Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace 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.
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Brass
1770s Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Marble, Bronze
20th Century American Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Wood, Giltwood, Paint
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Composition
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Wood
1830s Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror, Oak
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Oak
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Gold Leaf
1790s Italian Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Pine, Giltwood
2010s Sub-Saharan African Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Wire
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror, Mahogany, Satinwood
20th Century American Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Wood
1820s American Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Giltwood, Mirror, Gesso
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror, Mahogany, Paint
1780s Italian Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Silver
Early 20th Century Swedish Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Giltwood
1810s Italian Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Gesso, Mirror, Giltwood, Lacquer
1780s Italian Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Paint, Giltwood, Mirror, Gesso
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Wood
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Wood
20th Century Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Wood
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Hardwood
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Wood
20th Century American Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Wood
Late 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Iron, Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Wood, Ebony, Mirror
1870s American Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Ash, Walnut
Late 18th Century Irish Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Giltwood
20th Century American Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Wood
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Gold Leaf
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Walnut
1960s Vintage Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror
1770s Italian Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Walnut
Early 1800s American Antique Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Brass
20th Century American Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Wood, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror, Mahogany