Neoclassical Serving 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 Serving Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Serving Tables
Walnut
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Serving Tables
Travertine, Brass, Steel, Bronze
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Serving Tables
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Serving Tables
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Serving Tables
Limestone
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Serving Tables
Marble
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Serving Tables
Breccia Marble, Statuary Marble
2010s American Neoclassical Serving Tables
Metal
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Serving Tables
Wood
18th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Neoclassical Serving Tables
Wood
1790s Swedish Antique Neoclassical Serving Tables
Marble
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Serving Tables
Walnut
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Serving Tables
Mahogany
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Serving Tables
Bronze
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Serving Tables
Metal, Brass
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Serving Tables
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass, Chrome
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass, Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Serving Tables
Crystal, Brass
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
1830s British Antique Neoclassical Serving Tables
Abalone, Mahogany
1970s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Serving Tables
Marble, Brass, Copper
1840s English Antique Neoclassical Serving Tables
Marble
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century European Neoclassical Serving Tables
Mahogany
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass, Bronze
20th Century French Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
20th Century French Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass
20th Century French Neoclassical Serving Tables
Brass