Louis XV Settees
The style of 18th-century French furniture was guided by the court. When Louis XV, who reigned from 1715–74, focused royal life on the smaller salons of Versailles rather than its grand chambers, it transformed the aesthetics away from the imposing and angular furniture that characterized the style of Louis XIV. A broader focus on comfort and more delicate forms define antique Louis XV furniture, with nature-inspired carvings, wood inlays, curved cabriole legs, asymmetrical shapes and rounded oval seat backs. The furnishings changed throughout the king’s life, as he ascended to the throne as a child and then grew to establish his own tastes.
Pieces like the bergère, an upholstered armchair with a wide cushion that fit the flowing dresses in fashion at the time, reflected this more informal court. Introduced at the start of Louis XV’s reign, bergère chairs in this style were deeper and broader than other chairs of the period.
Louis XV tapestries and carpets tended to be floral and colorful, and design elements were borrowed from Asia. Dutch-born cabinetmaker Bernard van Risenburgh brought lacquer techniques influenced by Japan and China into his luxuriously made furniture. Along with its fine details, the furniture of the era also featured new innovations including mechanical devices. Jean François Oeben, a royal cabinetmaker, created such intricate pieces as a mechanical table for Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV’s mistress. It involved a sliding top and a writing surface that extended from its marquetry panels.
During the later years of Louis XV’s reign, there was a shift from the ostentatious rocaille style, part of the exuberantly decorative Rococo movement in Europe for which designers such as Nicolas Pineau and Juste-Aurèle Meissonier are known. The style under Louis XVI would return to boxier forms, but with a neoclassical touch inspired by the ancient world.
Find antique Louis XV bedroom furniture, seating, tables and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Settees
Wood, Giltwood, Paint
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Settees
Cane, Fruitwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Settees
Muslin, Wood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Settees
Walnut
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Settees
Wood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Settees
Velvet, Fruitwood
20th Century French Louis XV Settees
Fabric, Walnut
1860s French Antique Louis XV Settees
Velvet, Wood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Settees
Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Settees
Silk, Giltwood
19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Settees
Wood
1880s French Antique Louis XV Settees
Walnut
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Settees
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Settees
Velvet, Cane, Wood
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Settees
Fabric, Walnut
Mid-20th Century North American Louis XV Settees
Upholstery, Cane
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Settees
Wood
1970s American Vintage Louis XV Settees
Cotton, Upholstery, Wood
Late 20th Century Louis XV Settees
Fabric, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Settees
Fabric, Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Settees
Silk, Giltwood
1970s American Vintage Louis XV Settees
Cotton, Upholstery, Wood
1880s French Antique Louis XV Settees
Fabric, Giltwood
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Settees
Wood
Early 2000s Louis XV Settees
Cotton, Wood
1980s Vintage Louis XV Settees
Cotton, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Settees
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Settees
Oak
20th Century French Louis XV Settees
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century Louis XV Settees
Fabric, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Settees
Silk, Foam, Walnut
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Settees
Walnut
1890s French Antique Louis XV Settees
Bronze
Late 20th Century Louis XV Settees
Upholstery, Giltwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Settees
Textile, Giltwood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Settees
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century American Antique Louis XV Settees
Metal
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Settees
Giltwood
20th Century French Louis XV Settees
Fabric
Early 20th Century American Louis XV Settees
Metal
Early 20th Century American Louis XV Settees
Metal
Late 18th Century Antique Louis XV Settees
Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XV Settees
Cane, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Settees
Tapestry, Walnut
Late 20th Century Louis XV Settees
Fabric, Wood
1940s French Vintage Louis XV Settees
Fabric, Giltwood
19th Century European Antique Louis XV Settees
Upholstery, Walnut
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Settees
Fabric
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Settees
Tapestry, Wood, Paint
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Settees
Walnut
2010s British Louis XV Settees
Hardwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Settees
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Settees
Wood, Giltwood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Settees
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Louis XV Settees
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Settees
Upholstery, Wood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Settees
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Louis XV Settees
Mahogany