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.
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1790s Swedish Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Metal, Iron, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Tables
Travertine, Wrought Iron
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1970s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Iron
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Leather, Wood
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Early 19th Century Belgian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1810s American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass, Bronze, Lead
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass, Steel
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Breccia Marble, Statuary Marble
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1970s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Iron
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Tables
Brass
2010s American Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Silver
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
18th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Stone, Slate
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Tables
Travertine, Wrought Iron
1970s Philippine Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Copper
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Goatskin
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Steel, Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Neoclassical Tables
Metal
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany, Rosewood
1940s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass, Gold Leaf
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Chrome
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Ormolu
17th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1880s French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble, Bronze
1970s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass, Steel, Silver Leaf
1980s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1910s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Carrara Marble
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Tables
Ceramic