Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
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.
19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
20th Century Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
Early 1800s Italian Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
20th Century Spanish Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Gold Leaf
20th Century French Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Iron, Wrought Iron, Gold Leaf
1830s Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
20th Century Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
1830s Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
1990s American Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Gold Leaf
19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
19th Century Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Early 1800s Italian Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
18th Century American Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mahogany
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Silver Leaf
1790s Italian Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Pine, Giltwood
20th Century American Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
1780s English Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Mahogany, Satinwood
20th Century American Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Composition
1780s Italian Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
Early 1800s American Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Glass, Wood
1920s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Glass, Mirror, Giltwood
1780s Italian Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
Early 1800s Italian Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mercury Glass, Wood
19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
Mid-18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
20th Century French Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
Mid-19th Century Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Plaster, Wood
1990s Philippine Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Gold Leaf
1810s Italian Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Ebony, Mahogany, Giltwood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Gold Leaf
Mid-19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Oak
Late 18th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Marble
1820s Dutch Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood, Mirror
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Glass, Mirror, Giltwood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Ormolu
1920s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Beech
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Walnut
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Onyx, Bronze
1820s Swedish Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood, Mirror, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mahogany, Rosewood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Bronze
Early 19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
1810s Italian Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Gold Leaf
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Onyx, Bronze
Early 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Satinwood
1880s Italian Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Glass, Wood
1960s Vintage Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Walnut