Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
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 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Pine
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Pine
1980s European Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Composition
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Steel, Iron
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone
Early 1800s Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Sandstone
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
Mid-18th Century British Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Siena Marble, Statuary Marble
20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Onyx, Ormolu
20th Century European Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Silver, Bronze, Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
Late 18th Century Scottish Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Sandstone
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Brass
Late 20th Century European Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Composition, Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Metal
20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Cement
1870s Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Terracotta
20th Century English Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Ceramic, Pottery, Stoneware
Mid-19th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
1930s American Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
20th Century Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Brass, Steel
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Copper
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Alabaster
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Stone
1920s Vintage Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Concrete
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Clay
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Iron
2010s Italian Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Limestone
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Copper, Wrought Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Steel, Wrought Iron
19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Granite, Belgian Black Marble, Ormolu
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Bronze
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Lead
Early 19th Century Dutch Antique Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Paint
20th Century American Neoclassical Building and Garden Elements
Aluminum