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.
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Iron
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Poplar
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Nickel, Brass, Steel
20th Century Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Bronze
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass, Steel
1950s American Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Glass, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Philippine Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Metal, Brass
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Chrome
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Spanish Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Glass, Walnut
20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble
Mid-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
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
1950s American Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Walnut
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Steel, Bronze, Brass
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Iron
20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Nickel
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Nickel
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass, Bronze
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Bronze
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Bronze
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble
20th Century American Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Bamboo
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass, Bronze
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Granite, Bronze, Nickel
20th Century Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Abalone
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Iron
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Silver
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Maple, Burl, Walnut
1970s European Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Travertine, Metal
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass, Steel
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Nickel
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Metal
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Onyx, Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Brass, Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Crystal
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Oak, Mirror
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Iron
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
20th Century Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Iron
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Travertine, Iron
1920s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Mirror, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Steel
1940s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Stone, Crystal, Iron
20th Century French Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Mirror, Wood