Louis XIV Cabinets
As opposed to the styles that would follow from the other 18th-century French kings, Louis XV and Louis XVI, antique Louis XIV furniture is rigid and imposing. It expresses opulence — even its armchairs, with their upright backs, straight legs and lavish ornamentation, look like thrones. Authentic Louis XIV sofas, a then newly emerging iteration of seating, are fully upholstered and often feature decoratively carved frames of walnut, chestnut or oak.
When French King Louis XIV established his royal court at Versailles in 1682, he transformed what was once a hunting lodge into a palace that declared his wealth and power through its design. Until his death in 1715, he reigned with a spirit of excess and absolute political dominance. The “Sun King,” as he called himself, believed that France revolved around him as planets do the sun. Louis XIV adopted the sun as his emblem, decorating the grounds with symbols of the sun and Apollo, the Greek god of the sun. As he stated, “There is nothing that indicates more clearly the magnificence of great princes than their superb palaces and their precious furniture.” He was a child when he became king in 1643, only shaping his style after he became absolute monarch in 1661.
Reflecting trends in French Baroque art, Louis XIV furniture characteristics included exuberant decoration. There were gilded bronze details including shells, suns, grotesques, lions and classical references like acanthus leaves. The years of growth in the country’s manufacturing, such as the tapestries and cabinets made at Gobelins, led to design innovations. The commode replaced the chest as a storage device, with drawers and a surface that could double as a desk.
The materials were luxurious, such as the popular tortoiseshell veneer technique that leading cabinetmaker Pierre Golle used in his designs. André-Charles Boulle, who became royal cabinetmaker in 1672, was a masterful artist of marquetry, using inlays of ebony, exotic woods and mother-of-pearl.
Find a collection of antique Louis XIV bedroom furniture, chairs, tables and other pieces on 1stDibs.
Late 18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Brass
Early 20th Century French Louis XIV Cabinets
Brass
1690s French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Brass
18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Louis XIV Cabinets
Oak
19th Century English Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Bronze
Early 18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Brass, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Marble, Brass, Ormolu, Pewter
1930s Italian Vintage Louis XIV Cabinets
Walnut
1690s French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Wood
1870s French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Marble, Ormolu
Early 18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Bronze, Iron
20th Century Louis XIV Cabinets
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Brass
18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Brass
Late 20th Century French Louis XIV Cabinets
Oak
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Walnut, Oak
17th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Walnut
Early 18th Century Dutch Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Oak, Walnut
19th Century Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Marble, Brass, Ormolu, Bronze
Mid-18th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Oak, Paint
20th Century French Louis XIV Cabinets
Wood, Tulipwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Ormolu
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Ebony
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Bronze
1680s Italian Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Louis XIV Cabinets
Brass
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Mahogany
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Bronze
18th Century Italian Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Wood
1790s Danish Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Mahogany
1880s French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Brass
Late 17th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Walnut
1890s French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Ormolu
20th Century Louis XIV Cabinets
Pine
20th Century Louis XIV Cabinets
Wood, Pine
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Marble, Brass, Ormolu
Early 18th Century German Antique Louis XIV Cabinets
Tin
20th Century Louis XIV Cabinets
Marble, Bronze