Napoleon Iii Boulle
Antique 1850s French Napoleon III Historical Memorabilia
Tortoise Shell, Wood
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Cabinets
Walnut
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Jewelry Boxes
Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Ormolu
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Brass, Ormolu
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Center Tables
Tortoise Shell
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Secretaires
Brass, Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Bottles
Brass
Antique 1870s European Napoleon III Jewelry Boxes
Bronze
Antique 1860s Napoleon III Cabinets
Marble, Brass, Ormolu
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Cabinets
Brass, Bronze
Antique Early 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Bookcases
Brass, Bronze
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Credenzas
Brass, Ormolu
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns
Brass, Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns
Brass, Bronze
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Secretaires
Carrara Marble, Brass, Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Carrara Marble, Brass, Bronze
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Buffets
Marble, Bronze, Brass
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Carrara Marble, Brass, Bronze
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Jewelry Boxes
Brass
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Grandfather Clocks and Longcase...
Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Center Tables
Antique 1840s French Napoleon III Cabinets
Crystal, Bronze
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Cabinets
Crystal, Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Sideboards
Marble, Bronze, Brass
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns
Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Breccia Marble, Brass, Bronze
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Bookcases
Brass, Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Vitrines
Brass, Bronze
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Cabinets
Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Brass, Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Carrara Marble, Bronze
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Cabinets
Marble, Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Brass
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III Buffets
Marble, Brass
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Game Tables
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Inkwells
Tortoise Shell
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Bronze
Antique 19th Century Napoleon III Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Bronze
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Glass
Ormolu
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Brass, Bronze
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Secretaires
Bronze
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Vitrines
Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Breccia Marble, Bronze, Brass
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Breccia Marble, Bronze, Brass
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets
Breccia Marble, Bronze, Brass
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Inkwells
Brass
Antique 1880s French Napoleon III Cabinets
Tortoise Shell
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Bookcases
Brass, Bronze
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Cabinets
Crystal, Brass
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Bronze
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Bookcases
Brass, Bronze
Antique Mid-19th Century Napoleon III Linen Presses
Glass, Mahogany
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Bookcases
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.








