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.
Original Antique Print After Jean-Baptiste Greuze. 1912
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Beautiful image by Greuze Photogravure On good quality wove paper Published by Hutchinson & Co. , London. 1912 The measurement is the paper size Unframed
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Original Antique Print After Jean-Baptiste Greuze. 1912
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Beautiful image by Greuze Photogravure On good quality wove paper Published by Hutchinson & Co. , London. 1912 The measurement is the paper size Unframed
Paper
Original Antique Print After Jean-Baptiste Greuze. 1912
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Beautiful image by Greuze Photogravure On good quality wove paper Published by Hutchinson & Co. , London. 1912 The measurement is the paper size Unframed
Paper
Pair of French Rococo Berlin & Diable Carriage Engravings, 1771
Located in Langweer, NL
TITLE: Pair of French Rococo Berlin & Diable Carriage Engravings, 1771 DESCRIPTION: Pair of original antique 18th-century copper engravings illustrating two elegant French horse-drawn carriages, published in the celebrated Encyclopédie of Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d’Alembert in 1771. The plates belong to the “Sellier-Carrossier” section devoted to the sophisticated craft of French carriage making. Drawn by Jacques-Raymond Lucotte and engraved by Robert Bénard, they combine highly decorative Rococo coach design with precise technical documentation of carriage construction, suspension, wheels, chassis, upholstery and fittings. PLATE IV – Berline ou Vis-à-vis à panneaux arrasés: An exceptionally ornate enclosed Berlin or vis-à-vis carriage. The large central elevation shows the richly decorated passenger compartment, elaborate Rococo carving, large rear and smaller front wheels, driver’s seat and suspension. Additional figures illustrate individual decorative and structural components. PLATE XII – Diable: An elegant open carriage known as a “Diable,” characterized by its sweeping body profile and richly upholstered passenger compartment. The plate presents the complete carriage in side elevation together with a plan view, separate upholstery study and construction details. Together, the two engravings provide a fascinating contrast between enclosed and open luxury carriage...
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Original Antique Print After Jean-Baptiste Greuze. 1912
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Beautiful image by Greuze Photogravure On good quality wove paper Published by Hutchinson & Co. , London. 1912 The measurement is the paper size Unframed
Paper
Set of Three French Carriage & Coachbuilding Engravings, 1771
Located in Langweer, NL
TITLE: Set of Three French Carriage & Coachbuilding Engravings, 1771 DESCRIPTION: Set of three original antique 18th-century copper engravings illustrating French carriage design, c...
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18th Century French Wheelwright & Carriage Engineering, Diderot, 1763
Located in Langweer, NL
TITLE: French Garden & Hunting Carriage Designs, Diderot Encyclopédie, 1771 DESCRIPTION: Original antique 18th-century copper engraving illustrating elegant French garden, pleas...
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Three French Post Chaise & Cabriolet Engineering Engravings, 1771
Located in Langweer, NL
TITLE: Three French Post Chaise & Cabriolet Coachbuilding Engravings, 1771 DESCRIPTION: Set of three original antique 18th-century copper engravings illustrating French post chaises...
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Framed Engraving, View Of Gray Franche Comté, 18th Century?
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Large framed engraving titled "View of the town of Gray Franche-Comté" It bears the following notes: "is distributed in Paris by the author, in the hostel of the royal manufactur...
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18th Century Dutch Map of the Seventeen Provinces by Isaak Tirion, circa 1750
Located in Oud Beijerland, NL
Original engraved map titled “Nieuwe en Naauwkeurige Kaart der XVII Provinciën van Nederland”, published in Amsterdam by the renowned Dutch cartographer and publisher Isaak Tirion (1...
Glass, Wood, Paper
Original Antique Print of A French Aristocratic Gentleman After Lebrun. C.1900
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Beautiful image by Elisabeth Lebrun Photogravure Published by Connoisseur. C.1900 The measurement is the paper size Unframed
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Vue du Pont Realto et de la Prison de Venise - Venice, Italy, 1760
Located in Centennial, CO
A beautiful hand colored engraving of the Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy. While the subject is Italian, the printmaker was French. It bears the inscription, "Vue du Pont Realto et de...
Paint, Paper
French Louis XVI Style Framed Colored Print of Grenadian Topography
Located in Queens, NY
French Louis XVI pre-revolution reproduction print in a walnut and gilt trim frame titled: \"Le Port St. George\", depicting French colonial settlers surveying the port in Grenada (N...
$207Sale Price|20% Off
Etienne Charpentier "Interior Decoration of the Gallery of the Hotel Villars"
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Nice and large engraving by Etienne Charpentier (1705- 1764). It shows a view of the interior decoration of the gallery of the Hotel Villars. There are also some more technical elements in the lower part of the engraving. It is numbered 5.7. This interior is in a Louis XV rocailles system, recognisable by the multitude of curves and the numerous floral and shell motifs. It was inspired by the engraving made by David Blondel, the king's engraver. signed: Charpentier sculp Blondel inv Slight trace of wetness but good general condition Etienne Charpentier was a French engraver, publisher and print dealer...
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Pair Of 18Th Century French Engravings After Huet, Engraved By Demarteau
Located in London, GB
A decorative pair of French engravings that appear to be after Jean‑Baptiste Huet and engraved by Gilles Demarteau, the specialist of colour ...
Glass, Wood, Paper
$720Sale Price|48% Off
19thC Engraving of Mozart Playing for Hapsburg Emperor Francis 1
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A 19th century engraving of a young Mozart playing the harpsichord in the court of Hapsburg Emperor Francis I featuring the Emperor and a number of cou...
Giltwood, Paper
$720Sale Price / set|20% Off
Three 18th Century Engravings of Versailles Garden by Antoine Aveline
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A set of three original copperplate engravings by the renowned Parisian 18th century Engraver Antione Aveline ( b 1718 - d 1762 ). The three engravings are numbered 62, 64 and 45 and were commissioned with the permission of the Louis XV the King of France at the time. All three engravings show views and perspectives of features in the gardens of Versailles...
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Map Of The City Of Geneva, Framed Engraving, Late 18th Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Beautiful engraving representing the city of Geneva corrected in 1775 and 1793 The engraving also presents inserts with the evolution of the city, the plan of ancient Geneva and ...
Paper
French Engraving, "Le Premier Pas a la Fortune" in Gilded Frame
Located in Pembroke, MA
French engraving in a 19th century entitled "Le Premier Pas A La Fortune" on hand-laid paper with a decorative giltwood frame. A charming double-entendre scene of seduction. Du Bois ...
Giltwood, Paper
Original Antique Print After Jean-Baptiste Greuze. 1912
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Beautiful image by Greuze Photogravure On good quality wove paper Published by Hutchinson & Co. , London. 1912 The measurement is the paper size Unframed
Paper
$1,200
Interior Print
Located in New York, NY
A framed print of an elegant traditional bed chamber featuring a formal canopy bed; matted and finished in a gilt wood frame.
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Antique Map of France Bailliages Dauphine Region South East Framed 1751
Located in Wilton, CT
Antique map of the French South-East Duaphine Region depicting the Bailliages (administrative districts) of pre-revolutionary France, dated 1751. Drawn by Sir Robert, geographer to t...
Paper
Original Antique Print of The Garden After Antoine Watteau. C.1850
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Wonderful image after Watteau Fine Steel engraving. Published by Virtue C.1850 Unframed.
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19th Century French Louis XV Engraving “Le Chiffre d’Amour" in Giltwood Frame
Located in Dallas, TX
Decorate a wall with this elegant antique French engraving, beautifully presented in an ornate giltwood frame, crafted circa 1880. The romantic composition titled “Le Chiffre d’Amour...
Glass, Giltwood
Young Woman with a Ribbon – Engraving after François Boucher 18th - L.M. Bonnet
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
A charming period print depicting a young woman in a three-quarter view, her head turned towards the viewer, sporting a delicate smile. Her hair is tied back with a wide ribbon, and ...
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Original Antique Print, Portrait of Ignatius Loyola, circa 1850
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Great image of Ignatius Loyola Fine steel engraving by Holl Published C.1850 Unframed.
Paper
Original Antique Print of Don Antonio Nortega After Goya C.1900
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Wonderful print Chromolithograph Published by Connoisseur circa 1900 Unframed.
Paper
After Maggiotto, Pair Of Engravings Illustrating Zaire, 19th Century
By Francesco Maggiotto
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Pair of framed engravings, illustrating Voltaire's play, Zaire. The first scene shows a young woman playing the lute, the second men playing music and dancing. They illustrate ...
Paper
G De l'Isle- Ieremiah Wolff- 6 Engravings On The Continents, 18th Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
A beautiful set of six framed engravings depicting geographical maps of the five continents and a world map, enhanced with color. These engravings come from a map atlas created by...
Paper
$4,619 / set
18th Century Set of Four Engravings by J Audran
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
Set of four 18th Century engravings by J Audran. These fabulously detailed copper plate engravings show Alexander The Great in various Battle scenes, one riding an elephant, spear in...
Glass, Giltwood, Paper
Engravings Representing Le Chateau De Blois Engraved Par Skelton
By Skelton
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Engravings representing Le Chateau De Blois engraved Par Skelton and edited by the Musée du Louvres. Contact us before ordering to confirm product availability.
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English Engraving from the 19th Century by John Jones
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
English Engraving from the 19th century by John Jones. The portrait of James Fose after Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1792. Contact us before ordering to co...
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