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.
Late 20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze
1830s Antique Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
Mid-20th Century European Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Wrought Iron
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Pine
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Chestnut, Ebony, Maple
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Metal, Iron
1870s Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Belgian Black Marble
1840s North American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
18th Century American Antique Neoclassical Tables
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Griotte Marble, Ormolu
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Tables
Onyx, Bronze, Ormolu
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Ormolu
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Gold Leaf
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Onyx, Metal
Late 20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Metal
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Wood
19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Neoclassical Tables
Wood
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Concrete, Marble, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary European Neoclassical Tables
Carrara Marble
1940s American Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Gold
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
20th Century Neoclassical Tables
Alabaster
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
1990s Philippine Neoclassical Tables
Stone, Marble
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Cane, Fruitwood
1920s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Wood
2010s American Neoclassical Tables
Leather, Rosewood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Metal
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Alabaster
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Tables
Iron
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Tables
Marble, Iron
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Tables
Cherry
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Tables
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Tables
Scagliola, Giltwood





