Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail 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.
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Steel, Brass
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Mirror, Wood
Early 1900s French Antique Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Brass, Steel
2010s Italian Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Glass, Wood
20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Chrome
17th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Steel
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Glass, Mirror, Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass, Steel
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Iron
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
2010s Italian Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Brass
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Travertine, Metal
1970s Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Iron
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
1970s European Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Travertine, Metal
1980s Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood, Burl
1930s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Mirror, Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Ormolu
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Brass
Late 18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood, Giltwood
20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Nickel
20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Chestnut, Ebony, Maple
1810s French Antique Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Brass, Zinc
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Cherry
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Metal
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Walnut, Burl
1970s American Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Steel, Chrome
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Scagliola, Giltwood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble
20th Century Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Iron
20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass, Wrought Iron
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Alabaster, Marble
1980s Philippine Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Copper
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Lucite
2010s Italian Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
1970s American Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Mahogany, Burl
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Mahogany, Burl
20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Poplar
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Walnut
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass, Chrome





