Classical Roman Tables
During Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 A.D., Pompeii and Herculaneum in today’s Italy were preserved as they were on the day of their destruction. Particularly at Herculaneum, furnishings were carbonized beneath volcanic ash. This was pivotal to understanding how Classical Roman furniture was designed. Archaeological investigations and printed reproductions of discoveries would influence styles evoking this ancient civilization, from the Renaissance to neoclassicism.
While knowledge of Classical Roman furniture comes from rare surviving pieces, it is also derived from frescoes and sculptures portraying Roman life. Much of Roman art, architecture and design was informed by Greece — Roman architect, military engineer and writer Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, whose timeless De architectura is taught in contemporary architecture classes and pays tribute to classical architecture, visited Greece while working under Julius Caesar and admired the country’s architectural developments. The Roman solium references the Greek thronos, a stately chair of honor with an upright form and footstool. As the Roman Empire spread across Europe and into North Africa and Western Asia, the expansion of trade for silver, silk, marble and wood allowed for more luxurious designs.
Classical Roman furniture was made from bronze, wood and stone — in particular, marble — with ornate touches like tortoiseshell veneers, bone and glass inlays and claw feet. Ornaments depicting lion heads and mythological figures were sculpted from silver, bronze and ivory. Compared to the decorative attention given to the mosaic floors and wall paintings, however, furniture for even a wealthy house was minimal. It focused on the necessities for guests arriving for both socializing and business and the rooms housing family, relatives and enslaved people.
The triclinium dining room had banquet couches, items so prized they were sometimes interred with the deceased. Tall bronze or terracotta candelabras held oil lamps for lighting. Carved marble tables reflected status, while the lararium home shrine demonstrated faith.
Find a collection of Classical Roman decorative objects, tables, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
15th Century and Earlier Egyptian Antique Classical Roman Tables
Porphyry
Mid-20th Century Italian Classical Roman Tables
Wood, Burl
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Tables
Carrara Marble
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
1860s English Antique Classical Roman Tables
Elm
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Tables
Marble
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Classical Roman Tables
Marble, Iron
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete, Metal
2010s Mexican Classical Roman Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary English Classical Roman Tables
Gesso, Wood, Paint
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete, Cement
Early 2000s Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete, Cement
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Marble, Carrara Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Classical Roman Tables
Griotte Marble
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Marble, Carrara Marble
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Marble, Carrara Marble
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Marble, Carrara Marble
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Tables
Onyx, Bronze
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Marble, Carrara Marble
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Marble, Carrara Marble
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Marble, Carrara Marble
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Marble, Carrara Marble
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Marble, Carrara Marble
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Tables
Alabaster
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete, Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique Classical Roman Tables
Metal, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Classical Roman Tables
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Classical Roman Tables
Statuary Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Classical Roman Tables
Agate, Belgian Black Marble
1990s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Metal
2010s Italian Classical Roman Tables
Concrete