Louis XIV Console Tables
As opposed to the styles that would follow from the other 18th-century French kings, Louis XV and Louis XVI, antique Louis XIV furniture is rigid and imposing. It expresses opulence — even its armchairs, with their upright backs, straight legs and lavish ornamentation, look like thrones. Authentic Louis XIV sofas, a then newly emerging iteration of seating, are fully upholstered and often feature decoratively carved frames of walnut, chestnut or oak.
When French King Louis XIV established his royal court at Versailles in 1682, he transformed what was once a hunting lodge into a palace that declared his wealth and power through its design. Until his death in 1715, he reigned with a spirit of excess and absolute political dominance. The “Sun King,” as he called himself, believed that France revolved around him as planets do the sun. Louis XIV adopted the sun as his emblem, decorating the grounds with symbols of the sun and Apollo, the Greek god of the sun. As he stated, “There is nothing that indicates more clearly the magnificence of great princes than their superb palaces and their precious furniture.” He was a child when he became king in 1643, only shaping his style after he became absolute monarch in 1661.
Reflecting trends in French Baroque art, Louis XIV furniture characteristics included exuberant decoration. There were gilded bronze details including shells, suns, grotesques, lions and classical references like acanthus leaves. The years of growth in the country’s manufacturing, such as the tapestries and cabinets made at Gobelins, led to design innovations. The commode replaced the chest as a storage device, with drawers and a surface that could double as a desk.
The materials were luxurious, such as the popular tortoiseshell veneer technique that leading cabinetmaker Pierre Golle used in his designs. André-Charles Boulle, who became royal cabinetmaker in 1672, was a masterful artist of marquetry, using inlays of ebony, exotic woods and mother-of-pearl.
Find a collection of antique Louis XIV bedroom furniture, chairs, tables and other pieces on 1stDibs.
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
17th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Wood
17th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Wood
1710s French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
17th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Cherry
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Brass, Ormolu
1710s Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Pine
19th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
17th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Walnut
1880s French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Oak
1920s French Vintage Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
20th Century Unknown Louis XIV Console Tables
Wood
1870s French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Griotte Marble
1930s Unknown Vintage Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble, Brass
Early 18th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
1870s French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Griotte Marble
Late 20th Century European Louis XIV Console Tables
Mahogany, Paint
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Stone, Marble
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
Late 20th Century Italian Louis XIV Console Tables
Giltwood, Corian
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Stone
Early 18th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Carrara Marble
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Wood, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
Late 20th Century French Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
1880s French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Carrara Marble
Early 18th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Wood
Early 18th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Wood
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
Early 18th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
1880s French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
Mid-20th Century Louis XIV Console Tables
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Wood, Giltwood
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Rosewood, Felt
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Giltwood
17th Century French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Brass, Copper, Pewter
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Scagliola, Wood
Mid-20th Century French Louis XIV Console Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Marble
18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Wrought Iron
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Console Tables
Pine, Paint