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.
1890s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century Russian Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Ormolu
1990s French Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze, Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Giltwood
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze, Other
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Marble
1940s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster, Bronze
Mid-18th Century Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Belgian Neoclassical Lighting
Steel, Iron
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Wood, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1890s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
2010s Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Marble, Lapis Lazuli, Malachite, Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
Late 20th Century British Neoclassical Lighting
Nickel
1890s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1930s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster, Metal
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Marble, Brass
1890s Swedish Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Brass, Steel
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1960s Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Rock Crystal, Ormolu
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Ormolu
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1980s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Onyx, Ormolu
21st Century and Contemporary British Neoclassical Lighting
Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Porphyry, Ormolu
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Lighting
Wood
Mid-20th Century German Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Ormolu
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Wood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Brass, Steel
Early 1900s French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Marble, Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
Early 20th Century Belgian Neoclassical Lighting
Ormolu
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1910s American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal
Mid-20th Century European Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Brass
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Ormolu
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Lighting
Metal





