Louis XV Seating
The style of 18th-century French furniture was guided by the court. When Louis XV, who reigned from 1715–74, focused royal life on the smaller salons of Versailles rather than its grand chambers, it transformed the aesthetics away from the imposing and angular furniture that characterized the style of Louis XIV. A broader focus on comfort and more delicate forms define antique Louis XV furniture, with nature-inspired carvings, wood inlays, curved cabriole legs, asymmetrical shapes and rounded oval seat backs. The furnishings changed throughout the king’s life, as he ascended to the throne as a child and then grew to establish his own tastes.
Pieces like the bergère, an upholstered armchair with a wide cushion that fit the flowing dresses in fashion at the time, reflected this more informal court. Introduced at the start of Louis XV’s reign, bergère chairs in this style were deeper and broader than other chairs of the period.
Louis XV tapestries and carpets tended to be floral and colorful, and design elements were borrowed from Asia. Dutch-born cabinetmaker Bernard van Risenburgh brought lacquer techniques influenced by Japan and China into his luxuriously made furniture. Along with its fine details, the furniture of the era also featured new innovations including mechanical devices. Jean François Oeben, a royal cabinetmaker, created such intricate pieces as a mechanical table for Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV’s mistress. It involved a sliding top and a writing surface that extended from its marquetry panels.
During the later years of Louis XV’s reign, there was a shift from the ostentatious rocaille style, part of the exuberantly decorative Rococo movement in Europe for which designers such as Nicolas Pineau and Juste-Aurèle Meissonier are known. The style under Louis XVI would return to boxier forms, but with a neoclassical touch inspired by the ancient world.
Find antique Louis XV bedroom furniture, seating, tables and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Walnut
19th Century Antique Louis XV Seating
Brass
1870s French Antique Louis XV Seating
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Giltwood
20th Century British Louis XV Seating
Leather
1980s Vintage Louis XV Seating
Leather, Wood
20th Century German Louis XV Seating
Wood
Early 1900s European Antique Louis XV Seating
Walnut
1980s Vintage Louis XV Seating
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Walnut
1920s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Linen, Wood, Paint
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Giltwood
19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Seating
Paint
20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Giltwood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Mohair, Giltwood
1960s Unknown Vintage Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Fruitwood, Down
1930s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Walnut
1890s French Antique Louis XV Seating
Walnut
2010s Indian Louis XV Seating
Metal, Brass, Bronze, Copper, Sheet Metal
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Beech
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Cane, Beech
1930s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Oak, Leather
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Tapestry, Walnut, Upholstery
1990s American Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wood
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Oak
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Beech
Early 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Giltwood
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Walnut
1940s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Brass
2010s British Louis XV Seating
Hardwood
1880s French Antique Louis XV Seating
Walnut
Late 20th Century Louis XV Seating
Leather, Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Seating
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Walnut
20th Century Louis XV Seating
Silver
20th Century American Louis XV Seating
Brass
Early 2000s Vietnamese Louis XV Seating
Mahogany, Leather
Early 20th Century Louis XV Seating
Wood
Late 19th Century Antique Louis XV Seating
Walnut, Cotton
1740s French Antique Louis XV Seating
Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Seating
Wood
20th Century Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Wood
19th Century Antique Louis XV Seating
Giltwood
1930s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Beech
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Hardwood
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Seating
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Cane, Walnut
20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Giltwood
Early 20th Century Louis XV Seating
Satin, Cotton
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Velvet, Walnut
1760s French Antique Louis XV Seating
Wood
2010s Indian Louis XV Seating
Metal, Bronze, Sheet Metal, Copper
1960s European Vintage Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Wood
1960s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Walnut