Neoclassical Prints
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.
20th Century French Neoclassical Prints
Wood, Paper
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Prints
Glass, Giltwood, Paper
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Prints
Paper, Wood
Early 1900s English Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
1970s American Vintage Neoclassical Prints
Glass, Wood, Paper
1970s American Vintage Neoclassical Prints
Glass, Wood, Paper
2010s British Neoclassical Prints
Glass, Wood, Paper
1990s American Neoclassical Prints
Paper
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Prints
Wood, Paper
1710s Dutch Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
1990s Neoclassical Prints
Gold Leaf
1710s Dutch Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
1810s German Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
1920s German Vintage Neoclassical Prints
Canvas, Paper
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Prints
Giltwood, Paper
1940s Vintage Neoclassical Prints
Paper
20th Century American Neoclassical Prints
Metal
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Prints
Glass, Giltwood, Paper
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Prints
Glass, Wood
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Prints
Wood, Paper, Gesso, Linen, Giltwood
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Prints
Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Prints
Glass, Wood, Paper
17th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Prints
Metal
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper, Wood
Mid-19th Century Antique Neoclassical Prints
Glass, Wood, Paper
18th Century Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Prints
Wood, Paper
18th Century Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Prints
Walnut, Paper
20th Century Neoclassical Prints
Glass, Wood, Paper
1790s Italian Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
1810s English Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Prints
Wood, Paper
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
Early 1800s French Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Prints
Giltwood, Paper
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Prints
Glass, Wood, Paper
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Prints
Wood, Paper
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Prints
Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Prints
Wood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Prints
Wood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Prints
Wood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Prints
Wood, Paper
Late 18th Century German Antique Neoclassical Prints
Glass, Giltwood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Prints
Wood, Paper
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Prints
Glass, Wood, Giltwood, Paper
Late 18th Century British Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
17th Century Antique Neoclassical Prints
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Prints
Wood, Paper