furniture
Gesso, Giltwood
1880s French Antique Rococo Furniture
Gold Leaf
19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Bronze
1880s French Antique Rococo Furniture
Gold Plate, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Breccia Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Rococo Furniture
Gesso, Canvas, Wood
19th Century Scandinavian Antique Rococo Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Silver
Late 19th Century English Antique Rococo Furniture
Wood
19th Century European Antique Rococo Furniture
Giltwood
19th Century British Antique Rococo Furniture
Agate, Silver
1820s Italian Antique Rococo Furniture
Beech
19th Century Italian Antique Rococo Furniture
Siena Marble
19th Century German Antique Rococo Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century Antique Rococo Furniture
Malachite, Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Rococo Furniture
Mirror, Wood
1820s Italian Antique Rococo Furniture
Beech
1870s German Antique Rococo Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Sterling Silver
Mid-19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Canvas
Mid-19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Paint
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Rococo Furniture
Silver Plate
19th Century Polish Antique Rococo Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Rococo Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Rococo Furniture
Blown Glass, Mirror, Wood, Giltwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Rococo Furniture
Mirror, Murano Glass
19th Century Antique Rococo Furniture
Marble
Mid-19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Wool
19th Century Dutch Antique Rococo Furniture
Wood, Paint
19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Iron
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Rococo Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1890s French Antique Rococo Furniture
Bronze
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Rococo Furniture
Giltwood
19th Century Italian Antique Rococo Furniture
Mirror, Giltwood
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Rococo Furniture
Pine, Paint
19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Marble, Iron, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Giltwood
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Rococo Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
19th Century French Antique Rococo Furniture
Canvas, Paint