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.
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Metal, Brass, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Bronze, Steel
Early 19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Spanish Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1990s Indonesian Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
17th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Steel
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
1970s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Maple
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1990s American Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Early 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
2010s American Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Early 1800s French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
1810s Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Gesso, Walnut, Pine, Paint
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Marble
19th Century British Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
1950s Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wrought Iron, Gold
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Oak
1760s North American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Birch
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Iron
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Composition
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Giltwood, Paint
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Iron
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Neoclassical Tables
Onyx, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Tables
Travertine, Wrought Iron
2010s American Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
1970s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Glass, Lucite
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Tables
Travertine, Wrought Iron
1950s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Wood
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1960s Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Glass