During Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 A.D., Pompeii and Herculaneum in today’s Italy were preserved as they were on the day of their destruction. Particularly at Herculaneum, furnishings were carbonized beneath volcanic ash. This was pivotal to understanding how Classical Roman furniture was designed. Archaeological investigations and printed reproductions of discoveries would influence styles evoking this ancient civilization, from the Renaissance to neoclassicism.
While knowledge of Classical Roman furniture comes from rare surviving pieces, it is also derived from frescoes and sculptures portraying Roman life. Much of Roman art, architecture and design was informed by Greece — Roman architect, military engineer and writer Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, whose timeless De architectura is taught in contemporary architecture classes and pays tribute to classical architecture, visited Greece while working under Julius Caesar and admired the country’s architectural developments. The Roman solium references the Greek thronos, a stately chair of honor with an upright form and footstool. As the Roman Empire spread across Europe and into North Africa and Western Asia, the expansion of trade for silver, silk, marble and wood allowed for more luxurious designs.
Classical Roman furniture was made from bronze, wood and stone — in particular, marble — with ornate touches like tortoiseshell veneers, bone and glass inlays and claw feet. Ornaments depicting lion heads and mythological figures were sculpted from silver, bronze and ivory. Compared to the decorative attention given to the mosaic floors and wall paintings, however, furniture for even a wealthy house was minimal. It focused on the necessities for guests arriving for both socializing and business and the rooms housing family, relatives and enslaved people.
The triclinium dining room had banquet couches, items so prized they were sometimes interred with the deceased. Tall bronze or terracotta candelabras held oil lamps for lighting. Carved marble tables reflected status, while the lararium home shrine demonstrated faith.
Find a collection of Classical Roman decorative objects, tables, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Classical Marble Carved Stone Sink Basin
Located in Cranbrook, Kent
Classical Italian sink basin cut from one single block of white marble with serpentine shaped front and gadrooned carving, these Greek/Roman designs quite happily suit either old or ...
Carrara Marble
Top Quality & Larg Size, Timeless Design Alabaster Pendant Light Ceiling Fixture
Located in Lisse, NL
Top class light fixture with a stunning alabaster shade. Thanks to its unique design, its large size)19.9 inches in diameter) and its truly good condition this alabaster chandelier ...
Alabaster, Brass, Wire, Metal, Bronze
Fragment of an Oscillum. Ancient Roman, 1st–2nd century AD. Marble. 38 cm.
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Fragment of an Oscillum Roman 1st–2nd century AD Marble 38 cm high, 20.3 cm long and 2.5 cm thick; 42.5 cm high including the stand. Condition: Preserves approximately half of t...
Marble
$2,092Sale Price|20% Off
Magnificent Bust of the Greek God Ares
Located in London, GB
Magnificent Bust of Ares Ancient Greek God of War His Head slightly turned to his Right Antique white finish Plaster
Plaster
Rose Sculpture Vase 13 Roses Hand Carved Italy Pink Onyx Block Limited Edition
By Pieruga Marble, Barberini & Gunnell
Located in Ancona, Marche
"Roma Imperiale" is not just a vase or rather a sculpture, imagine it as a memory, the memory of a nobility now dissolved, a suspended memory, forgotten in a secret garden, of those ...
Onyx, Marble
21st Century Studio Irvine Concrete Circular Dining Table Green Cement handmade
Located in Rome, Lazio
Rounded shape dining table part of a collection of modular system in ultra-high performing cement mortar. UHPC tabletop and base colored in the mixture and sandblasted. Available in ...
Concrete
Antique Italian White 7 Piece Carved Alabaster Pedestal Column
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This elegant carved alabaster column features a classical architectural form rendered in softly veined, warm-toned stone. The slender cylindrical shaft is accented by finely turned r...
Alabaster
Majestic Pink Onyx Sculpture Vase Subjects Roses Leaves Floral Handmade in Italy
Located in Ancona, Marche
"Le Vie en Rose" is not just a vase or rather a sculpture, imagine it as a memory, the memory of a nobility now dissolved, a suspended memory, forgotten in a secret garden, of those ...
Onyx, Marble
Rose Sculpture Table Lamp 13 Roses Hand Carved Pink Onyx Block, Linen Lampshade
Located in Ancona, Marche
"Roma Imperiale II" is not just a table lamp or sculpture, imagine it as a memory, the memory of a nobility now dissolved, a suspended memory, forgotten in a secret garden, of those ...
Onyx, Marble
Vintage Grand Tour Bronze Bust of Emperor Caesar Augustus on Sienna Marble
Located in San Diego, CA
Vintage Grand Tour Bronze Bust of Emperor Caesar Augustus on Sienna Marble, circa early 1900s. A piece of imperial history with this classic Grand Tour bronze bust of Augustus Caesar...
Marble, Bronze
21st Century, Studio Irvine Fusto Console Table Mod.i Concrete Light Blue Cement
Located in Rome, Lazio
Console table part of a collection of modular system in ultra high performing cement mortar. UHPC shelves and abutment colored in the mixture and sandblasted. Available in three diff...
Concrete
Period Marble Carved Stone Sink Basin
Located in Cranbrook, Kent
Classical Italian sink basin cut from one single block of white marble with serpentine shaped front and gadrooned carving, these Greek/Roman designs quite happily suit either old or ...
Limestone
$3,105 / item
Marble Scalloped Sink Basin
Located in Cranbrook, Kent
Classical Italian scalloped sink basin cut from one single block of Carrara marble. Optional backsplash Custom sizes available
Marble
$760Sale Price / set|20% Off
Wedgwood Jasperware lidded boxes serving bowls classicism Mid-Century England
By Wedgwood
Located in Wien, AT
The set of Wedgwood consists of three lidded boxes in different shape and design and two small serving bowls of which one can be used as an ashtray. All is made of the famous but r...
Ceramic
Tall Corinthian Column Wood Pedestal Stand
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Bring a touch of classical architecture into your home with this impressive Corinthian Column Pedestal. This classic column style stand features wood on all sides. Certainly makes a ...
Wood
Wood Painted Gustavian Style Column Pedestal Statue Stand
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Bring a touch of classical architecture into your home with this impressive Roman vintage inspired pedestal painted in a Gustavian color of taupe/gray. This stand features intricate ...
Wood, Paint
Tall Corinthian Column Painted Plaster Gesso Pedestal Stand
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Bring a touch of classical architecture into your home with this impressive vintage Corinthian Column Pedestal. This classic column style stand is painted faux marbleized on all side...
Plaster, Gesso
Medallic Ancient Silver Coin (Tetradrachm) of Alexander the Great
Located in London, GB
A medallic and beautifully preserved ancient silver tetradrachm, bearing a particularly fine portrait of one of the greatest heroes from antiquity - Heracles. On the obverse, the hea...
Silver
Classical Female Plaster Torso Figural Bust Sculpture on Wood Base, MMA
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Vintage MMA classical female torso plaster sculpture object by Metropolitan Museum of Art. This large Roman or Greek figural reproduction Venus de Medici or Aphrodite sculpture feat...
Plaster, Wood
An Antique French 19th Century Bronze Warwick Urn
Located in London, GB
The vase is made of bronze and features a large, bell-shaped body adorned with intricate reliefs. Its design includes classical motifs such as Bacchic (related to Bacchus, the god o...
Bronze
Antique 18th-century Southern European chestnut wood coffee table
Located in Harderwijk, NL
This beautiful antique 18th-century Southern European chestnut coffee table features two drawers and a fully functional lock complete with its original key. A coffee table is an ess...
Wood, Chestnut
21st Century Studio Irvine Betti Coffee Side Table Mod.I in Concrete red Cement
Located in Rome, Lazio
Surrealism, primitivism, metaphysics and brutalism. Art together with architecture and design build a scenario of inspirations and continuous references through which the material ri...
Concrete, Metal
21st Century Studio Irvine Fusto Concrete Coffee Side Table Silver Grey Mod. III
Located in Rome, Lazio
Surrealism, primitivism, metaphysics and brutalism. Art together with architecture and design build a scenario of inspirations and continuous references through which the material ri...
Concrete
Exquisite Roman Marble Foot, ex-Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection
Located in London, GB
This evocative Roman marble foot is a timeless remnant of the sculpture it was once part of. Sensitively carved and polished, it reveals the hand of a master sculptor, and hints at t...
Marble
Ancient Roman Upper part of a torso of Mercury in marble
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Upper part of a torso of Mercury. Ancient Rome · 2nd century AD. Marble. 64 cm with the stand. Provenance - Private collection of C. M., Leuven, Belgium. Acquired between 1980 an...
Marble
French Porcelain Bust of Classical Male
Located in Houston, TX
French porcelain bust of a classical male. This vintage French porcelain bust sculpture is mounted on a marble base and dates to the 1940s. ...
Marble
Italian Marble Bust of Venus Italica on Frosted Lucite Base
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
An exquisite marble bust from the early 19th Century portraying a female figure. A true testament to the craftsmanship of after Antonio Canova of Italy. This piece stands atop a 2 ti...
Marble
Classical Carrara Marble Shell Sink
Located in Cranbrook, Kent
This timeless beautiful Italian classical sink is cut from one single block of white Carrara marble, the design with a set in shell style is taken from Greek and Roman times, the pie...
Carrara Marble
1910s Imperial Grand Rapids Carved Solid Walnut Trestle Table
Located in Germantown, MD
Very Rare 1910s Imperial Grand Rapids trestle table in fine carved walnut wood. Top made out of Banded and bookmatched dark walnut veneer. Table ...
Hardwood, Walnut, Burl
Elegant antique English desk / writing table from the mid-19th century
Located in Harderwijk, NL
This elegant and practical antique English desk, writing table, or side table is crafted from mahogany and dates from the mid-19th century. Its refined proportions and timeless desig...
Wood
French Carved Marble Stone Sink Basin, Early 20th C.
Located in North Miami, FL
This antique French shell wall-mounted sink basin, recently rescued from a Southampton Estate, is carved from carrara marble and retains the mount...
Carrara Marble
Ancient Roman, Toracata statue of Emperor in marble
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Toracata statue of emperor Ancient Rome · Reign of Domitian, 81-96 AD. Marble 181 cm high; 80 cm wide; 30 cm deep Documents: - Study report on the age of the piece issued by Dr....
Marble
Classical Marble Circular Marble Stone Sink
Located in Cranbrook, Kent
Another unique piece of design, this timeless Italian classical sink is cut from one single block of white Carrara marble, the circular design is taken from Greek and Roman times. Th...
Carrara Marble
$11,355Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair of Old Italian Stone Garden Vases. Florence, Late of 18th Century
Located in Budapest, HU
Extraordinary pair of vases dating back to the late 1700s and coming from a villa on the hills of Fiesole (Florence).
Cement
Pair of Tall Faux Sienna Marble Tuscan Style Columns
Located in Nashville, TN
With faux and real distress, faked and real cracks, crevices, nicks ,dings etc. Tuscan, a Roman style with Doric influence. Simple entablature with no fluting to the shaft. Well de...
Scagliola
Ancient Roman Bronze Herm on Stand, 1st-4th Century AD
Located in Bradenton, FL
Ancient Roman Bronze Herm Statue dating from the 1st to 4th Century A.D. A herm was a statue consisting of a a head atop a square pillar, originally an artifact to honor the god Herm...
Bronze
Antique Roman Byzantine Bronze Oil Lamp, Silenus Mask Lid, 1890
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
An Antique Roman Byzantine style bronze oil lamp with elaborate open work handle with pierced palm frond and swan neck handle, with pear form body, and circular wick mouth, centered ...
Bronze
19th Century Italian Terracotta Bust of a Classical Male
Located in Houston, TX
19th century Italian terracotta bust of a classical male. This monumental antique Italian terracotta bust sculpture of a classical Roman male is a well executed statement piece and...
Terracotta
Large antique English shop counter / fabric counter from the 19th century
Located in Harderwijk, NL
This large antique English shop counter, dating from the 19th century, has a luxurious appearance and features brass measuring rulers in the top, a detail rarely seen. The back is fi...
Brass
Leonardo Da Vinci The Complete Paintings Hardcover Coffee Table Book
By Leonardo da Vinci
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Leonardo da Vinci. The Complete Paintings. Book by Pietro Marani Da Vinci in detail: Leonardo's life and work all paintings. One of the most fully ac...
Paper
$201,085 / item
Ancient Roman Apollo Citaredo
Located in BARCELONA, ES
24.5 cm with the stand. Provenance - Galerie Nina Borowski, Paris. - Private collection, Mr. Fleischman, New York, acquired from the previous owner in November 1985. - Inherited fro...
Bronze
$600Sale Price / set|20% Off
19th Century Italian Zinc Flame Finials on Distressed Wood Bases
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This pair of 19th-century finials features sculptural flame motifs cast in metal, likely zinc, known for its durability and weather resistance. Each flame form rises organically with...
Zinc
Specimen Marble Cocktail Table with a Custom Iron Base
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This table is comprised of multiple specimen marble squares measuring 1.75" X 1.75". The table top rests inset the base and is raised .75" from the base. The marble specimens represe...
Marble, Iron
Mid 20th Century Italian Burl Olive Arched Beveled Wall Mirrors
By Palladio
Located in Southampton, NJ
An unusual mid 20th century version of Classic Italian 'Serliana" shape Olive Burl-wood arched wall mirrors with distinct Palladian architecture design elements. Substantial construc...
Brass
Vintage 1956 Royal Doulton Don Quixote D6455 Porcelain Toby Character Jug Mug
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage 1956 Royal Doulton Handled Don Quixote D6455 Large Porcelain Toby Character Jug Mug. Circa Mid 20th Century. Measurements: 7.5" H x 6.5" W x 6" D.
Ceramic, Porcelain
$3,750
Italian Curule Armchair
Located in Woodbury, CT
Iron, brass and leather curule armchair. Originally meant for Roman magistrates, this version features tooled and gilded leather on an iron frame with ...
Brass, Wrought Iron
$156Sale Price|20% Off
Petite Bronze Etruscan Reproduction Sculpture 1970s Italy
Located in San Diego, CA
A small Etruscan bronze statue circa the 1970s made in Italy mounted in a black stone base the base shows a crack and repair it can easily be replaced...
Stone, Bronze
Bust of the Apollo Belvedere in Natural Stone, 2nd Half 20th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Apollo, the Roman god of light, spring, music, song, and poetry. The Apollo Belvedere is among the most celebrated ancient marble sculptures and has been regarded as a masterpiece of...
Stone
$4,430 / item
Classical Style Serpentine Marble Sink
Located in Cranbrook, Kent
A period style newly made sink cut from one block of Carrara marble, features a serpentine shaped fully gadrooned molded surround. Ideal for either old or new properties. Custom ...
Carrara Marble
Ancient Roman Gold and Carnelian Intaglio Ring, Depicting a Hound
Located in York, GB
Provenance: Private collection, Oxford, formed in the 1970's-1990's. An ancient roman gold and carnelian intaglio ring with a hound depicted on the intaglio stone. Weighing 7 gram...
Gold
Classical Roman Style Bathtub, Solid Marble, Custom Sizes
Located in Cranbrook, Kent
Classical Roman style bathtubs Solid one piece manufacture Designs in various marbles with custom sizing and design options available Small or la...
Carrara Marble
19th Century Italian Alabaster Bust
Located in Houston, TX
19th century Italian alabaster bust. Well sculpted antique Italian alabaster or marble bust of a classical female mounted on a plinth. This is a beautifully detailed antique alabaster bust...
Alabaster
High relief carved from white Carrara marble—“Battle with a Knight”—Made in Italy
Located in Tarquinia, IT
Carved white marble high relief HIGH-RELIEF: An Ancient Roman Battle Made n Italy A high relief carved from white Carrara marble depicting a battle featuring a Roman knight The total...
Carrara Marble
Sheepskin 2-seater sofa with a warm cognac brown colour scheme
Located in Harderwijk, NL
This beautiful sheepskin leather 2-seater sofa features a warm cognac brown colour and is beautifully finished with black piping. It is fitted with loose seat cushions. A good sofa ...
Leather, Sheepskin
Large ‘ship-wreck’ wine amphora, Ancient Roman, circa A.D. 1st - 3rd century
Located in York, GB
Provenance: Le Futur Anterieur, France; Mary K. F. Leong collection, Washington, acquired between 1980 - 1990; Arte Primitivo, New York, Fine Pre-Columbian, & Tribal Art, and Cla...
Terracotta
Decortiche Continental Porcelain and Gilt Metal and Cherubs Compote Centerpiec
By Tiche, Porcelaine d'arte Milano
Located in Germantown, MD
Marked Decortiche (Tiche, Porcellane d’Arte). Roman Style Magnificent Centerpiece compote with oval bowl having a blue floral border and gilt metal rim on a bisque porcelain cherub f...
Metal
Antique English sideboard from the early 18th century made of oak
Located in Harderwijk, NL
This sideboard is a true showpiece for any lover of genuine antique items! Dating back to the 18th century, it can easily be placed in both classic and modern interiors. It is made o...
Wood, Oak
Carrara Marble Classic Kitchen Sink
Located in Cranbrook, Kent
Carrara Marble Classic Kitchen Sink A simple natural design ideal for a kitchen or bathroom for old and new buildings, superb warm veined character stone cut from one piece of Carrar...
Carrara Marble
Large antique 19th-century English oak display cabinet/shop cabinet
Located in Harderwijk, NL
This large antique 19th century English oak display cabinet and shop cabinet features multiple glass shelves and sliding glass doors. It has developed a beautiful patina and shows si...
Glass, Oak
Byzantine Mosaic Panel of Hermes, of the Classical Roman Type
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This brilliant and large mosaic panel is composed of multicoloured tesserae on a cream ground, depicting the seated god Hermes. Dynamically rendered, he wears his winged cap, a toga...
Marble