Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
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 French Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Alabaster
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Wood
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Bronze
1890s European Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Carrara Marble
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Wood, Paint
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Wood
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Marble
1930s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Marble
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Wood
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Marble
20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Composition
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Composition
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Carrara Marble
1920s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Marble
1960s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Marble
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Porcelain
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Wood
20th Century American Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Composition
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Marble, Carrara Marble
Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Plaster, Wood, Paint
20th Century French Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Onyx, Brass
20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Marble
1960s French Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Alabaster
Late 20th Century European Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Marble
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Paint, Wood
Early 19th Century American Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Wood, Paint
Early 19th Century English Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Stone, Limestone
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Wrought Iron
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Alabaster
Early 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Wood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Wood, Lacquer
Early 19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Pine
Early 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Walnut
20th Century English Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Pine, Paint
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Wood
1920s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Marble, Metal, Iron
19th Century Unknown Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Marble
Early 2000s American Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Cast Stone
Late 19th Century European Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Onyx, Bronze
18th Century British Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Brass
20th Century Spanish Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Alabaster
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Cherry
1820s North American Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Pine
Late 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Hardwood, Paint
19th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Porphyry
19th Century French Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Marble, Brass, Bronze
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Plaster
Early 20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Hardwood
1850s French Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Resin
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Marble
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Wood
Mid-20th Century Unknown Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Iron
Late 19th Century Antique Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Pine
1940s Italian Vintage Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Stone
Mid-20th Century Neoclassical Pedestals and Columns
Plaster