Neoclassical Mirrors
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.
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Mirrors
Giltwood, Mirror
1780s Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Marble, Ormolu
1870s French Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Wood
1820s Swedish Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Wood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Metal
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
1920s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Mirrors
Silver Leaf
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Gold Leaf
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Walnut
20th Century Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Maple
1940s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Glass
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Mirrors
Glass, Giltwood
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Mirrors
Onyx, Bronze
Early 1800s Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Mirrors
Wood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
1990s Neoclassical Mirrors
Metal
1880s Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Glass, Wood
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Onyx, Bronze
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Wood, Mirror, Giltwood
Early 1800s Spanish Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Walnut
Early 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Satinwood
1970s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Glass
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Iron
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Mirrors
Bronze
1730s Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Gold Leaf
Mid-19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Early 2000s American Neoclassical Mirrors
Gold Leaf
1980s American Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Platinum
Early 19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mid-18th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Gold Leaf
1870s American Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Giltwood
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Marble, Bronze, Other
19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Porcelain
1810s Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Gold Leaf
1960s Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror
Early 1900s Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Walnut
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Porcelain
1820s German Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mahogany
Early 1800s American Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Walnut, Mirror
Late 18th Century Great Britain (UK) Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Giltwood, Mercury Glass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Early 19th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Bronze
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Mirrors
Wood
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Walnut
1770s Italian Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
Mid-18th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Gold Leaf
Early 19th Century Baltic Antique Neoclassical Mirrors
Gold Leaf