Neoclassical Table Lamps
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.
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
1910s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
Early 20th Century Austrian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Bronze, Ormolu
1950s Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Mid-19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Siena Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
19th Century Ukrainian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Rock Crystal, Ormolu
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster
1920s English Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
20th Century British Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver Plate
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster
1940s Unknown Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Onyx, Alabaster
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Composition
20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
1890s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal, Chrome
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
Early 1900s Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain
1930s British Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Giltwood
1970s Spanish Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver Plate
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Iron
2010s Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze, Tôle
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver
Early 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Metal
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Ormolu
Early 1900s Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Ormolu
Late 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Stone, Metal
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze, Ormolu
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Paint
Mid-20th Century German Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Bronze, Ormolu
1890s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Onyx, Ormolu
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Wood, Parchment Paper
Late 19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass, Bronze
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Rock Crystal, Ormolu
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Carrara Marble





