Neoclassical 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.
1930s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Paint
1910s Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble, Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Leather, Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Metal, Nickel
20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1830s Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Travertine
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Cast Stone, Brass, Iron
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Brass, Nickel
1890s American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Fruitwood
20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Brass, Bronze
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Tables
Composition
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Metal, Brass
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Burl, Walnut
Late 20th Century Spanish Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1980s Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Pine
1820s American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Paint
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Tables
Travertine, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Metal
1940s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Giltwood, Paint, Gesso
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Tables
Iron
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Stone, Marble
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Cherry, Ebony
1950s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Stone, Brass
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Bronze, Nickel
1940s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Metal, Iron, Brass
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Mirror
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
20th Century European Neoclassical Tables
Bronze