Classical Greek Drawings

CLASSICAL GREEK STYLE

There is rare surviving furniture from ancient Greece, yet this classical style has informed design for centuries. Interiors of houses in antiquity were minimal, with much of a room’s color coming from frescoes on the walls and mosaics on the floors. Classical Greek furniture was sparing but finely crafted and influenced by Egyptian furniture design through Mediterranean trade.

Furnishings of the period were usually made from local wood like cypress, cedar, oak and willow from ancient Greece’s plentiful forests, although some pieces were carved from marble, such as a 300–200 B.C. throne with lion legs and a curved back now at the Getty Villa. Comfort and clean lines characterized designs during the Classical era, the symmetry and thoughtful proportions reflecting the architecture of Greek temples.

Some pieces of ancient Greek furniture were simple, rectangular platforms like the klinē, a multipurpose ancestor of today’s couches or daybeds that held cushions stuffed with wool, dry grass or down. These structures were used for both sleeping and dining, which wealthy Greeks did while reclining. At night, oil lamps illuminated rooms that frequently surrounded a garden courtyard.

Most of what scholars have learned about Greek furniture design owes to its representations in art like vases and stelae. The portable diphros stool, with its backless design and four turned legs, was one of the more common types of seating in daily Greek life — it appears as such for the gods on the Parthenon frieze. Stools without backs have been found in early Roman tombs, while benches were also common Greek seating furniture created for use in theaters. In houses of the Hellenistic period, benches seemingly functioned as tables, too.

Some designs evolved through adaptations by the Romans, including the klismos chair. After prominent archaeological excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum, the klismos chair — with its four saber legs and the elegant curves that define its back — was a source of inspiration for aesthetics in eras ranging from 18th-century neoclassicism to 20th-century Art Deco.

Find a collection of Classical Greek decorative objects, wall decorations and building and garden elements on 1stDibs.

Style: Classical Greek

Portrait Study, Drawing of a Greek Head or Bust, 1940s

$1,164

Portrait Study, Drawing of a Greek Head or Bust, 1940s

Located in ROUEN, Normandie

Portrait Study, Drawing of a Greek Head or Bust, 1940s. Stunning drawing of a Greek profile ! Signed at the bottom right corner by the name of the artist "V. Lacasia". The drawin...

Category

Mid-20th Century French Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Glass, Oak, Paper

A Pair Of Framed Neoclassical Style Pencil Drawings In Distressed Silver Gilt

$2,670 / set

A Pair Of Framed Neoclassical Style Pencil Drawings In Distressed Silver Gilt

Located in London, GB

A pair of `framed classical Roman/Greek drawings in distressed silver gilt frames on good quality paper with wonderful aging. Signed by artist this male and female pair French la...

Category

20th Century French Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Parchment Paper

Set of Four Drawings of Study of Archaeological Piece Greek Vases 18th Century

$2,069Sale Price|20% Off

Set of Four Drawings of Study of Archaeological Piece Greek Vases 18th Century

Located in Beuzevillette, FR

Set of four studies of archaeological excavations of the 18/19th in Nola and Sicily. Nola is known to be a city at 20 km from Pompeii, very famous for its archaeological wealth. The ...

Category

Late 18th Century Italian Antique Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Paper

19th Century Neoclassical Pencil Drawing of Greek Figure, Black Frame

$951

19th Century Neoclassical Pencil Drawing of Greek Figure, Black Frame

Located in Lincoln, GB

A Grand Scale Academic Study of a Classical Greek Figure This impressive 19th-century pencil drawing is a superb example of the Neoclassical tradition. Executed on a grand scale, the...

Category

19th Century British Antique Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Paper

Classical Drawing of a Young Man

$3,800

Classical Drawing of a Young Man

Located in Essex, MA

Well drawn and unsigned. Depicting a silhouette of a classical Greek gentleman with red headband. Very well drawn by good artist by unsigned.

Category

18th Century European Antique Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Paper, Crayon

Male Nude Study in Pencil 1940s

$1,450

H 25.6 in W 20.48 in D 0.79 in

Male Nude Study in Pencil 1940s

Located in Tilburg, NL

Nude Study in Pencil, Europe, 1940s. Beautiful and well drawn study with a male nude kneeling. Wonderful atmosphere and very elegant. At the underside of the paper there are also a few other drawings of...

Category

Mid-20th Century European Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Paper

German Classical Drawing of an Ancient Statue

$3,300

H 37.25 in W 31.25 in D 1 in

German Classical Drawing of an Ancient Statue

Located in Hudson, NY

This finely done German drawing is an excellent example of classical study work done by an aspiring artist, the goal to learn scale, proportion and anatomical lessons from the great ...

Category

19th Century German Antique Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Paper

Study of a female nude, Italian futurist charcoal drawing

$1,690Sale Price|20% Off

H 33.86 in W 23.63 in D 0.56 in

Study of a female nude, Italian futurist charcoal drawing

Located in Milano, IT

A remarkable futurist charcoal drawing on paper depicting a twisting female nude with her arms raised above her head. The work stands out for the plastic force of its lines and the i...

Category

1910s Italian Vintage Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Wood, Paper

Selection of 1930s Academic Study Drawings of Male Nudes

$550 / item

H 27.5 in W 22 in D 1 in

Selection of 1930s Academic Study Drawings of Male Nudes

By Carl de Zeeuw

Located in Atlanta, GA

Selection of 1930's Academic Study Drawings of Male Nudes, hand drawn by Carl De Zeeuw, American, circa 1930's. The price noted below is for EACH dra...

Category

1930s American Vintage Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Paper

Set of Four Napoleonic Period Drawings

$2,250 / set

H 10.75 in W 10.75 in D 0.5 in

Set of Four Napoleonic Period Drawings

Located in Hudson, NY

These four drawings, while small in scale but large in style and impact, are of fine quality. Two are of priest and two are of officers. The paper, a fine blue color, makes the drawi...

Category

19th Century French Antique Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Paper

18th Century Bird Study II

$1,985

H 11.03 in W 9.06 in D 0.79 in

18th Century Bird Study II

Located in London, GB

An 18th Century animal study. Accompanied with period letters from the draftsman whom intended to sell these works as reference materials to sculptors in Augsburg. C1750, Germany. ...

Category

Mid-18th Century German Antique Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Wood, Paper

Italian Bolognese 17th C. Red Chalk Drawing of a Kneeling Young Man, circa 1680

$2,000

H 13 in W 9.84 in D 1 in

Italian Bolognese 17th C. Red Chalk Drawing of a Kneeling Young Man, circa 1680

Located in CH

Italian Bolognese School, Late 17th Century Study of a Kneeling Young Man Red chalk (sanguine) on paper, circa 1680 This expressive sanguine drawing depicts a kneeling young man, r...

Category

Late 17th Century Italian Antique Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Paper

"Study for Icarus, " Drawing by Emlen Etting, 1940s

$3,200

H 30 in W 24 in D 0.1 in

"Study for Icarus, " Drawing by Emlen Etting, 1940s

By Emlen Etting

Located in Philadelphia, PA

Emlen Etting returned again and again to the theme of Icarus Falling, in part because it gave him an opportunity to depict the nude male in motion. This large drawing served as a stu...

Category

1940s American Vintage Classical Greek Drawings

Sanguine Academic Study of a Male Arm, 18th Century

$2,400

H 23 in W 18.75 in D 0.5 in

Sanguine Academic Study of a Male Arm, 18th Century

Located in New York, NY

An elegant 18th-century red crayon drawing depicting a muscular male arm grasping a staff, executed with fine hatching, subtle shading, and anatomical precision indicative of academi...

Category

18th Century Antique Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Crayon

Drawing of a Naked Man in the Academic Hot Seat 1910 France

$5,800

H 29 in W 22 in D 1 in

Drawing of a Naked Man in the Academic Hot Seat 1910 France

Located in palm beach, FL

Drawing of a naked man in the academic hot seat 1910 France. This young man poses in a relaxed manner, leaning on a harness. His raised foot rests on a bar of furniture. The model's...

Category

Early 20th Century French Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Paper

Grand Tour Neoclassical Allegorical Drawing on Paper, 19th Century

$1,036Sale Price|20% Off

H 12.875 in W 11.375 in D 0.5 in

Grand Tour Neoclassical Allegorical Drawing on Paper, 19th Century

Located in Atlanta, GA

This artwork is a finely executed ink drawing with wash, possibly from the late 18th or early 19th century, bearing an inscription that reads, "The letter killeth but the spirit give...

Category

19th Century Italian Antique Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Giltwood, Paper

Drawing on Paper, Study of a Nude Man, 20th Century.

$764

H 20.08 in W 19.69 in D 0.08 in

Drawing on Paper, Study of a Nude Man, 20th Century.

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

Drawing on paper, Study of a Nude Man, 20th Century. Drawing, pencil on paper, study of a nude man, lying down, unsigned, 20th century. Dimensions : h: 51cm , w: 50cm, d: 0,2cm...

Category

20th Century French Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Paper

Previously Available Items

18th Century Pair of Colored Engravings

Sold

H 14.97 in W 19.69 in D 0.4 in

18th Century Pair of Colored Engravings

Located in Madrid, ES

18th century colored engravings depicting scenes from Greek antique.

Category

Late 18th Century Italian Antique Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Paper

Oversized Framed French Academic Drawing of a Classical Bust

Sold

H 45.25 in W 30.25 in D 2 in

Oversized Framed French Academic Drawing of a Classical Bust

Located in Houston, TX

Dramatic Large Scale French Framed Academic Drawing of a Classical Greek Figure

Category

1930s French Vintage Classical Greek Drawings

Materials

Paper, Wood

Classical Greek drawings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Classical Greek drawings for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 18th Century and Earlier, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage drawings created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include wall decorations, decorative objects and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with paper, crayon and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Classical Greek drawings made in a specific country, there are Europe, and Italy pieces for sale on 1stDibs. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for drawings differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,372 and tops out at $3,800 while the average work can sell for $3,086.