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.
1830s Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
18th Century British Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Nickel, Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Ormolu
1910s Unknown Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
2010s American Neoclassical Tables
Metal
Early 19th Century Irish Antique Neoclassical Tables
Other
Early 19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Giltwood, Mahogany
2010s North American Neoclassical Tables
Mirror, Wood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Iron
1790s Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Gold Leaf
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Burl
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Gold Leaf, Bronze
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Ebony, Satinwood, Giltwood, Burl
Early 1900s French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Zinc
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
1940s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Silver Leaf
1980s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Ormolu
2010s Italian Neoclassical Tables
Mirror, Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Onyx, Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Gold Leaf
20th Century North American Neoclassical Tables
Rosewood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1880s French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Tables
Ormolu
1880s French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Birdseye Maple
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Giltwood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Giltwood
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1920s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Early 19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Slate
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Iron
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Early 1800s Swedish Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
18th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Tables
Marble
20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Hardwood
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Paint
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood