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 Italian Neoclassical Tables
Walnut, Giltwood
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Granite, Brass, Iron
17th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Leather, Mahogany
Early 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Giltwood, Burl
Late 20th Century Philippine Neoclassical Tables
Brass, Iron
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Cherry
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
1950s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze
2010s Italian Neoclassical Tables
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Iron
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Tables
Mirror, Wood
Early 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Tables
Stone
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Marble
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Cherry
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble, Metal
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Wood
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Iron
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Plaster, Wood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Leather, Pine, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Maple
1810s American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Maple
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Fruitwood, Satinwood, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
20th Century European Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Oak
1920s British Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1990s Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Aluminum
1760s North American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Birch
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Metal
Mid-20th Century Danish Neoclassical Tables
Teak
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Metal
1990s American Neoclassical Tables
Marble