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Classical Greek Prints

CLASSICAL GREEK STYLE

There is rare surviving furniture from ancient Greece, yet this classical style has informed design for centuries. Interiors of houses in antiquity were minimal, with much of a room’s color coming from frescoes on the walls and mosaics on the floors. Classical Greek furniture was sparing but finely crafted and influenced by Egyptian furniture design through Mediterranean trade.

Furnishings of the period were usually made from local wood like cypress, cedar, oak and willow from ancient Greece’s plentiful forests, although some pieces were carved from marble, such as a 300–200 B.C. throne with lion legs and a curved back now at the Getty Villa. Comfort and clean lines characterized designs during the Classical era, the symmetry and thoughtful proportions reflecting the architecture of Greek temples.

Some pieces of ancient Greek furniture were simple, rectangular platforms like the klinē, a multipurpose ancestor of today’s couches or daybeds that held cushions stuffed with wool, dry grass or down. These structures were used for both sleeping and dining, which wealthy Greeks did while reclining. At night, oil lamps illuminated rooms that frequently surrounded a garden courtyard.

Most of what scholars have learned about Greek furniture design owes to its representations in art like vases and stelae. The portable diphros stool, with its backless design and four turned legs, was one of the more common types of seating in daily Greek life — it appears as such for the gods on the Parthenon frieze. Stools without backs have been found in early Roman tombs, while benches were also common Greek seating furniture created for use in theaters. In houses of the Hellenistic period, benches seemingly functioned as tables, too.

Some designs evolved through adaptations by the Romans, including the klismos chair. After prominent archaeological excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum, the klismos chair — with its four saber legs and the elegant curves that define its back — was a source of inspiration for aesthetics in eras ranging from 18th-century neoclassicism to 20th-century Art Deco.

Find a collection of Classical Greek decorative objects, wall decorations and building and garden elements on 1stDibs.

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Style: Classical Greek
Two Grand Tour Engravings of Ancient Greek Sculptures
Located in London, GB
Two exquisite and rare etchings of ancient sculptures by Pierre Bouillon (1776-1831), from his book Musée des antiques, published in Paris between 1811-1827. The two plates, titled G...
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Classical Greek Prints

Materials

Paper

Framed William Hamilton Antiquites Etrusques, Grecques Et Romain Cover
Located in New York, NY
Hand-colored engravings, from Antiquités Etrusques, Grecques et Romaines from Lord Hamilton's folio (1766-1776). Hamilton's collection of ancient vases was assembled by him after his...
Category

Late 18th Century European Antique Classical Greek Prints

Materials

Paper, Glass

Framed Sir William Hamilton Three Men with Animals Print
Located in New York, NY
Hand-colored engravings, from Antiquités Etrusques, Grecques et Romaines from Lord Hamilton's folio (1766-1776). Hamilton's collection of ancient vases was assembled by him after his...
Category

Late 18th Century European Antique Classical Greek Prints

Materials

Paper, Glass

Framed Sir William Hamilton War Scene Print
Located in New York, NY
Hand-colored engravings, from Antiquités Etrusques, Grecques et Romaines from Lord Hamilton's folio (1766-1776). Hamilton's collection of ancient vases was assembled by him after his...
Category

Late 18th Century European Antique Classical Greek Prints

Materials

Glass, Paper

Framed Sir William Hamilton Print Woman Sitting beside Her Advisors
Located in New York, NY
Hand-colored engravings, from Antiquités Etrusques, Grecques et Romaines from Lord Hamilton's folio (1766-1776). Hamilton's collection of ancient vases was assembled by him after his...
Category

Late 17th Century European Antique Classical Greek Prints

Materials

Glass, Paper

Four Large Architectural Prints of Classical Orders
Located in London, GB
A set of four very decorative large prints of architectural orders, 20th century, after Sir William Chambers (1723-1796) from his Treatise on Civil Architecture published in 1759. I...
Category

Mid-20th Century English Classical Greek Prints

Materials

Paper, Paint

Large Vintage Prop Print of Greco Roman Statue of Woman in Flowing Garb
Located in New York, NY
This interesting print was probably part of a scene for a film, or TV production. The subject is a classical statue of a woman in a flowing dress, holding a pitcher and a bowl. The p...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Classical Greek Prints

Materials

Wood, Paper

Framed Set of 18th Century Classical Engravings
Located in Pembroke, MA
Two French matted and framed 18th century black and white engravings inspired by Classical Antiquity. The first frame contains an engraving of a woman patting a unicorn, and a man an...
Category

18th Century French Antique Classical Greek Prints

Materials

Giltwood, Paper

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Antique Print of Sir Thomas Shernborne, 1842
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique print titled 'Sir Thomas Shernborne'. Old print of Sir Thomas Shernborne. This print originates from 'A critical inquiry into antient armour as it existed in Europe (..)' by Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick. Artists and Engravers: Published by Henry G...
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19th Century Antique Classical Greek Prints

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Italian Contemporary Gliceé Ottoman Print n.1 with Printed Leopard Wood Frame
Located in Scandicci, Florence
Multicolor Giclèe print on 100% cotton paper. Ottoman personage against a ground of architecture and tropical flora. Bluette passepartout. Wide wood fashion frame with Leopard patter...
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Antique Portrait of Sir William Wyndham, English Tory Statesman, ca.1741
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique print titled 'Sr. William Wyndham'. Portrait of Sir William Wyndham, 3rd Baronet, (1687-1740) was an English Tory statesman, who served as Secretary at War in 1712 and Chance...
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Antique Portrait of George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, 1666 - 1737
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique portrait titled 'George Hamilton Earl of Orkney'. Portrait of George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, 1666 - 1737. Artists and Engravers: Jacobus Houbraken (1698-1780) was a ...
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William A. Hoffman (1920-2011) Abstract Lithograph No. 3/5
Located in Chicago, IL
Framed black and white lithograph by notable American artist William August Hoffman.
Hoffman was a noted artist who worked in several mediums including ceramic sculpture, oi...
Category

20th Century American Classical Greek Prints

Materials

Wood, Glass, Lithograph, Paper

Trio of English William Hamilton Neoclassical Engravings
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Interesting trio of English Sir William Hamilton Greco-Roman neoclassical hand-colored engravings set of images made in the Grand Tour style. Hamilton was a British ambassador to the...
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19th Century English Antique Classical Greek Prints

Materials

Wood, Paper, Glass

Colored Engraving of the Ancient Ruins of Persepolis in Persia (Iran), 1782
Located in Langweer, NL
This print is titled "RUINS OF PERSEPOLIS" and it showcases a detailed and colored engraving of the ancient ruins of Persepolis in Persia (modern-day Iran). The image portrays a se...
Category

1780s Antique Classical Greek Prints

Materials

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SALLY HAMILTON - 'The Sugar Plum Fairy' - #5/22 - Vintage Engraving - Circa 1974
Located in Chatham, ON
SALLY HAMILTON - 'The Sugar Plum Fairy' - Number 5/22 - Vintage fine art engraving - circa 1974. Excellent vintage condition - unframed - engraving mounted with adhesive to illustra...
Category

Mid-20th Century Unknown Classical Greek Prints

Materials

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Antique Framed Japanese Shunga Woodblock Print of a Man and a Woman Making Love
Located in Yonkers, NY
An antique Japanese Shunga woodblock print in gilt frame depicting a man and a woman making love. Created in Japan, this woodblock print called...
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19th Century Japanese Antique Classical Greek Prints

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Paint, Glass, Wood

Late 19th Century Grand Tour Oil Print
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
A late 19th century oil print in shadowbox frame, a Grand Tour souvenir. Orientalist scene with camel & pyramids, in gilt inner frame. Incredibly decorative & fun - made as a souveni...
Category

Late 19th Century African Antique Classical Greek Prints

Materials

Paint

Late 19th Century Grand Tour Oil Print
Late 19th Century Grand Tour Oil Print
H 14.75 in W 17.5 in D 3.5 in
Antique Japanese Framed Woodblock Print Depicting a Woman in the Woods
Located in Yonkers, NY
An antique Japanese woodblock print from the 19th century depicting a woman in the woods. Created in Japan during the 19th century, this woodblock print showcases an outdoor scene de...
Category

19th Century Japanese Antique Classical Greek Prints

Materials

Glass, Paint, Paper

Group of 4 Turn of The Century Framed Classical Prints
Located in New York, NY
Four classical prints circa 1900s-1920s each in original wood frame, under glass. These are priced and offered individually but we would love to see t...
Category

Early 20th Century American Classical Greek Prints

Materials

Glass, Wood, Paper

Previously Available Items
N Poussin And E Baudet, Suite Of 3 Framed Engravings, Late 18th Century Early 19
By Nicolas Poussin
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Suite of 3 framed engravings based on paintings by Nicolas Poussin: *the Funeral of Phocion: the work is inspired by Plutarch's story. The Athenian statesman, disciple of Plato, was...
Category

Late 18th Century French Antique Classical Greek Prints

Materials

Paper

Set of 9 Antique Prints of Greek Ornamental Panels, Dated 1819
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Superb set of 9 ornamental details from Greek and Etruscan vases. Vases from the collection of Sir Henry Englefield. Drawn and engraved by H.Moses. Steel engravings. Publ...
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1810s English Antique Classical Greek Prints

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi, 18th Century Engraving, Veduta Di Piazza Di Spagna
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Artist name lower right in plate. A wonderful view of the famed piazza as it appeared in Piranesi's day, with all sorts of people and carriages in the square. From the "Veduta di Roma...
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18th Century Antique Classical Greek Prints

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Wood

Set of Four Engravings After The Collection of Sir William Hamilton
Located in Stamford, CT
Set of four 18th century engravings done by master engraver Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein (also known as Goethe Tischbein) depicting scenes from Greek antiquity. Done after the i...
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Late 18th Century Greek Antique Classical Greek Prints

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Classical Greek prints for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Classical Greek prints for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Mid-20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage prints created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include wall decorations, building and garden elements and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with paper, glass and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Classical Greek prints made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and England pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original prints, popular names associated with this style include and Sir William Hamilton. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for prints differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $195 and tops out at $3,500 while the average work can sell for $2,200.

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