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Baroque Furniture

BAROQUE STYLE

The decadence of the Baroque style, in which ornate furnishings were layered against paneled walls, painted ceilings, stately chandeliers and, above all, gilding, expressed the power of the church and monarchy through design that celebrated excess. And its influence was omnipresent — antique Baroque furniture was created in the first design style that truly had a global impact.

Theatrical and lavish, Baroque was prevalent across Europe from the 17th to mid-18th century and spread around the world through colonialism, including in Asia, Africa and the Americas. While Baroque originated in Italy and achieved some of its most fantastic forms in the late-period Roman Baroque, it was adapted to meet the tastes and materials in each region. French Baroque furniture informed Louis XIV style and added drama to Versailles. In Spain, the Baroque movement influenced the elaborate Churrigueresque style in which architecture was dripping with ornamental details. In South German Baroque, furniture was made with bold geometric patterns.

Compared to Renaissance furniture, which was more subdued in its proportions, Baroque furniture was extravagant in all aspects, from its shape to its materials.

Allegorical and mythical figures were often sculpted in the wood, along with motifs like scrolling floral forms and acanthus leaves that gave the impression of tangles of dense foliage. Novel techniques and materials such as marquetry, gesso and lacquer — which were used with exotic woods and were employed by cabinetmakers such as André-Charles Boulle, Gerrit Jensen and James Moore — reflected the growth of international trade. Baroque furniture characteristics include a range of decorative elements — a single furnishing could feature everything from carved gilded wood to gilt bronze, lending chairs, mirrors, console tables and other pieces a sense of motion.

Find a collection of authentic antique Baroque tables, lighting, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Item Ships From: Madrid
Style: Baroque
Spanish School Panel Painting, 17th Century "The Adoration of Mary"
Located in Madrid, ES
Spanish School Panel Painting, 17th Century "The Adoration of Mary" Oil on panel. 78 x 25.5 cm Original carved wooden frame Good condition
Category

17th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Wood, Paint

Portrait of Queen Marie Leszczynska, Wife of Louis XV, oil on canvas, 18th centu
Located in Madrid, ES
Portrait of Queen Marie Leszczynska, Wife of Louis XV, oil on canvas, 18th century Oil on canvas depicting Marie Leszczynska, Queen of France and wife of Louis XV, dressed in a luxu...
Category

18th Century French Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

Baroque Virgin and Child in Polychrome Wood with Silver Crown, Spain, 17th Centu
Located in Madrid, ES
Baroque Virgin and Child in Polychrome Wood with Silver Crown, Spain, 17th Century An important Spanish Baroque sculpture of the Virgin and Child, datable to the 17th century, made ...
Category

17th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Silver

Magnificent 18th-Century French School Painting "Holy Knight Guided by an Angel"
Located in Madrid, ES
Magnificent 18th-Century French School Painting "Holy Knight Guided by an Angel" Oil on canvas, 95.5 x 75 cm 105.5 x 85 cm with frame Good condition
Category

18th Century French Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

Excellent 17th-century Italian School. After Michelangelo Merisi, as Caravaggio
Located in Madrid, ES
Excellent 17th-century Italian School. After Michelangelo Merisi, known as Caravaggio. "Deposition of Christ" Canvas 42 x 31 cm - 16 9/16 x 12 3/16 in. Good condition The Deposition...
Category

17th Century Italian Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

Portrait of a Noble Lady, Spanish or Flemish School, oil on canvas, 17th century
Located in Madrid, ES
Portrait of a Noble Lady, Spanish or Flemish School, oil on canvas, 17th century Oil on canvas depicting a high-ranking lady, dressed in rich jewels and lace typical of 17th-century...
Category

17th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

Amazing Spanish Baroque Pietà in Polychrome Wood with Silver Crown, 18th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Amazing Spanish Baroque Pietà in Polychrome Wood with Silver Crown, 18th Century Impressive large-format Spanish Pietà, carved in wood and polychromed, datable to the late 18th cent...
Category

18th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Silver

Oil on canvas of the Holy Family with the Child Jesus, Spanish School, 18th–19th
Located in Madrid, ES
Oil on canvas of the Holy Family with the Child Jesus, Spanish School, 18th–19th century Medium-sized oil on canvas (approx. 60 cm), depicting the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph holdi...
Category

Late 18th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

Rare Portrait of Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen Consort of France, 17th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Portrait of Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen Consort of France, 17th Century Oil on canvas, European School, ca. 1660–1680, late 17th century Oil on canvas depicting Maria Theresa of...
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17th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

Spanish Virgin of Sorrows in Polychrome Wood with Silver Crown, 19th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Spanish Virgin of Sorrows in Polychrome Wood with Silver Crown, 19th Century Magnificent dressed Virgin of Sorrows, from the 19th-century Spanish school, carved in polychrome wood (...
Category

19th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Silver

Beautiful Italian " Torso " 20th Century Carrara Marble
Located in Madrid, ES
Beautiful Italian " Torso " 20th century Carrara marble. Measure: H: 47m including base, 30cm without very good condition
Category

20th Century Italian Baroque Furniture

Materials

Carrara Marble

Virgin and Child, Cuzco School, oil on canvas, 18th century
Located in Madrid, ES
Virgin and Child, Cuzco School, oil on canvas, 18th century Magnificent oil on canvas from the Cuzco School (Viceroyalty of Peru), dated to the 18th century. It depicts the Virgin h...
Category

18th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

PAIR OF AMAZING LARGE BEAUTIFUL TERRACOTTA GRIFFINS 20th century
Located in Madrid, ES
LARGE BEAUTIFUL TERRACOTTA GRIFFINS 20th century Copy of ancient Renaissance griffins. Impruneta terracotta. Made in Tuscany HEIGHT 73 cm WIDTH 30 cm DEPTH 64 cm WEIGHT 25 kg MANUF...
Category

20th Century Italian Baroque Furniture

Materials

Terracotta

Amazing "Our Lady of Sorrows" attributed to Salzillo 18th-century
By Francisco Salzillo
Located in Madrid, ES
Our Lady of Sorrows, attributed to Salzillo, polychrome wood with 18th-century silver crown and display case An extraordinary sculpture of Our Lady of Sorrows, attributed to Francis...
Category

18th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Silver

IMPORTANT PORTUGUESE ORATORY WITH CALVARY 18th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
IMPORTANT PORTUGUESE ORATORY WITH CALVARY 18th Century Portuguese, from the 18th century in carved Brazilian rosewood. Decoration with interrupted pediments, volutes, floral motifs...
Category

Early 18th Century Portuguese Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Silver

Important Italian School 17th Century "The Healing of Tobias".
Located in Madrid, ES
Italian school; second third of the 17th century. "The Healing of Tobias". Oil on canvas. Relined. very good condition Dimensions: 117.5 x 107 cm; 130 x 118 cm (frame). This canvas ...
Category

Early 17th Century Italian Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

Attribution to Francesco Solimena "Resurrection of Christ" 18th Century
By Francesco Solimena
Located in Madrid, ES
Attribution to Francesco Solimena "Resurrection of Christ" 18th Century oil on canvas (129x77 cm.) framed good condition for the period Francesco Solimena, also called l'Abate C...
Category

Early 18th Century Italian Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

Rare Portrait of Elizabeth Petrovna of Russia (1709-1762) 18th Century Sign
Located in Madrid, ES
Rare Portrait of Elizabeth Petrovna of Russia (1709-1762) 18th Century Signature Signed by court painter Magnificent oil on canvas depicting Empress Elizabeth Petrovna (1709-1762),...
Category

18th Century Italian Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

Religious Oil on Canvas – European School, 18th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Religious Oil on Canvas – European School, 18th Century Dimensions: 50 x 45 cm (frame), 34 x 29 cm (view): San Carlos Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan (1538-1584) A serene and contempl...
Category

18th Century European Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Canvas

Baroque Polychrome Wooden Virgin with Period Silver Crown, 18th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Baroque Polychrome Wooden Virgin with Period Silver Crown, 18th Century This Spanish Virgin, dating from the late 18th or early 19th century, is carved in polychrome wood (face and...
Category

18th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Silver

RENAISSANCE TWO BODY CABINET 19th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
RENAISSANCE TWO BODY CABINET 19th Century In oak wood Upper part with two profusely carved doors. Lower part with two drawers and two doors. Decorated with plant motifs, zoomorphic ...
Category

19th Century Portuguese Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Wood

“Saint Dominic and Saint Francis”, Colonial School, 18th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Saint Dominic and Saint Francis”. Polychromed terracotta. Colonial (South America) school, 18th century. It is narrated in this piece, with a remarkable...
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18th Century South American Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Terracotta

Italian School Sculpture "Hermaphrodite" 19th Century Carrara White Marble Group
Located in Madrid, ES
Italian School Sculpture "Hermaphrodite" 19th Century Carrara White Marble Group presented on a marble base Total height: 18 cm Width: 46.5 cm Depth: 25.5 cm good condition some defe...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Carrara Marble

Portuguese Silver Tea and Coffee Service 19th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Portuguese silver tea and coffee service 19th Century composed of, teapot, coffee maker, milk jug and sugar bowl. Body profusely decorated with floral motifs. Handles in rosewood. Li...
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19th Century Portuguese Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Silver

Italian School 17th century "Christ in the Temple"
Located in Madrid, ES
Italian School 17th century "Christ in the Temple" Oil/canvas/double, 106 x 118 cm. good condition
Category

Early 17th Century Italian Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

Wooden Madonna with Child Baroque Art Italy 17th Century with Export Certificate
Located in Madrid, ES
A Wooden Madonna with child Baroque art, Southern Italy, 17th century. Measure: H: 71cm Good condition for the time. With Export Certificate to USA.
Category

Early 17th Century Italian Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Wood

JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED European, 19th century
Located in Madrid, ES
JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED European, Germany ? 19th century Christ and font in bronze, wooden cross, covered with enamel. Slight wear. Dim.: (cross) 50 x 30 cm; Height: (christ) 16 cm...
Category

19th Century German Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Bronze

JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED Indo-Portuguese sculpture from the 18th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED Indo-Portuguese sculpture from the 18th Century in ivor..... The figure is represented in agony, with cendal draped around the waist. Cross in rosewood wood ...
Category

Early 18th Century Portuguese Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Wood

18th Century Portuguese " Azulejos " Saint Antony"
Located in Madrid, ES
Largest collection of Portuguese tiles in the world 18th Century Portuguese "Saint Antony" Measures: 266 cm x 280 cm Important note: This panel is with the tiles restored 18th ce...
Category

18th Century Portuguese Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

18th Century Portuguese " Azulejos " Saint Antony"
Located in Madrid, ES
Largest collection of Portuguese tiles in the world 18th Century Portuguese "Saint Antony" Measures: 252 cm x 294 cm Important note: This panel is with the tiles restored 18th ce...
Category

18th Century Portuguese Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

18th Century Spanish Virgin Mary of Immaculate Conception, Handcrafted Sculpture
Located in Madrid, ES
Completely hand-crafted in 18th century Spain, this sculpture of the Virgin stands 1.5 meters / 5 feet tall and was most certainly created for devotional purposes, to be displayed in a church or chapel. Besides its impressive size this sculpture is an excellent, museum-quality example of the Spanish “Estofado” polychrome technique, developed during the Gothic period to imitate rich brocade fabrics. The finely carved “fabric” areas of the sculpture would be first covered in gesso, and then a layer of gold leaf would be applied. The gold leaf would then be painted over with various colors of tempera paints. Once dry, the painted surface would be incised or scratched away in patterns, revealing the gold beneath. The sculpture was professionally restored in 2022 by a firm that is often hired by the Spanish government to work on historic building interiors and museum pieces. The virgin was carefully cleaned, repaired and its condition stabilized. A complete and fully-illustrated restoration report will be included with purchase. Often confused with the virgin birth of Jesus, the belief that the Blessed Virgin Mary herself was conceived “immaculately” without original sin has been variously defended and debated within the Catholic Church since the pre-Middle Ages. For centuries, artists struggled to create an acceptable visual representation of this highly abstract concept, in part taking inspiration from the Book of Revelation and other scriptural sources. We see the Virgin standing on a half moon (biblically inspired, though also an ancient symbol of chastity) with her long natural hair loose down her back, another indication of purity. Both her white tunic and flowing blue mantle...
Category

18th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Silver, Gold Leaf

Silver Box Austria-Hungary 18th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
SILVER BOX Austria-Hungary 18th Century in silver with profuse decoration inspired by the Crimean War, in which Russia lost to an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, United K...
Category

18th Century Austrian Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Silver

English School 17th Century "Portrait of George Villiers Duke of Buckingham"
Located in Madrid, ES
English School 17th Century "Portrait of George Villiers Duke of Buckingham" Oil on canvas 66X53 cm size without frame George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham (Brooksby, 28 August 1...
Category

17th Century English Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

Marine Surgeon s Box" Louis MATHIEU 1816-1879
Located in Madrid, ES
Marine Surgeon's Box" Louis MATHIEU 1816-1879 Navy Surgeon's Box with two superimposed trays presenting the different instruments (including saw, scalpels, trepanning tools, box...
Category

19th Century French Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Metal

18th Century Portuguese " Azulejos " Saint Antony"
Located in Madrid, ES
Largest collection of Portuguese tiles in the world 18th Century Portuguese " Saint Antony " Measures: 266 cm x 168 cm Important note: This panel is with the tiles restored 18th c...
Category

18th Century Portuguese Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Important Portrait of the Princess of Ruspoli, 18th Century, Italian School
Located in Madrid, ES
Important Portrait of the Princess of Ruspoli, began 18th Century, Italian School Began 18th-century oil on canvas depicting the Princess of Ruspoli, a member of one of the most in...
Category

18th Century Italian Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

" Venus of the Nile " 19th Century Italian Carrara Marble Sculpture
Located in Madrid, ES
" Venus of the Nile " 19th century Italian Carrara marble sculpture Italy Height: 90 cm good conditions.
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Carrara Marble

Antwerp School, 17th Century "Portrait of Archimedes"
Located in Madrid, ES
Antwerp School, 17th Century "Portrait of Archimedes" Oil on canvas, coated 97 x 79 cm, framed 116 x 99 cm good condition
Category

17th Century Belgian Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

Walnut and Iron Chest, 17th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Rectangular chest with base and lid with moldings and iron fittings and corners in forge metal on a red cloth background made with stylized and simplif...
Category

17th Century European Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Iron

Tapestry Royal Manufacture of Aubusson, Louis XVI period 1738 at the Gobelins
Located in Madrid, ES
Tapestry from the Royal Manufacture of Aubusson, Louis XVI period , made in 1738 at the Gobelins One panel from a series of Gobelins tapestries depicting the History of Esther, illustrating Esther seated and attended by handmaidens, one washing her feet in golden basin, another fastening a bracelet, another offering a mirror, all observed by Mordecai, woven in the workshop of Michele Audran after a design by J. F. de Troy. The Toilet of Esther c.1778-85.Royal Collection Trust-Queens Audience Chamber Windsor Castle The Sketches for the Esther Cycle by Jean-François de Troy (1736) “and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mor’decai, ..., took for his own daughter.” (Est. 2:7) A supple and undulating genius, both a flattering portraitist and a prolix history painter, as well as a brilliant genre painter, in a gallant or worldly vein, Jean-François de Troy (Paris, 1679 – Rome, 1752), solicited, although he had passed the threshold of old age, a new royal commission up to his ambitions. To obtain it, he submitted – successfully - for the approval of the Bâtiments du roi (administration), seven modelli painted in 1736 with his usual alacrity. Inspired by one of the most novelistic texts of the Old Testament, the Book of Esther, these sketches in a rapid and virtuoso manner were transformed by the artist, between 1737 and 1740 into large cartoons intended to serve as models for the weavers of the Gobelins factory. Showing undeniable ease and skill in the composition in perfect harmony with the sensitivities of the times, the tapestry set met with great success. The Story of Esther perfectly corresponded to the plan of the Bâtiments du roi to renew the repertoire of tapestry models used for the weavers of the royal factories while it also conformed to the tastes of Louis XV’s subjects for a fantastical Orient, the set for a dramatic tale in which splendour, love and death were combined. Indeed, no tapestry set was woven in France during the 18th century as often as that of Esther. The series of modelli painted by de Troy during the year 1736 looks to the history of French painting and decoration under Louis XV as much as it does the history of the Gobelins. It probably counts among the most important rococo pictorial groups to have remained in private hands. First the Biblical source illustrated by De Troy which constitutes the base of one of the richest iconographical traditions of Western art will be considered. Then the circumstances and specific character of French civilisation during the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV which contributed to making the theme of Esther a relevant subject, both attractive to contemporaries and remarkably in line with the sensitivities of the time will be elucidated. An examination of the exceptional series of sketches united here, the cartoons and the tapestries that they anticipate as well as a study of their reception will close this essay. The Book of Esther: A scriptural source at the source of rich iconography. The origin of the Esther tapestry set by Jean-François de Troy – origin and creation of a masterpiece According to the evidence of one of the artist’s early biographers, the chevalier de Valory, author of a posthumous elegy of the master, read at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture on 6 February 1762, it was apparently due to early16 rivalry with François Lemoyne (1688-1737), his younger colleague who had precisely just been appointed First Painter to the King in 1736, that had encouraged François de Troy to seek a commission allowing him to show off his ease and his promptitude at the expense of a rival who was notoriously laborious: “M. De Troy, retaining some resentment of the kind of disadvantage which he believed to have suffered compared with his emulator looked to regain some territory by making use of the facility his rival did not possess. Lemoyne was excessively long in the creation of his works,and M. De Troy of a rare celerity: consequently, with this particular talent, the latter offered to the court to make paintings appropriate to be executed at the Gobelins Factory; and it is to this circumstance that we owe the beautiful series of the Story of Esther, which would be sufficient alone to give him a great reputation.”17 Beyond the suspicion inspired by the topos, which still constitutes, more or less, a tale of rivalries between artists in ancient literature, there is probably some truth in what Valory reports although A.-J. Dezalier d’Argenville (who indicates rather spitefully that de Troy did not hesitate to “cut prices” to impose himself, benefitting from the productivity assured by the unlikely rapidity of his brush)18 proves to be more evasive: “As he looked to busy himself, he had offered to make the paintings that serve as models for the King’s tapestries cheaply: which did not please his colleagues. He was given a choice of two tapestry series to be made and he took the Story of Esther and that of Jason”.19 Whether or not the choice was actually left to de Troy (which would appear rather casual on the royal administration’s part all the same), it seems likely that the artist, whose contemporaries extol his “fire”, as the faculty of invention was then called, must have ardently aspired to the possibility of using on a very large scale the “creative genius” with which Dezallier d’Argenville credits him. The decoration of the private apartments, the fashion for which Louis XV had promoted at Versailles and Fontainebleau, offered little opportunity to excel in this area. Other than painting for altarpieces, only tapestries could allow comparison with Lemoyne who had been granted – unfortunately for him – a major decoration: the enormous ceiling of the Hercules Room at Versailles. Favoured by the recent improvement in France’s financial situation, the revival of patronage offered de Troy a commission fitting for him, in a field in which, however, he had hardly any experience. Anxious to renew the repertoire of models available to the Gobelins factory, the Duc d’Antin, surintendant des Bâtiments du roi from 1708 to 1736 followed by his successor, Philibert Orry comte de Vignory, gave him the task of producing seven large cartoons inspired by the Book of Esther corresponding to the brilliant sketches or modelli which de Troy had produced in one go, or almost (very few preparatory drawings can in fact be linked to the Esther cycle and all seem to be at the execution stage of the cartoons).20 Subjected to the approval of the Administration des Bâtiments according to the procedure in use for projects being planned for the Gobelins, sketches made rapidly during 1736 were approved and the project launched immediately. Thereupon came the news of François Lemoyne’s death, who, ground down by work and a victim of his private torment, committed suicide on 4 June 1737. Against all expectations, de Troy did not replace his rival in the position of First Painter (which remained vacant until the appointment of Charles Coypel in January 1747), which would perhaps have made him too obviously the beneficiary of the drama. The awarding of the position of Director of the French Academy in Rome came to console him while he had already produced (or he was in the process of finishing), in Paris, three of the seven cartoons of the cycle (The Fainting of Esther finished in 1737 and the Toilet and Coronation of Esther, both finished in 1738). De Troy, we can see, did not follow the order of the narrative but began with the subjects which apparently offered the least difficulty because he had already depicted them, or because they fall into a strong pictorial tradition (such is the case especially for the Fainting of Esther). He had hardly settled at the Palazzo Mancini in August 1738, when his first task which awaited the new director of the French Academy naturally consisted of honouring the royal commission and finishing without delay the final cartoons of the Story of Esther after the sketches he must have taken with him. As prompt as ever, de Troy discharged himself of the execution of the four remaining cartoons in only two years, by beginning with the largest format which allowed him to strike the imagination and to impose himself as soon as he arrived on the Roman stage: the Triumph of Mor’decai which was finished in 1739 (like Esther’s Banquet). The following year, the Mor’decai's Disdain and The Sentencing of Haman were brought to an end in the same Neo-Venetian style, obviously tributary to Veronese with its choice of “open” monumental architecture which is characteristic of the entire cycle.21 The series, it should be noted, was almost augmented with some additional scenes in the mid 1740s. Indeed, the first tapestry set finished at the Gobelins in 1744 proved to be unsuitable for the arrangement of the Dauphine’s apartments at Versailles for which it had been intended to decorate the walls the following year (cf infra). Informed of this, de Troy, considering that the story of Esther offered “several good subjects,” immediately offered to illustrate one or new subject among those “which could appear to be the most interesting”. The directeur des Bâtiments Orry, who managed the State’s accounts, obviously judged it less costly to have one of the tapestries widened to fill in the end of the Dauphine’s bedroom,22 which has probably deprived us of very original compositions, because de Troy had already illustrated the most famous themes, those that benefitted from a strongly established iconographical tradition and from which it was not easy to deviate The Tapestry Set of the Story of Esther Placed on the tapestry looms of the Gobelins at the end of the 1730s in Michel Audran’s workshop, the cycle created by de Troy aroused true infatuation. The few hundred tapestries made between 1738 and 1797 – all in high-warp tapestry and woven in wool and silk except for four in low-warp made in Neilson’s workshop – show the impressive success of a tapestry set that was without any doubt the most frequently woven of the 18th century in France. 29 Only three cartoons had been delivered by de Troy in 1738 when the first tapestry set was begun by Audran under the expert eye of Jean-Baptiste Oudry to whom the Directeur général des bâtiments, Philibert Orry had assigned the (weekly) supervision of the weaving. During the summer of 1738, the piece of the Fainting of Esther, which Oudry judged to be admirable, was finished. During the winter of 1742, Oudry informed Orry that about two ells of the Triumph of Mor’decai had been made “with no faults”,that the Coronation of Esther was finished and that the Esther at her Toilet “a very gracious tapestry” was “a little over half” finished. Exhibited at Versailles in 1743, these two last pieces were admired by Louis XV and the Court. On 3 December 1744, the set of seven tapestries was finally delivered to the Garde Meuble. It was intended, the honour was not slight, to decorate the apartments of the Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain whose marriage to the young Dauphin Louis-Ferdinand had been fixed for the following year (it took place on 23 February 1745). Apparently it was thought that the theme of Esther the biblical heroine and wife of a foreign sovereign was appropriate for the apartments of the Spanish Dauphine. As early as the month of March, the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel informed de Troy that her grand cabinet was decorated with the “Esther tapestry set” specifying however that “for lack of two small or one large piece, we have not been able to decorate the end of the room”. This difficulty led immediately to the Banquet episode being woven a second time in two parts (they were delivered to the Garde-Meuble on 30 December 1746) to garnish the panels on each side of the bed of the Dauphine who would hardly enjoy them (she died on 22 July 1746 and the decoration was installed for the new Dauphine Maria Josepha of Saxony). The appearance of the set’s remarkable border, which imitated a richly sculpted wooden frame, should be mentioned. Conceived in 1738 by the ornamentalist Pierre Josse-Perrot and used in the later weavings until 1768, it tended to reinforce the resolutely painterly appearance of the tapestry set which, in this regard, pushed the art of tapestry as far as its ultimate mimetic possibilities. With the exception of Mor’decai's Disdain which had been removed earlier, the “editio princeps” of the story of Esther (from then on in nine pieces) remained at Versailles until the Revolution. Of the eight surviving tapestries, four are at the chateau of Compiègne and four belong today to the Mobilier National. No less than seven tapestry sets reputed to be complete (one of them in fact only had six tapestries) would be produced officially at the Gobelins up to 1772. Literature: 1- The Œuvres mêlées of an emulator of Racine, the Abbé Augustin NADAL thus include an Esther. Divertissement spiritual which is exactly contemporary with Jean François de Troy’s cycle since it was performed in 1735 and published in Paris three years later. 2-Le Siècle de Louis XIV, 1751, 1785 ed., p. 96-97 for French ed. 3- Lemoyne and de Troy had been obliged to share the First Prize in the competition organised in 1727 between the most prominent history painters of the Académie Royale. 4- Mémoires…, pub. L. DUSSIEUX et al., 1854, II, p.265. 5-The fact that de Troy, at the risk of falling out with his colleagues, did not hesitate to make use of prices in order to convince the new directeur des Bâtiments Philibert Orry, is confirmed by Mariette who adds tersely “it caused much shouting” (pub. 1851-1860, II, p. 103). 6- Abrégé de la vie des plus fameux peintres…, ed. 1762, IV, p. 368-369 20 Early comments on the painter are inclined to present him as a kind of “pure painter”, doing without the medium of drawing, a few intermediary studies between the Esther sketches and the large cartoons at the Louvre nevertheless show that de Troy used red chalk (see in the catalogue, the notice for the Meal of Esther and Ahasuerus under the entry drawing) to change one or other figure. 7-C. GASTINEL-COURAL (cat. exp. PARIS, 1985, p. 9-13) as well as the article by J. VITTET, exh. cat. LA ROCHE-GUYON, 2001, p. 51-55. 8-The Hermitage in St. Petersburg conserves five tapestries of these two royal gifts whose provenance still awaits elucidation (as far as we are aware). In 1766, the Grand Marshal of Russia, Count Razumovski (or Razamowski), acquired the Fainting and the Banquet extracted from the sixth weaving (J. VITTET, 2001, p. 53). 9- Lettres écrites de Suisse, d’Italie…,quoted by J. VITTET, op. cit., p. 54. 10-The tapestry set remained in the hands of a branch of the Hapsburg-Lorraine family until 1933 (ibid. P. 54). 11-Quoted by Chr. LERIBAULT, 2002, p. 97, note 269. 12-Y. CANTAREL-BESSON, 1992, p. 241. Catalogue The Esther at her Toilet Oil on canvas, 57 x 51 cm Provenance: Painted in 1736 at the same time as the six other modelli of the Story of Esther intended to be presented, for approval, to the direction des Bâtiments du Roi; perhaps identifiable among a lot of sketches by Jean-François de Troy in the post mortem inventory of the amateur, historian and critic Claude-Henri Watelet (1718-1786) drawn up on 13 January 1786 and following days (A.N. T 978, n° 30) then in the sale of the property of the deceased, Paris, 12 June 1786, n° 33; Paris, François Marcille Collection (who owned a series of six sketches from which the Triumph of Mor’decai was missing, see infra); Paris, Marcille Sale, Hôtel Drouot, 12-13 January 1857, n° 36; Asnières, Mme de Chavanne de Palmassy ( ?) collection; Paris, Galerie Cailleux; Paris, Humbert de Wendel collection (acquired from the Galerie Cailleux in 1928); by inheritance in the same family; Paris, Sotheby’s, 23 June 2011, n° 61. In order not to add unnecessarily to the technical commentary on each work, the catalogue raisonné by Chr. Leribault which contains a substantial bibliography on the series should be referred to. The other bibliographical references only concern the publications and exhibitions to have appeared and been presented more recently. Bibliography and Exhibitions: Chr. LERIBAULT, 2002, n° P. 247 (repr.); E. LIMARDO DATURI, 2004, p. 28; Exh. cat. NANTES, 2011, p. 138, n° 34, referred to in note 1; Sotheby’s catalogue, Tableaux anciens et du XIXe siècle, 23 June 2011, n° 61 (repr.). Related Works: Tapestry cartoon: The cartoon (oil on canvas, 329 x 320 cm), the third made by the artist in Paris after the sketches had been approved by the direction des Bâtiments, is in the Louvre (Inv. 8315). It previously bore the painter’s signature and the date 1738 (inscriptions which are found on the tapestries). The royal administration paid 1600 livres for it on 21 June 1738 and it was exhibited at the Salon in the year of its creation. Summary Biography 1679 (27 January): Baptism in Paris (Parish of St. Nicolas du Chardonnet) of Jean-François de Troy, son of the painter François de Troy and Jeanne Cotelle, sister of the painter Jean II Cotelle. 1696-1698: Studies (apparently rather turbulent) at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture. 1698-1708: First trip to Italy. Is obliged to leave Rome in January 1711 after a tempestuous affair (a duel?), de Troy extends the traditional Roman experience as a pensionnaire at the Académie de France by also visiting Tuscany where he stays for a long time, Venice (his art in face has a strongly Venetian character) and Genoa. 1708: De Troy (whose father had been elected Director of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture on 7 July) is agréé and immediately received at the Académie with Apollo and Diana Piercing with their Arrows the Children of Niobe (Montpellier, Musée Fabre) on 28 July. 1710: First royal commission, paid for on 10 May (a sketch representing “the Promotion of the Order of the Holy Spirit” for the tapestry series of the History of the King). 1716: Jean-François de Troy is elected Assistant Professor at the Academy. 1720: He is appointed Professor. 1723: The artist creates the double portrait of Louis XV...
Category

Early 18th Century French Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Wool, Silk

1950s Ebony Elephant, 20th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
1950s EBONY ELEPHANT DECORATIVE ELEPHANT FROM THE 50'S IN EBONY AND BONE . MEASURES: 28 CM HIGH good condition.
Category

20th Century Italian Baroque Furniture

Materials

Bone

Atlantis in Wood, 19th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Atlantis in wood XIX century. Wood carving representing an atlantis from the XIX century. Measures: 70 cm high Very good condition.
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Wood

Christ Crucified in Silver 16th Century Italian School
Located in Madrid, ES
Christ crucified in silver 16th Century Italian school Measure: height: 40cm. very good condition.
Category

16th Century Italian Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Silver

Important Spanish Cabinet, 17th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Important Spanish Cabinet 17th century in blackened wood and tortoiseshell veneer. It opens with eight drawers framing a central door, surrounded by two columns. Richly decorated w...
Category

17th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Important Spanish School of the 17th century "Christ Carrying the Cross"
Located in Madrid, ES
Important Spanish School of the 17th century "Christ Carrying the Cross" Oil on canvas 73 x 60 cm with frame: 78cm x 65cm The work is inspired by ancient models, in particular by t...
Category

17th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

Set of 6 Paintings Attributed to the Cusco School, 18th–19th Centuries
Located in Madrid, ES
Set of 6 paintings attributed to the Cusco School, 18th–19th centuries Series of five small-format oil paintings on canvas, attributed to the Cusco School, 18th–19th centuries. They...
Category

19th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

Spanish Table, Walnut, Baroque, 17th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Walnut wood, with wrought iron fasteners and one piece board. Baroque style lira leg table, entirely made of walnut, with carved profile legs and rectangula...
Category

17th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Wrought Iron

Important Italian Bust "Roman Emperor" 20th Century Carrara Marble
Located in Madrid, ES
Important Italian bust "Roman Emperor" 20th Century Marmo di Carrara Measure: H: 55cm perfect conditions
Category

20th Century Italian Baroque Furniture

Materials

Carrara Marble

Virgin and Child, Spanish-American Viceregal School, oil on canvas, 19th century
Located in Madrid, ES
Virgin and Child, Spanish-American Viceregal School, oil on canvas, 19th century Delicate depiction of the Virgin and Child, executed in oil on canvas towards the end of the 19th ce...
Category

19th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

Spanish Iron Floor Lamp
Located in Madrid, ES
Iron wrought baroque spanish style torchère mounted like floor lamp, supported on three legs ending.Lampshade is not including
Category

Mid-19th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Iron

Venus and Cupid 19th Century French School
Located in Madrid, ES
Venus and cupid 19th century. French school. oil on canvas. Dimension: 66 x 51 cm. Good conditions.
Category

19th Century French Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

"Saint Sebastian" by Carlo Saraceni 19th Century Italian School with Video
Located in Madrid, ES
"Saint Sebastian" by Carlo Saraceni 19th Century Italian School with Video Oil painting on canvas, Italian school, 19th century, depicting Saint Sebastian in the style of Carlo Sara...
Category

Late 19th Century Italian Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

17th Century Portuguese Tile Panel
Located in Madrid, ES
Largest collection of Portuguese tiles in the world 17th Century Portuguese Tile Panel Restored 56cm x 56cm 14cm x 14cm tiles With certificate of authenticity and export issued by ...
Category

17th Century Portuguese Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Musical Automaton Picture Clock by Xavier Tharin, c. 1860
Located in Madrid, ES
Musical automaton picture clock by Xavier Tharin, c. 1860 Paris, hand-colored lithographed scene depicting a Mediterranean harbor scene with abbey, ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

18th Century Portuguese "Azulejos" The Virgen"
Located in Madrid, ES
Largest collection of Portuguese tiles in the world 18th century Portuguese " Angels " Measures: 364 cm x 252 cm 439 tiles Important note: This panel is with the tiles restored 18...
Category

18th Century Portuguese Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Ceramic

Landscape with Classical Ruins, Oil on Canvas, Attributed to Giner, Vicente
Located in Madrid, ES
Landscape with classical ruins. Oil on canvas. Attributed to Giner, Vicente (ca. 1636-1681). Reengineered (reentelado in spanish). Landscape with rocks and buildings in the background that presents, in the foreground, constructions with a marked classicist air, accompanied by two female sculptures on two pedestals. At the foot of this building, there is a group of people, dressed in the classic way (women, children and a soldier with a spear). Vicente Giner, canon and artist from Castellón, is documented working in Rome during the last quarter of the seventeenth century (until he died here in 1681), where he requested, together with others, from Carlos II...
Category

17th Century European Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Other

Pair of Large Mythological Canvases: Bacchus and Diana, European School France
Located in Madrid, ES
Pair of Large Mythological Canvases: Bacchus and Diana, European School France ), 19th Century This set consists of two large-format oil paintings on canvas depicting Bacchus and Di...
Category

19th Century French Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

Important Write Table Louis XV 19th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Writing table in rosewood veneer, purple wood, Amaranto, Goodwood marquetry and gilded bronze of Louis XV era, With a table suite of the end of the 19th century. The tray with flo...
Category

19th Century French Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Wood

Frame. Ebonized wood, metal. Dutch School, 17th century.
Located in Madrid, ES
Frame. Ebonized wood, metal. Dutch School, 17th century. It has faults. Slightly rectangular frame made of ebonized wood and decorated with a series of smooth moldings of varying w...
Category

17th Century European Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Other

Large Mythological Painting of the Triumph of Venus, Circle of Nicolas Poussin
Located in Madrid, ES
Large mythological oil painting of the Triumph of Venus, circle of Nicolas Poussin, 19th century Impressive large-format oil on canvas depicting the triumph of Venus in a marine cort...
Category

19th Century Spanish Antique Baroque Furniture

Materials

Paint

Baroque furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Baroque furniture for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage furniture created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, case pieces and storage cabinets, tables and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Baroque furniture made in a specific country, there are Europe, Italy, and France pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original furniture, popular names associated with this style include Europa Antiques, Modenese Gastone, Delft, and Meissen Porcelain. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for furniture differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $18 and tops out at $737,181 while the average work can sell for $4,396.

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