Neoclassical Pedestals
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.
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Pedestals
Pine
20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals
Bronze
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals
Composition
1990s Philippine Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble, Stone
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Pedestals
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Pedestals
Stone
20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals
Composition
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals
Wood
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals
Fabric, Glass, Hardwood, Paint
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals
Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble, Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Pedestals
Pine
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Pedestals
Plaster
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Pedestals
Mahogany, Giltwood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Pedestals
Wood, Paint
Early 1900s Italian Antique Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble
1920s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Pedestals
Wood
1950s American Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals
Stone
Late 20th Century French Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble, Ormolu
Early 19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Pedestals
Oak
Late 20th Century French Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble, Ormolu, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Pedestals
Carrara Marble, Marble
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals
Iron
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Pedestals
Onyx
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals
Plaster
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble
1950s American Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals
Stone, Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble, Ormolu
1980s Philippine Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals
Stone, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Pedestals
Alabaster
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble
Early 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Pedestals
Wood
20th Century French Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble, Ormolu
1890s Italian Antique Neoclassical Pedestals
Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Neoclassical Pedestals
Iron
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Pedestals
Griotte Marble, Ormolu
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Pedestals
Travertine, Brass, Steel, Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble
1950s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals
Carrara Marble
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Pedestals
Onyx, Bronze
Late 19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Pedestals
Brass
1940s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals
Stone
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Pedestals
Wood
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Pedestals
Alabaster
1980s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Pedestals
Marble, Bronze
20th Century European Neoclassical Pedestals
Giltwood, Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Pedestals
Walnut