Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
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.
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Oak
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Brass
Early 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Wood, Leather
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Cherry
1810s French Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Mahogany, Yew
1810s American Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Marble
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Faience, Mahogany
1820s Dutch Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Brass
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Wood
2010s American Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Mahogany
18th Century and Earlier British Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Early 20th Century British Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Walnut
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century French Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Wood, Paint
Early 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Wood, Mahogany, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Mahogany
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Wood
20th Century North American Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Rosewood
1950s American Vintage Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Wood
Early 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Brass
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Wood
Early 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Cherry
Early 1800s Italian Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Mahogany, Olive, Rosewood, Walnut
1920s European Vintage Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century Philippine Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Stone
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Cherry, Satinwood, Walnut, Burl
19th Century Dutch Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Velvet, Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Bone, Ebony, Mahogany
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Mahogany, Satinwood
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Card Tables and Tea Tables
Brass