Neoclassical Lighting
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.
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster, Brass
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Wrought Iron
20th Century American Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1920s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster
20th Century French Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster, Marble
20th Century Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Lighting
Iron
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Onyx, Metal
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Iron
1940s American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
1990s American Neoclassical Lighting
Brass, Nickel
1940s European Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Plaster
1880s French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1920s Czech Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Brass
1910s American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
Mid-19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Lighting
Silver Plate
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Wrought Iron
1920s North American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1910s North American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1940s American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Art Glass
20th Century American Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
Early 1900s American Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Silver Plate, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Brass
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
19th Century Dutch Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
Early 20th Century Swedish Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster
Early 2000s American Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1860s Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1890s Canadian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Iron
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Brass, Bronze
1930s European Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Porcelain
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
18th Century Dutch Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Metal
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Nickel
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Art Glass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Porcelain
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Lighting
Acrylic, Ceramic
1920s American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
1910s American Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
2010s American Neoclassical Lighting
Brass
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Metal
Early 1900s American Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
1840s American Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Lighting
Alabaster, Metal, Aluminum
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
1850s English Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Art Glass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Lighting
Spelter
1980s German Vintage Neoclassical Lighting
Bronze