Napoleon Iii Boulle
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Marble, Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Buffets
Bronze
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Center Tables
Bronze
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Antique 1860s Cabinets
Glass, Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Napoleon III Center Tables
Brass, Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Bentwood
Antique 1850s Austrian French Provincial Dining Room Sets
Walnut
Antique 1880s French Napoleon III Cabinets
Marble, Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Vitrines
Marble, Brass, Ormolu
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Vitrines
Marble, Ormolu
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Brass, Ormolu
Late 20th Century French Napoleon III Planters and Jardinieres
Metal, Brass
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Planters and Jardinieres
Brass, Ormolu
Antique Mid-19th Century French Dry Bars
Crystal, Bronze, Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Barware
Metal, Brass
Antique 1880s French Napoleon III Secretaires
Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Metal, Brass, Bronze
20th Century French Louis XVI Credenzas
Bronze
Antique 19th Century Napoleon III Desks
Ormolu
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Brass
Antique 1880s French Napoleon III Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze, Brass
Antique 19th Century French Vitrines
Brass, Ormolu
Antique 19th Century French Louis XV Desks
Brass, Ormolu
Antique 19th Century French Louis XIV Cabinets
Brass
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Sideboards
Bronze
Mid-20th Century European Napoleon III Vitrines
Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Mantel Clocks
Tortoise Shell
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Bookcases
Wood
Antique 1880s French Napoleon III Cabinets
Marble, Bronze
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Barware
Metal, Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Barware
Metal, Brass
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Tables
Brass
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Antique Early 19th Century French Napoleon III Tea Caddies
Crystal, Brass
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Cabinets
Brass
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Wood
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Center Tables
Brass, Ormolu
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Commodes and Chests of Dra...
Brass
Antique Early 19th Century French Napoleon III Vitrines
Brass
Antique 19th Century French Cabinets
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Barware
Brass
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Brass
Antique 18th Century French Napoleon III Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes
Brass
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Wall Clocks
Enamel
Antique Early 1900s Danish Napoleon III Secretaires
Brass, Bronze, Ormolu
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Cupboards
Brass, Ormolu
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Vitrines
Marble, Brass, Bronze
Antique Early 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Granite, Brass
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Trunks and Luggage
Bronze
Antique 19th Century European Baroque Dining Room Sets
Brass, Bronze
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A Close Look at Napoleon-iii Furniture
Under Napoleon III’s rule, Paris underwent a great rebuilding overseen by Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann, which created grand avenues and lavish landmarks like the Paris Opera. Antique Napoleon III–style furniture was flamboyant and eclectic. It was also known as Second Empire style since it followed and referenced the Empire style of his uncle Napoleon I.
Developing from 1852–70, Napoleon III furniture was plush and ornate, matching the fashion for masked balls and socializing in salons. It borrowed freely from earlier French styles including Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI as well as aesthetics from around the world, from antiquity to Asian art. As writer Gustave Claudin remarked in 1867, the country’s architects worked in “a style which one would be tempted to call neo-Greco-Gothico-Pompadour-Pompeian.”
Napoleon III chairs were completely covered with velvet and lined with tassels; pouf footstools invited people to put up their feet. Sofas were upholstered with tapestries, and beds were adorned with gilt bronze and theatrical canopies. The addition of conservatories to homes led to new indoor-outdoor furniture, while the spirit of hygiene promoted by Baron Haussmann inspired bright, floral motifs.
Although the most ostentatious designs were for the elite, as seen in the Napoleon III apartments preserved in the Louvre, where red velvet, gilding and chandeliers create a cacophony of luxury, these trends influenced homes across classes as manufacturing made design increasingly accessible. Papier-mâché furniture allowed for elaborate shapes that would have been difficult to carve in wood. The malleable material was painted with chinoiserie patterns and decorative designs. It was mass-produced by factories such as Jennens and Bettridge with varnishing and mother-of-pearl inlays creating an effect reminiscent of Asian lacquer. (Surfaces that had been “japanned” — a specialty of Jennens and Bettridge — were intended to resemble lacquer work that was created in East Asia.)
Find a collection of antique Napoleon III decorative objects, tables, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.








