Napoleon Iii Boulle
Antique 19th Century European Baroque Dining Room Sets
Brass, Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Cabinets
Marble
Antique 19th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Antique Late 19th Century French Planters and Jardinieres
Antique 19th Century French Planters and Jardinieres
Brass, Bronze
20th Century Italian Napoleon III Console Tables
Sea turtle
Antique 19th Century French Beds and Bed Frames
Copper, Bronze
Antique 1860s French Bookcases
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Louis XIV Cabinets
Brass, Bronze
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Brass
Antique 18th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Desks
Antique 1850s French Napoleon III Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Buffets
Tortoise Shell
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Buffets
Carrara Marble
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Wall Mirrors
Brass
Antique 1850s French Napoleon III Desks
Brass
Antique 1850s English Napoleon III Desk Sets
Brass
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III More Desk Accessories
Brass
Antique 1850s French Napoleon III Gueridon
Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Tortoise Shell
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Cabinets
Brass
Antique 1850s French Napoleon III Buffets
Brass
Antique 1840s French Napoleon III Buffets
Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Buffets
Carrara Marble
Antique 1850s French Napoleon III Desks
Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Brass, Bronze
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Buffets
Brass
Antique 1850s French Napoleon III Shelves
Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Inkwells
Brass
Antique 1850s French Napoleon III Cabinets
Brass
Antique 1840s French Napoleon III Grandfather Clocks and Longcase Clocks
Tortoise Shell
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Inkwells
Brass, Bronze
Antique Mid-19th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century Cabinets
Brass, Bronze
Antique 1850s French Régence Cabinets
Marble, Brass, Bronze
Antique 1870s Napoleon III Cabinets
Brass, Pewter
Antique Mid-19th Century French Louis XV Game Tables
Brass, Bronze
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Console Tables
Fruitwood
20th Century Italian Napoleon III Desks and Writing Tables
Tortoise Shell
Antique 1850s French Napoleon III Grandfather Clocks and Longcase Clocks
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century French Side Tables
Brass, Pewter
Antique 19th Century French More Furniture and Collectibles
Antique Mid-19th Century Buffets
Wood
Antique 19th Century French Card Tables and Tea Tables
Wood
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Barware
Crystal
Antique 1870s French Baroque Revival Cabinets
Brass
Vintage 1970s French Napoleon III Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Antique 1880s French Napoleon III Cabinets
Marble, Brass
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Cabinets
Stone, Marble
1990s French Napoleon III Dining Room Tables
Brass
Antique Late 18th Century French Napoleon III Desks
Brass
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Credenzas
Brass
Antique 1850s French Napoleon III Grandfather Clocks and Longcase Clocks
Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Game Tables
Brass, Bronze
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Animal Sculptures
Bronze
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Napoleon Iii Boulle For Sale on 1stDibs
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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.








