Neoclassical describes the style of design that drew directly on the art and architecture of ancient Greece and Rome. It emerged in the mid-eighteenth century, inspired by archaeological discoveries at Herculaneum and Pompeii and by the Grand Tour, and became the dominant fashion across Europe from around 1760 to the early nineteenth century.
Neoclassical design favours symmetry, restraint and clear geometric forms, decorated with motifs such as urns, swags, paterae, rams' heads, anthemion, Greek key, acanthus leaves and fluted columns. In Britain the style is closely associated with Robert Adam, whose interiors coordinated architecture, plasterwork, furniture and carpets, and with the furniture designs of Hepplewhite and Sheraton. In France it corresponds broadly to the Louis XVI and Directoire periods, and it later developed into the Regency and Empire styles. Neoclassical motifs remained popular throughout the nineteenth century, so careful examination of construction and materials is needed to distinguish period pieces from later revivals.
