Louis XVI Period Carrara Marble Console, France, Circa 1780

Rare neo-classical Louis XVI period console sculpted in white Carrara marble. The rectangular lintel, surmounted with a molded top, is supported by four detached fluted columns with Doric capitals.

The straight lines and refined style of this console perfectly illustrate the neo-classical style which was very successful under Louis XVI. Succeeding the Rocaille and the scalloped forms of the Louis XV style, with the reign of Louis XVI, there is a return to the rigor of geometric shapes inspired, among others, by the discovery of vestiges of antiquity in Herculaneum (in 1738) and Pompeii (in 1748).
The structure of the furniture is highlighted by rectilinear and rigorous shapes such as the rectangle, the square, the round and the oval, borrowed from neoclassical architecture. The base of the furniture incorporates elements of the antique style, notably the fluted foot or the square column. Elements are minimalist: symmetrical in shape, they mainly find their inspiration in nature and antique themes.