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.
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Paint
1970s Spanish Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Gold Leaf
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Metal
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Terracotta
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Ormolu
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Ormolu
1930s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Iron
18th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wrought Iron
1820s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tables
Metal
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tables
Metal
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Ash, Beech
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tables
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany, Tulipwood
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Tables
Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Pine
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Travertine, Metal
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Glass, Scagliola, Giltwood
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Mirror, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tables
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Breccia Marble, Siena Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tables
Bentwood, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tables
Metal
Early 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
2010s Italian Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble
Early 1800s French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Ormolu
Early 1900s French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1840s Czech Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Giltwood
19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Tables
Ormolu