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
Giltwood
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Oak
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Belgian Black Marble, Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany, Rosewood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Slate
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Breccia Marble, Siena Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Onyx, Ormolu, Bronze, Enamel
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
18th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Giltwood
20th Century North American Neoclassical Tables
Iron
Late 20th Century European Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Scagliola, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Ebony, Walnut, Giltwood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Carrara Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Fruitwood, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany, Tulipwood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Scagliola, Walnut
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Cherry
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mirror, Giltwood
18th Century American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Tables
Ormolu
20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tables
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Bentwood
2010s Italian Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Scagliola, Wood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Pine
20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Silver
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Ormolu