Neoclassical Lighting
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.
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Lighting
Iron
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
20th Century European Neoclassical Lighting
Metal, Brass
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze, Ormolu
Late 19th Century Danish Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
Early 1900s American Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
19th Century Ukrainian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Mirror, Giltwood, Paint
1990s Indian Neoclassical Lighting
Cut Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Wrought Iron
20th Century European Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Marble, Bronze
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1960s Swedish Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Rock Crystal, Marble, Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Wood, Giltwood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze, Metal
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Lighting
Plaster
Mid-19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Siena Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Giltwood
20th Century American Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1920s Finnish Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Iron
20th Century Russian Neoclassical Lighting
Cut Glass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze, Ormolu
1920s English Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1950s Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Lighting
Rock Crystal, Ormolu
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Lighting
Stone, Alabaster
1890s Canadian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Iron
Early 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Lighting
Porcelain
20th Century French Neoclassical Lighting
Malachite, Ormolu, Bronze
Early 1900s English Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Ormolu
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Quartz, Rock Crystal, Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Porcelain
20th Century French Neoclassical Lighting
Ormolu
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Lighting
20th Century Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Brass
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1830s French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Tin
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1910s American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Lighting
Rock Crystal, Ormolu
Early 19th Century Polish Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster, Vermeil
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Brass





