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.
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Cane, Walnut
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Seating
Wood, Giltwood, Paint
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Seating
Nutwood
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Wood
Early 20th Century Louis XV Seating
Walnut
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Seating
Wood, Giltwood
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Silk, Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Mohair, Upholstery
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Velvet, Mahogany
1940s Italian Vintage Louis XV Seating
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Muslin, Wood
1910s Swedish Vintage Louis XV Seating
Walnut
2010s Portuguese Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Velvet, Foam, Wood
2010s American Louis XV Seating
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Louis XV Seating
Wood
1940s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Linen, Wood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Giltwood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Seating
Gold Leaf
1870s Swedish Antique Louis XV Seating
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Oak
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Tapestry, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Walnut, Paint
1870s Swedish Antique Louis XV Seating
Walnut
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Seating
Gold, Gold Leaf
Early 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Giltwood, Tapestry
Mid-20th Century North American Louis XV Seating
Wood
1870s Swedish Antique Louis XV Seating
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century Unknown Louis XV Seating
Gold Leaf
18th Century English Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Beech
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Textile, Beech
18th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Tapestry, Giltwood
Early 20th Century Unknown Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Fruitwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Giltwood
1770s Italian Antique Louis XV Seating
Walnut
1940s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wood
1850s French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Cane, Walnut
Early 20th Century Unknown Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Fruitwood
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Seating
Cane, Walnut
20th Century American Louis XV Seating
Fabric, Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Giltwood
1950s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Leather, Wood
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Seating
Cane, Walnut
1940s French Vintage Louis XV Seating
Leather, Wood
Early 1900s French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery
Late 20th Century Louis XV Seating
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Walnut, Fabric
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Seating
Nutwood, Giltwood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Louis XV Seating
Giltwood
1960s American Vintage Louis XV Seating
Cane, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century French Antique Louis XV Seating
Upholstery, Giltwood