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.
1960s European Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
1910s American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Lighting
Resin
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Marble, Bronze
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Wrought Iron
Early 1900s American Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster, Brass
1890s English Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Brass, Copper
20th Century Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Brass, Bronze
1790s Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Wrought Iron
1920s Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
20th Century French Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Brass
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Lighting
Porcelain
20th Century French Neoclassical Lighting
Gold Leaf
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
Early 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Metal, Copper
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
20th Century French Neoclassical Lighting
Gold Leaf
20th Century Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1950s Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Tin, Wire
1970s British Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Lighting
Metal, Brass
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Brass, Iron
1870s Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Lighting
Wood
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Brass, Chrome
1760s Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Silver Plate
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
20th Century French Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Porcelain, Wood
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Metal, Brass
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Lighting
Oak
Early 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze, Iron
Late 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Lighting
Fiberglass
20th Century French Neoclassical Lighting
Chrome, Nickel
1950s English Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1970s American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Wood, Boxwood
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Celadon, Porcelain





