Neoclassical Buffets
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.
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Neoclassical Buffets
Onyx
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Buffets
Wood, Paint
1870s French Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Buffets
Wood, Paint
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Buffets
Wood
1920s French Vintage Neoclassical Buffets
Marble
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Buffets
Satinwood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Buffets
Brass
1890s French Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Marble, Bronze
1960s Vintage Neoclassical Buffets
Walnut
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Walnut
1810s Italian Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Cherry
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Marble, Brass
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Marble, Ormolu
20th Century American Neoclassical Buffets
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Neoclassical Buffets
Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Buffets
Composition, Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Buffets
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Buffets
Wood
1880s Italian Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Brass
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Buffets
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Buffets
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Neoclassical Buffets
Onyx, Marble, Carrara Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Buffets
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Buffets
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Buffets
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Buffets
Wood
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Marble, Ormolu
2010s French Neoclassical Buffets
Iron
19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Ormolu
19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Marble, Ormolu, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Ormolu
2010s French Neoclassical Buffets
Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Buffets
Brass
2010s French Neoclassical Buffets
Cherry, Oak, Wood
2010s French Neoclassical Buffets
Oak, Cherry
2010s French Neoclassical Buffets
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Buffets
Wood
19th Century Belgian Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Brass, Lead
2010s French Neoclassical Buffets
Cherry, Oak, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Buffets
Wood
2010s French Neoclassical Buffets
Wood, Cherry, Oak
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Early 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Marble, Ormolu
20th Century Neoclassical Buffets
Wood
Early 1900s Italian Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Pine
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Wood, Walnut
1890s English Antique Neoclassical Buffets
Mahogany