Classical Greek Urns
CLASSICAL GREEK STYLE
There is rare surviving furniture from ancient Greece, yet this classical style has informed design for centuries. Interiors of houses in antiquity were minimal, with much of a room’s color coming from frescoes on the walls and mosaics on the floors. Classical Greek furniture was sparing but finely crafted and influenced by Egyptian furniture design through Mediterranean trade.
Furnishings of the period were usually made from local wood like cypress, cedar, oak and willow from ancient Greece’s plentiful forests, although some pieces were carved from marble, such as a 300–200 B.C. throne with lion legs and a curved back now at the Getty Villa. Comfort and clean lines characterized designs during the Classical era, the symmetry and thoughtful proportions reflecting the architecture of Greek temples.
Some pieces of ancient Greek furniture were simple, rectangular platforms like the klinē, a multipurpose ancestor of today’s couches or daybeds that held cushions stuffed with wool, dry grass or down. These structures were used for both sleeping and dining, which wealthy Greeks did while reclining. At night, oil lamps illuminated rooms that frequently surrounded a garden courtyard.
Most of what scholars have learned about Greek furniture design owes to its representations in art like vases and stelae. The portable diphros stool, with its backless design and four turned legs, was one of the more common types of seating in daily Greek life — it appears as such for the gods on the Parthenon frieze. Stools without backs have been found in early Roman tombs, while benches were also common Greek seating furniture created for use in theaters. In houses of the Hellenistic period, benches seemingly functioned as tables, too.
Some designs evolved through adaptations by the Romans, including the klismos chair. After prominent archaeological excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum, the klismos chair — with its four saber legs and the elegant curves that define its back — was a source of inspiration for aesthetics in eras ranging from 18th-century neoclassicism to 20th-century Art Deco.
Find a collection of Classical Greek decorative objects, wall decorations and building and garden elements on 1stDibs.
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Style: Classical Greek
Antique Cast Iron Classical Grecian Style Outdoor Garden Planter Urn Grapes 23"
Located in Dayton, OH
Large antique classical Grecian style urn. Made from cast iron with a flared and ribbed mouth over a grape decorated body with large handles leading to a fluted bottom over a plinth ...
Category
Early 20th Century Classical Greek Urns
Materials
Iron
Painted Cast Iron Garden Urns and Pedestal Bases, American, Mid-20th Century
Located in Downingtown, PA
Painted cast iron garden urns and pedestal bases,
American,
mid-20th century.
A pair of white painted cast iron metal urns on square pedes...
Category
1950s American Vintage Classical Greek Urns
Materials
Iron
Vintage Clay Amphora Vessel Floor Vase Greek Earthenware Pottery
Located in Dayton, OH
Clay Amphora Vessel floor vase Greek Earthenware Pottery 35"
Large vessel or amphora (amphorae) urn / vase or jar. These vessels originated in the Neolit...
Category
Early 20th Century Classical Greek Urns
Materials
Earthenware
Pair of 19th Century, Classical Style Urns
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Grand pair of late 19th century, terracotta urns featuring reliefs of Neptune / Poseidon amidst the waves flanked by a hippocampus and a sea serpent. Stamped “Galloway Pottery, Phila...
Category
Late 19th Century American Antique Classical Greek Urns
Materials
Terracotta
French Garden Urn or Planter Pot of Cast Iron in the Classical Style
Located in Austin, TX
A fine French campana urn or garden planter pot of cast iron in the Classical style, with everted dentil rim, quarter-lobed body, and flared masked handles on reeded round foot.
Pe...
Category
19th Century French Antique Classical Greek Urns
Materials
Metal, Iron
Large Bronze Garden Urn after a Model at Versailles
By Claude Ballin
Located in Stamford, CT
A substantial bronze garden urn with handles in the form of a bearded men having exceptional patination. After a model from the Palace of Versailles ...
Category
Early 20th Century French Classical Greek Urns
Materials
Bronze
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Wonderful French Iron Garden Urn
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19th Century Neoclassical Bronze Dore Urn Signed F. Levillain
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Late 19th Century Terracotta Vessel
Located in Dallas, TX
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Cast Iron Low and Wide Round French Style Outdoor Garden Planter
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Pair of French Neoclassical Cast Iron Garden Urns Planters, circa 1940
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Pair of American Cast Iron and Painted Garden Planters, Circa 1825
Located in Charleston, SC
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Grand Pair Of 19th Century French Garden Urns
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19th Century Pair of Black Cast Iron Urns
Located in Dublin 8, IE
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Cast Iron French Classical Style Round Urn Design Outdoor Garden Planter Pot
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Pair of 19th Century French Cast Iron Urns
Located in Atlanta, GA
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Previously Available Items
Classical Painted Cast Hardstone Mellon Bowl Garden Urn 20th C
Located in Big Flats, NY
***Ask About Reduced In-House Shipping Rates - Reliable Service & Fully Insured***
Classical Painted Cast Hardstone Mellon Bowl Garden Urn 20th C
Measures- 12''H x 14.5''W x 14.5''D
Category
20th Century Classical Greek Urns
Materials
Concrete
Classical Painted Cast Hardstone Mellon Bowl Garden Urn 20th C
Located in Big Flats, NY
***Ask About Reduced In-House Shipping Rates - Reliable Service & Fully Insured***
Classical Painted Cast Hardstone Mellon Bowl Garden Urn 20th C
Measures- 12''H x 14.5''W x 14.5''D
Category
20th Century Classical Greek Urns
Materials
Stone
French Verdigris Copper Urn or Vase with Lid in the Classical Style
Located in Austin, TX
A fine French decorative urn or vase of copper in the Classical style, with a beautiful verdigris patina over the whole, featuring a removable lid with finial, fitted to an urn body ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Classical Greek Urns
Materials
Copper, Metal
Pair of Carved Pink Stone Urns, 20th Century
Located in Faversham, GB
A pair of decoratively carved pink stone urns. Perfect for garden or home alike. Price is for the pair.
English, 20th century.
Additional information:
H 36 cm (H 29.1 inches)
...
Category
20th Century British Classical Greek Urns
Materials
Stone
Pair Cast Iron Handled Grecian Urns on Floral Embossed Plinths 20th C
Located in Big Flats, NY
A pair of Grecian cast iron garden urns offer foliate embossed bowls with flanking scroll form handles having central mask, raised on floral embossed plinths, 20th century
Measures-...
Category
20th Century Classical Greek Urns
Materials
Iron
Pair Embossed Cast Iron Classical Double Handled Garden Urns on Plinths, 20th C
Located in Big Flats, NY
A pair of Classical garden urns offer cast iron construction with egg and dart rim.
Over floral embossed vessel with melon form base, flanking handles and raised matching embossed b...
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20th Century Classical Greek Urns
Materials
Iron
H 40.5 in W 18.5 in D 18.5 in
Monumental 20th Century fibreglass Classical Urn on Pedestal
Located in Bagshot, GB
If you're looking to make a statement at the front of the drive or just looking for that piece with some wow factor in the back garden, this monumental verdi gris fibeglass, 20th cen...
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Pair of Large Classical Cast Iron Garden Urns on Plinths, 20th Century
Located in Big Flats, NY
A pair of large Classical garden urns offer gadroon lips over ribbed vessels raised on square plinths, 20th century.
Measures: 39.75" height x 22" diameter.
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H 39.75 in Dm 22 in L 39.75 in
Pair of Neoclassical Figural Cast Iron Garden Urns, 20th Century
Located in Big Flats, NY
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20th Century Classical Greek Urns
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19th Century Bronze Urn
Located in Huntington, NY
19th century cast bronze urn.
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Late 19th Century English Antique Classical Greek Urns
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Vintage Pair of Cast Iron Classical Garden Urns, 20th Century
Located in Big Flats, NY
A vintage pair of Classical garden planters offer urn form with egg and dart rim and mellon base, raised on plinth with square base, 20th century.
Measures- 24.5" height x 18.5" d...
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Iron
Two Large French Classical Painted Cast Iron Garden Urns on Plinths
Located in Big Flats, NY
A pair of well cast French classical garden planters feature iron construction in pedestal urn form having melon bowls with egg and dart rims raised on central pedestals and seated o...
Category
20th Century French Classical Greek Urns
Materials
Iron
Classical Greek urns for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Classical Greek urns for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Late 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage urns created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include building and garden elements, decorative objects and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, bronze and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Classical Greek urns made in a specific country, there are Europe, United Kingdom, and France pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original urns, popular names associated with this style include and Galloway Pottery. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for urns differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $509 and tops out at $15,000 while the average work can sell for $4,707.