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.
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Tables
Wood
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Mahogany, Walnut
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Tables
Pine
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
Early 19th Century Belgian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1980s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1780s Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Stone, Bronze
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Metal, Iron, Gold Leaf
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
2010s North American Neoclassical Tables
Mirror, Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
2010s American Neoclassical Tables
Leather, Rosewood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass, Bronze
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Oak
20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Brass
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Giltwood, Burl
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble, Brass
1810s American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
1940s North American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Maple
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Glass, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass, Bronze
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Mirror, Wood
Early 19th Century British Antique Neoclassical Tables
Gold Leaf
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Tables
Satinwood
20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Tables
Malachite, Brass, Bronze, Ormolu
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany, Giltwood
1970s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Late 18th Century British Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble