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 Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Cherry, Ebony
20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Stone
19th Century Scandinavian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Hardwood
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Mid-19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Pine, Mahogany, Oak
2010s Italian Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Ormolu
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Cherry
20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Maple
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century European Neoclassical Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Ormolu
1920s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Oak
Mid-20th Century Danish Neoclassical Tables
Teak
20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Breccia Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Hardwood, Paint, Mahogany, Satinwood
1870s Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Fir
20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Brass
20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Metal
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
2010s French Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Cherry, Oak
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Ormolu
20th Century English Neoclassical Tables
Hardwood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Pine, Lacquer
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble, Ormolu
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1890s Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Wood
2010s French Neoclassical Tables
Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Neoclassical Tables
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary North American Neoclassical Tables
Hardwood
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Silk, Mahogany, Sycamore
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Scagliola, Giltwood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Fruitwood, Mahogany, Giltwood