Neoclassical Center Tables
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 Neoclassical Center Tables
Glass, Plaster
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Center Tables
Giltwood
2010s Mexican Neoclassical Center Tables
Oak
Mid-19th Century Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Mahogany
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Walnut
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Center Tables
Iron
1940s European Vintage Neoclassical Center Tables
Marble, Bronze
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Fruitwood
1990s American Neoclassical Center Tables
Marble
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Walnut
Early 1900s French Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Metal
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Walnut
1870s Italian Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Marble
20th Century Neoclassical Center Tables
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary French Neoclassical Center Tables
Limestone
Early 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Marble, Brass
1920s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Center Tables
Marble
Late 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Walnut
1820s English Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Center Tables
Brass
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Marble
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Center Tables
Brass
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Marble
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Wood
1830s Italian Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Marble
20th Century American Neoclassical Center Tables
Concrete, Limestone, Iron
Early 20th Century American Neoclassical Center Tables
Mahogany
20th Century American Neoclassical Center Tables
Steel, Iron
1820s Italian Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Center Tables
Plaster, Cherry, Giltwood
1990s American Neoclassical Center Tables
Wood, Glass
20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Center Tables
Wood
1940s French Vintage Neoclassical Center Tables
Bronze, Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Center Tables
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Center Tables
Marble
1950s French Vintage Neoclassical Center Tables
Marble, Brass
1810s Italian Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Fruitwood
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Carrara Marble
1820s American Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Mahogany
1930s French Vintage Neoclassical Center Tables
Travertine, Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Center Tables
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Center Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Neoclassical Center Tables
Wood
1830s Austrian Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Walnut, Burl
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Center Tables
Mahogany, Rosewood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Hardwood
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Center Tables
Cherry, Ebony
Mid-19th Century German Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Cherry
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Center Tables
Glass, Wood, Walnut
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Marble
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Center Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Center Tables
Walnut
20th Century Neoclassical Center Tables
Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Center Tables
Walnut
20th Century American Neoclassical Center Tables
Steel, Iron
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Center Tables
Marble, Brass