Neoclassical Wall Decorations
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.
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Upholstery, Glass, Wood, Giltwood, Paint
Early 1800s Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Giltwood, Wood
Mid-18th Century Dutch Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Beech
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Canvas
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Glass, Paper, Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Paint
Late 18th Century Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Other
1830s French Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Ceramic, Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Paper
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Photographic Paper
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Paper, Gouache
19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Paper
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Paper
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Wood
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Metal
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Paint
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Paper
1940s Vintage Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Metal
20th Century Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Paint
1970s German Vintage Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Porcelain
1970s German Vintage Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Porcelain
1780s French Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Canvas, Giltwood
Early 19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Paint
1970s Vintage Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Wood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Marble, Porphyry
1980s British Vintage Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Acrylic, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Giltwood
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Glass, Wood, Giltwood, Paper
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Bronze
Late 17th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Paint
Early 19th Century Dutch Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Wood, Giltwood, Paint
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Bronze
1780s French Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Paper
1810s Danish Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Paint
1880s American Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Canvas
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Canvas
Early 19th Century British Antique Neoclassical Wall Decorations
Giltwood
Neoclassical wall decorations for sale on 1stDibs.
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