Neoclassical Tables
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.
2010s American Neoclassical Tables
Art Glass, Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Slate
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Tables
Iron
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Tables
1860s American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Birdseye Maple
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Tables
Pine
1990s American Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Metal
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Iron
Early 19th Century Belgian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1940s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Plaster
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
1990s British Neoclassical Tables
Stone, Steel
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Iron
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Satinwood, Walnut
20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
2010s French Neoclassical Tables
Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1940s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Wood, Paint
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Early 19th Century Irish Antique Neoclassical Tables
Other
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Silver
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary North American Neoclassical Tables
Hardwood
Late 20th Century Philippine Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Brass
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Travertine, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Marble
1990s American Neoclassical Tables
Leather, Wood
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Tables
Travertine, Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Iron
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Mother-of-Pearl, Hardwood
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Concrete
20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Quartz, Brass, Steel
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Leather, Pine
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Tables
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Neoclassical Tables
Porcelain, Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Metal, Bronze
1990s European Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Tables
Wood
1940s European Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Wood
2010s American Neoclassical Tables
Steel
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass





