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.
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass, Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Tables
Silver Leaf
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Slate
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Fruitwood
20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Wood
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Gesso, Wood, Paint
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
19th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Beech
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Metal
Late 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Tables
Composition
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1950s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1890s American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Metal, Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Granite, Brass, Steel
2010s American Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Burl, Walnut
Early 2000s American Neoclassical Tables
Leather, Wood, Paint
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass, Steel
1950s Unknown Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Leather, Oak
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Cherry, Ebony
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Fir
1940s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Giltwood, Paint, Gesso
20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Granite, Iron
2010s American Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Composition
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Tables
Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Neoclassical Tables
Stone