Neoclassical Dining Room 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.
1960s North American Vintage Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Oak
20th Century French Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Bronze, Steel
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Marble
2010s American Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Walnut
2010s American Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Marble, Porphyry
2010s American Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Walnut
2010s French Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Wood, Cherry, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Wood
2010s Italian Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Mirror, Wood
1820s American Antique Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Mahogany
2010s American Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Walnut
2010s American Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Felt, Chestnut, Oak, Cherry
2010s American Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Mahogany, Walnut
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Pine
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Walnut, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Walnut
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Walnut
19th Century British Antique Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Brass
1970s French Vintage Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Bronze, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Mahogany, Oak, Wood
Early 19th Century Baltic Antique Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Oak, Paint, Walnut
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Mahogany, Oak, Walnut
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
1970s American Vintage Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Marble
1830s American Antique Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
19th Century Russian Antique Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Brass
2010s American Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Glass, Lucite
1970s European Vintage Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Bronze, Steel
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Stone, Brass, Steel, Iron
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Chestnut
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Dining Room Tables
Ormolu