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.
$4,126Sale Price|20% Off
France 18th Century Wallpaper with Landscape Scenes in Turquoise Color
Located in Brescia, IT
It is not easy to find this kind of hand drawed and hand-made French wallpaper in good conditions. The shining turquoise and the scenes of the games of the characters and jugglers i...
Paper
$248 / item
H 27 in W 180 in D 2 in
Deliciosa Designer Wallpaper in Powder 'Blues, Turquoise and White'
By Aimee Wilder
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Want summer all year round? This monstera deliciosa leaf pattern brings the jungle into your home! Samples are available for $18 including US shipping, please message us to purchas...
Paper, Paint
$2,310Sale Price|30% Off
H 1.78 in W 0.2 in D 0.01 in
19th Century French Hand Painted Wallpaper, Second Empire Era, E. Muller Style
Located in Sofia, BG
19th century roll of wallpaper, second Empire era, polychrome printing in the style of E. Muller enhanced with gold decorating cartridges with a floral cut of poppies and daisies. M...
Paper
$1,698Sale Price|35% Off
H 24.02 in W 0.02 in D 0.04 in
19th Century French Hand Painted Wallpaper Frieze Second Empire Era
Located in Sofia, BG
19th century roll of wallpaper frieze in trompe-l'oeil ribbon on an 8-way roll. About 61 m/0.05 cm. useful. Second Empire era, polychrome printing. ...
Paper
$10,430
H 104.34 in W 30.32 in D 5.91 in
Five Hand-Painted Chinese Wallpaper Panels, 18th Century, Distressed
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
These five wallpaper panels are hung on canvas stretched over wooden frames. Against a plain beige background, a hilly landscape unfolds across the lower quarter of the panels. Each ...
Paper
$3,323
H 10.87 in W 8.86 in D 0.04 in
Rare 18th Century Erotic Scene Drawing, Attributed to Tobias Sergel
By Tobias Sergel
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
Rare 18th century Old master drawing of an explicit erotic scene of an couple having oral sex. Brown ink on paper with watermark, over pre-studies in black ch...
Paper
$14,316
H 72.84 in W 93.31 in D 1.97 in
Grisaille Wallpaper from the series "Psyche", France 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Large grisaille wallpaper from the series "Psyche", designed in 1815 by Merry-Joseph Blondel & Louis Lafitte for Dufour Paris. The three panels sho...
Other
Wallpaper Of A Lively Chinese Landscape, 19th Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Large wallpaper depicting a lively Chinese landscape 19th century wallpaper, canvas-backed and framed Some holes in the paper and old restorations - chips in the frame Di...
Paper
$990
H 24.25 in W 36.25 in D 1.25 in
18th Century French Aubusson Gouache Cartoon of Goats in Landscape
Located in Dallas, TX
Decorate a wall with this charming antique Aubusson tapestry cartoon, crafted in France circa 1780. Protected behind glass and presented in a wide molded frame with gilt trim, the ha...
Giltwood, Paper
Panoramic Wallpaper panel, Exotic scene in the Zuber style
Located in Peyraud, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Very large panoramic wallpaper panel in the style of the Zuber suites. In the tradition of the exotic panoramas that fascinated Europe in the early 19th century, this work offers an...
Paper
$4,800 / set
H 50.5 in W 14.75 in D 0.75 in
Pair of French 18th Century Old Master Style Drawings in Trompe l'Oeil
Located in Essex, MA
Pair of French School drawings in 18th century style. Hand drawn in Old Master Technique. Boucher School style Pair of Trompe l'Oeil Three-drop Panel...
Paper
$9,169Sale Price|20% Off
H 108.67 in W 92.52 in D 1.19 in
Zuber French Scenic Wallpaper Panels The Japanese Garden Landscape Scene
By Jean Zuber
Located in Firenze, IT
This antique and charming early 20th Century scenic wallpaper by French Zuber manufacture is made up of five rolls of wall coverings hand painted with...
Wood, Paper
$248 / item
H 27 in W 180 in D 2 in
Snow Scene Designer Wallpaper in Avalanche 'Grey, Sky Blue and Dark Green'
By Aimee Wilder
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The beautifully pristine mountains of Snow Scene make this the ideal print for skiers, snowboarders and alpinists worldwide. Samples are available for $18 including US shipping, ple...
Paper, Paint