Neoclassical Table Lamps
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.
20th Century Spanish Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Malachite, Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Paint, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Resin
1960s British Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver, Vermeil
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver Plate, Wire
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze, Wire
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Alabaster, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Rock Crystal, Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Brass
1990s Philippine Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
20th Century English Neoclassical Table Lamps
Sheffield Plate
1890s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
Late 20th Century European Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Metal
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal, Brass, Ormolu
Early 1900s Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Porcelain
1980s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Fabric, Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century North American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Carrara Marble, Metal, Brass
Early 20th Century Scottish Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal, Sterling Silver
1880s English Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Scagliola
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble
1790s French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
1890s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
1890s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
Mid-20th Century European Neoclassical Table Lamps
Faience
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Metal
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Neoclassical Table Lamps
Onyx, Metal
1960s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Metal, Brass
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal, Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Plaster
1950s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Alabaster
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Silver
1940s American Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Fabric, Harewood
1890s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Brass
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Table Lamps
Bronze
20th Century American Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Onyx, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Fabric, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze, Metal
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Metal
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Table Lamps
Stone, Chrome