Neoclassical Side 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.
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Side Tables
Brass
Early 19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Brass, Ormolu
20th Century American Neoclassical Side Tables
Hardwood
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Side Tables
Brass
1790s Italian Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Wood
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Bronze
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Birch, Mahogany
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Side Tables
Marble, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Side Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Side Tables
Marble, Brass
20th Century Neoclassical Side Tables
Brass
Early 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Cherry
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Wood
20th Century North American Neoclassical Side Tables
Rosewood
Mid-18th Century British Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Marble, Gold Leaf
Early 19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Slate
1880s French Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Birdseye Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Side Tables
Brass
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Ormolu
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Side Tables
Bronze
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Wood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Marble, Gold Leaf
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Giltwood
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Side Tables
Cherry
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Side Tables
Marble
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Side Tables
Granite
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Side Tables
Wood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Granite, Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century American Neoclassical Side Tables
Walnut
1970s Vintage Neoclassical Side Tables
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Side Tables
Wood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Side Tables
Onyx, Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Marble, Bronze
20th Century French Neoclassical Side Tables
Marble
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Side Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Side Tables
Onyx, Bronze, Ormolu
18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Iron
20th Century American Neoclassical Side Tables
Maple
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Wood, Rosewood
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Wood
2010s Italian Neoclassical Side Tables
Griotte Marble, Marble, Gold Leaf
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Marble, Ormolu, Tôle
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Side Tables
Maple
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Side Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Onyx, Ormolu, Bronze, Enamel
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Mahogany, Rosewood
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Side Tables
Brass, Steel
20th Century American Neoclassical Side Tables
Hardwood, Paint, Mahogany, Satinwood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Marble
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Side Tables
Mirror
20th Century French Neoclassical Side Tables
Brass
20th Century American Neoclassical Side Tables
Walnut
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Wood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Side Tables
Brass
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Side Tables
Wood