Neoclassical Furniture
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.
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Silver Plate
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Stoneware
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Copper
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Marble
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Bronze
1910s English Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Silver Plate
1760s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Statuary Marble
1770s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Glass, Wood, Paper
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Marble, Statuary Marble, Metal, Steel
Mid-20th Century English Neoclassical Furniture
Plaster, Wood
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Marble
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Furniture
Mahogany
1950s English Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century English Neoclassical Furniture
Metal, Bronze, Iron
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Marble, Statuary Marble
1940s English Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Iron
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Plaster
1880s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Early 1800s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Furniture
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary English Neoclassical Furniture
Brass
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Stoneware
20th Century English Neoclassical Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Wood
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Sterling Silver
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary English Neoclassical Furniture
Silk
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Tôle
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Plaster, Paint
Early 1900s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Gold
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Ceramic, Stoneware
1910s English Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Stoneware
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Plaster
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Wood
1880s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Sterling Silver
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Sterling Silver
1920s English Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Silver, Sterling Silver
1790s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Sterling Silver
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Gesso, Wood
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Stoneware
1950s English Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Porcelain, Pottery
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Mercury Glass, Mirror, Giltwood
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Clay
Mid-20th Century English Neoclassical Furniture
Plaster, Wood
1910s English Vintage Neoclassical Furniture
Silver
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Wood, Oak
20th Century English Neoclassical Furniture
Steel
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Furniture
Silver
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Limestone
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Mahogany
1890s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Gold, Bronze
1760s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Damask, Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Iron
Early 1900s English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Paper
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Oak
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Stone, Limestone, Metal, Bronze
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Furniture
Wood, Paint





