Louis XVI Lighting
Reflecting the final era of royal opulence before the upheaval of the French Revolution, antique Louis XVI furniture features more angular shapes than the Rococo curves of the Louis XV style, harkening back to the imposing grandeur of Louis XIV.
Dating between 1750 and 1800, an era that overlapped with the last king of France whose reign was cut short by the guillotine, Louis XVI furniture, known as the goût grec, is emblematic of the neoclassical revision that French furniture underwent during the second half of the 18th century.
Authentic Louis XVI furniture characteristics include clean lines and carved details such as scrolls and acanthus flourishes that were inspired by ancient Greece and Rome. This was informed by a burgeoning interest in antiquity in the 18th century, owing to new archaeological excavations at sites including Pompeii and Herculaneum. It largely eclipsed the more East Asian–influenced ornamentation of Louis XV for something more geometric and symmetrical.
The Louis XVI style was defined by what was being created for the palatial rooms at Versailles and Fontainebleau, particularly for the queen, with cabinetmaker Jean-Henri Riesener being a favorite of Marie-Antoinette’s for his luxurious pieces accented with gilded bronze and marquetry. Furniture maker Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené was also a major designer of the period, with his pieces for the royal residences adorned with giltwood and neoclassical touches like tapered columns for chair legs and laurel leaf carvings. Cabinetmaker Adam Weisweiler occasionally incorporated into his furniture porcelain panels produced by Sèvres, a popular manufacturer of European ceramics that served the crown with serveware, vases and other decorative objects.
Find a collection of antique Louis XVI seating, tables, cabinets and other furniture on 1stDibs.
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Marble, Ormolu
Early 20th Century American Louis XVI Lighting
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Crystal, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze
1890s French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze
20th Century French Louis XVI Lighting
Rock Crystal
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Onyx, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Crystal, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Rock Crystal, Iron
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Louis XVI Lighting
Brass
1890s Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze, Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Lighting
Tin
20th Century French Louis XVI Lighting
Ormolu
1960s French Vintage Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Crystal
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Ormolu
1950s French Vintage Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Crystal, Rock Crystal, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze
1920s French Vintage Louis XVI Lighting
Brass, Bronze
Early 20th Century Belgian Louis XVI Lighting
Spelter
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Crystal, Ormolu
1950s French Vintage Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Marble, Ormolu
1870s French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze, Gold Plate, Gold
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze
20th Century Louis XVI Lighting
Metal
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze
1880s French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Rock Crystal, Ormolu
20th Century French Louis XVI Lighting
Brass
20th Century French Louis XVI Lighting
Crystal, Rock Crystal, Metal
Late 20th Century French Louis XVI Lighting
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Ormolu
1930s French Vintage Louis XVI Lighting
Giltwood
1920s French Vintage Louis XVI Lighting
Alabaster, Bronze
1920s French Vintage Louis XVI Lighting
Alabaster, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Crystal, Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Ormolu
Early 1800s French Antique Louis XVI Lighting
Silver Plate
20th Century French Louis XVI Lighting
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Louis XVI Lighting
Iron