Louis XV Paintings
The style of 18th-century French furniture was guided by the court. When Louis XV, who reigned from 1715–74, focused royal life on the smaller salons of Versailles rather than its grand chambers, it transformed the aesthetics away from the imposing and angular furniture that characterized the style of Louis XIV. A broader focus on comfort and more delicate forms define antique Louis XV furniture, with nature-inspired carvings, wood inlays, curved cabriole legs, asymmetrical shapes and rounded oval seat backs. The furnishings changed throughout the king’s life, as he ascended to the throne as a child and then grew to establish his own tastes.
Pieces like the bergère, an upholstered armchair with a wide cushion that fit the flowing dresses in fashion at the time, reflected this more informal court. Introduced at the start of Louis XV’s reign, bergère chairs in this style were deeper and broader than other chairs of the period.
Louis XV tapestries and carpets tended to be floral and colorful, and design elements were borrowed from Asia. Dutch-born cabinetmaker Bernard van Risenburgh brought lacquer techniques influenced by Japan and China into his luxuriously made furniture. Along with its fine details, the furniture of the era also featured new innovations including mechanical devices. Jean François Oeben, a royal cabinetmaker, created such intricate pieces as a mechanical table for Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV’s mistress. It involved a sliding top and a writing surface that extended from its marquetry panels.
During the later years of Louis XV’s reign, there was a shift from the ostentatious rocaille style, part of the exuberantly decorative Rococo movement in Europe for which designers such as Nicolas Pineau and Juste-Aurèle Meissonier are known. The style under Louis XVI would return to boxier forms, but with a neoclassical touch inspired by the ancient world.
Find antique Louis XV bedroom furniture, seating, tables and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas, Giltwood, Paint
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Wood, Paint
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas, Mirror, Pine, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Paint
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Paintings
Paint
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Pine, Giltwood, Mirror
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Gesso, Canvas, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas, Giltwood
19th Century Unknown Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas, Giltwood
19th Century Antique Louis XV Paintings
Giltwood
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas, Giltwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Wood, Giltwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas, Mercury Glass
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Wood
Early 1800s French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas
19th Century Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas
1890s British Antique Louis XV Paintings
Glass, Wood, Paint
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Paintings
Mirror, Wood
19th Century European Antique Louis XV Paintings
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas, Giltwood, Paint
19th Century European Antique Louis XV Paintings
Other
19th Century English Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas
19th Century American Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas
1880s French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Paper
1870s French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Wood, Giltwood
19th Century English Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Glass, Giltwood, Paper
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas
Mid-19th Century Antique Louis XV Paintings
Brass
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas, Giltwood
19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas, Giltwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas, Giltwood
1890s French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Giltwood, Porcelain
1890s Italian Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas, Wood, Paint
1890s French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Porcelain, Giltwood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Canvas, Wood, Paint
1860s French Antique Louis XV Paintings
Paper