Neoclassical End 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.
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Brass
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Carrara Marble, Metal
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical End Tables
Marble
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Iron
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical End Tables
Brass
1960s Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Glass
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical End Tables
Bronze
1970s English Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Marble, Brass
Early 20th Century Neoclassical End Tables
Bentwood
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical End Tables
Travertine, Metal
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical End Tables
Marble, Brass
1970s American Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Wood
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Marble, Brass, Iron
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Iron
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical End Tables
Oak
20th Century French Neoclassical End Tables
Marble, Bronze
1970s American Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Marble
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Brass, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Brass
20th Century Neoclassical End Tables
Marble
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical End Tables
Mahogany
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Marble
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Brass
20th Century French Neoclassical End Tables
Marble, Bronze
1940s Greek Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Bronze, Metal
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century European Neoclassical End Tables
Brass
20th Century American Neoclassical End Tables
Mahogany
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical End Tables
Maple
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical End Tables
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical End Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical End Tables
Brass
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical End Tables
Mirror, Wood
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Brass, Steel
1970s Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical End Tables
Brass
1960s Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Brass
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Wood
20th Century American Neoclassical End Tables
Mahogany, Burl
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical End Tables
Brass
20th Century American Neoclassical End Tables
Walnut
20th Century American Neoclassical End Tables
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical End Tables
Maple
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical End Tables
Brass
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Brass
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century Neoclassical End Tables
Satinwood
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical End Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical End Tables
Walnut
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical End Tables
Breccia Marble
20th Century French Neoclassical End Tables
Marble, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical End Tables
Brass