Napoleon adored the furnishings and Thomas Jefferson was a great admirer, too. Now just about all things in the Neoclassical style—from consoles adorned with Greek and Roman columns to chairs that are direct copies of the Greek klismos example—are the latest collectible rage. Why is this style created in the late 18th-century, a time of tremendous political and social turmoil, so coveted in this prosperous, high-tech age? “For one thing, the period room is over,” explains Paris dealer Ariane Dandois, who carries some of the best Continental Neoclassical furnishings in her Rue du Faubourg St. Honore gallery. “Clients want variety, and Neoclassical above all mixes well with contemporary—in fact far better than traditional 18th-century furniture. It even looks great with boiserie.”

Decorators such as Peter Marino, Jacques Grange and even Thierry Despont, who is dressing up Bill Gates’ abode, have been flocking to Dandois recently. The biggest change Dandois sees in today’s market is that clients are no longer made up mostly of older people. “Younger collectors are attracted to the combination of sometimes abstract decoration and the straight lines found in many Neoclassical examples,” she notes.

How big is the market in Paris for all things Neoclassical? Well, for Dandois, who has long touted the very best in Neoclassical decorative arts, 90 percent of her clientele is from the United States. At the International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show, which has been held in New York City in October for the past 12 years, she routinely sells out her booth.

New York dealer Khalil Rizk of The Chinese Porcelain Company sees the same phenomenon: More and more clients are turning to period consoles with the requisite columns and other examples. “Neoclassical mixes well with Asian art, so it attracts a wide range of collectors,” Rizk says. On his stand at last October’s fair were two pairs of Italian Neoclassical consoles; one pair costs $350,000. Both Rizk and Dandois see an increasing number of clients drawn to Italian examples. Currently, Dandois has superlative white-painted demilune tables with pietra dura tops. What makes them particularly appealing is their gilded frieze with oval rosettes and slender proportions. The tops are set with Sicilian jasper, onyx and alabaster in a spiral pattern of white-and-black marble.

Will Stafford, a European furniture specialist at Christie’s London, sees the appeal of such pieces in their softer look over the traditional Louis Quinze and Seize examples in giltwood. “For some clients, choosing Neoclassical is a reaction against the ponderous and hard-edged Empire style with its polished veneers and ormolu,” Stafford says.