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.
1970s Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Glass, Burl
Early 19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1940s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass, Steel
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wrought Iron, Gold
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Steel
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Early 1900s Antique Neoclassical Tables
Oak
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Gold Leaf
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Early 19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Giltwood, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Maple
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Neoclassical Tables
Porcelain, Wood
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Breccia Marble
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Gold Leaf
1940s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass, Gold Leaf
1930s English Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1870s Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Mirror, Oak
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Tables
Birch, Mahogany
1810s Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Gesso, Walnut, Pine, Paint
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Ormolu
1810s Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Silk, Kingwood, Giltwood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Steel
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Metal, Brass, Nickel
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
1790s Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1820s Dutch Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
18th Century British Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Marble
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Stone
2010s French Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Oak
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Oak
2010s American Neoclassical Tables
Stone, Stainless Steel
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Limestone, Steel
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
1810s German Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Giltwood
1980s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Wood





