Napoleon III Furniture
NAPOLEON III STYLE
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.
to
101
943
2,092
1,094
933
7
3
9,154
4,814
3,503
1,274
759
638
589
473
346
262
145
126
125
125
71
64
32
19
1
856
76
10
34
9
1
7
1
3
1
1
3
1
486
332
234
189
167
920
838
12
7
5
943
938
943
16
11
6
6
6
Item Ships From: France
Style: Napoleon III
Louis XIII mirror in embossed copper, 19th C.
Located in PARIS, FR
Mirror in gilt copper or brass leaf with embossed decoration of vine shoots.
The interior and exterior are framed by guilloche strips. Central mercury glass, possibly original.
Lou...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Copper
Adjustable Napoleon III Campaign Chair, France, circa 1880s
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Very fine iron Campaign-style armchair with adjustable positions, from upright to horizontal. Raised on casters. Newly upholstered with vintage fabric.
Dimensions provided below ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mid-19th Century Marble Pedestal Column
Located in Paris, FR
White marble veneer pedestal column with square display plate. The pedestal is ornamented with a red marbre base and Sienna marble plate. The red Griotte marble upper tray is decorat...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Griotte Marble, Siena Marble
Gilt Bronze Inkwell with Ibex, Napoleon III Period, 19th Century
Located in Beaune, FR
Lovely inkwell in gilded bronze surmounted by an ibex. This inkwell opens with its interior complete and in good condition.
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Bronze
19th Napoleon III Period Gilt Bronze Chandelier with Putti
Located in Marseille, FR
19th chandelier in gilt and silver bronze with putti decoration, Louis XVI style. Outstanding quality of carving and gilding.
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Napoleon III Period Desk Rich Register of Gilded Bronze
Located in Marseille, FR
Napoleon III period desk with rich gilded bronze registers. Leather upper decorated with roulette. The leather will have to be cleaned and revived but the whole is in good condition.
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Rosewood
Pair of Ormolu Candlesticks with Palmettes and Flowers
Located in Paris, FR
Pair of candlesticks in gilded and sculpted bronze. The stem is adorned with a frieze of Greek waves that separate the upper, polished part from the lower part that is richly decorat...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Bronze Figure of Young Psyche by Paul Duboy
By Paul Duboy
Located in Paris, FR
This brown and gold patinated bronze figure was crafted by the French sculptor Paul Duboy. It features a little girl, psyche, standing on a naturalistic base. The bronze sculpture is set upon a round marble plinth...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
19th Century Napoleon III Style Mahogany Veneered Large Console
Located in Marseille, FR
Superb and large 19th century Napoleon III console in mahogany veneer richly carved with bird’s decoration. Note that the tip of a bird's beak is missing but will be replaced by our ...
Category
1880s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Marble
Mail pouch in maroquin rouge, 19th century
Located in PARIS, FR
Red leather pouch to carry or deliver the mail with flap, decorated with gilt fleur-de-lys arabesques.
Interior, two pockets, and a smaller one with flap.
A folding gusset allows to ...
Category
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Leather
Maison Thuillier Paris, Pair of Planters/Vitrines Period Napoleon III, XIXth
Located in Beaune, FR
Exceptional pair of planters also serving as vitrines. Napoleon III period but dating from the 19th century. These planters are UNIQUE pieces because they are part of a special order...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Bronze
MONBRO Aîné Son
JACQUIER - Bronze and Marble Clock with Puttis, XIXth century
Located in Beaune, FR
Superb clock in white marble and chiseled gilt bronze signed on the enamel dial "MONBRO Aîné Fils & Jacquier Horloger". In the center, the white dial with Roman numerals is represent...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Carrara Marble, Bronze
Mid-19th Century Serving Dish with Dolphin in Polychrome Porcelain
Located in Paris, FR
19th century porcelain serving dish, exquisitely hand painted in polychrome with gilt accents. It is decorated with flowers, foliages and rinceau on white and blue background. The se...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Huge pair of torcheres figurative, bronze and marble
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Huge pair of torcheres figurative bronze and marble representative cherub surmonted by candelabras nine lights, the base are in giltwood and marble
this set is of a very high qual...
Category
1880s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
$65,000 / set
Carved Napoleon III Oak and Velvet Mirror, France, 19th Century
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Large and gorgeous frame, with hand-carved thistles motifs applied to a deep teal blue velvet background. The wood is oak. New mirror.
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Velvet
Two Carriages for Bouquets of Flowers for Table Decoration, 19th Century.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
" Two carriages for bouquets of flowers for table decoration, 19th century. "
Two vases forming two silvered bronze and enameled opaline carriages for small bouquets of flowers for ...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Nineteenth-Century Porcelain Sculpture, Elegant Woman at her Writing Table
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
"Nineteenth-century porcelain sculpture, Elegant woman at her writing table"
Nineteenth-century porcelain, Napoleon III period, representing an elegant woman at her writing table wr...
Category
19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
DAUM brothers, Glass Vase with a Rampant Lion
By Daum
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
This lion vase was made by the Daum glassworks. This is a model that was presented at the Universal Exhibition which took place in Chicago in 1893, without a vermeil base.
Founded in Nancy in 1878 by Jean Daum, the Daum glassworks was quickly taken over by his sons, Auguste and Antonin. From that moment on, increasingly technically complex creations were designed there.
A so-called “rampant” lion in red agathe style, enhanced with gold, stands out against a red granite background, revealing in places a second layer of green glass. The back of the vase is entirely open onto this second green granite layer, decorated with decorations in an inverted chevron and evoking heraldry. The neck of the vase has the same treatment as the lion.
Its base is vermeil (gilded silver).
The vase is signed “Daum / Nancy / ☨”, under the base.
The play of layers, colors and rendering of materials make this vase a fine example of the excellence of Daum glassware...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Glass
Goldsmith Roussel - Rafraichissoir In Sterling Silver XIXth
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Solid silver cooler mounted on an ogee pedestal. The plain body is decorated with applique seashells, flanked on either side by a zoomorphic grip represented by a lion's head holding...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Sterling Silver
Silversmith Souche Lapparra - Solid Silver Basket Circa 20th Century
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Oblong silver basket, hemmed edge, body decorated with pierced braces, has a plain cartouche on each side and rests on a molded base.
Dimensions: length 30 cm - width 20 cm - height...
Category
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Sterling Silver
Goldsmith Cardeilhac - Table Top 3 Cups In Sterling Silver And Crystal Nineteent
By Cardeilhac
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Table set formed by three cups in solid silver and cut crystal. The rockery-style tripod base with acanthus leaves and arabesque decoration supports a cut crystal cup. on each side a...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Sterling Silver
Madeleine Castaing, Gilded Faux Bambou Screen
Napoléon III Circa 1850
By Madeleine Castaing
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Rare Napoleon III gilded wood four-leaf screen upholstered with on the one side a Striped vintage Madeleine Castaing fabric and and on the other side a Green linen velvet remembering the decoration of the hotel particulier of Hubert de Givenchy (Hotel d’Orrouer, Paris, France). This screen was a part of a former Parisian decor...
Category
1850s European Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Faux Bamboo
Goldsmith A. Aucoc Suite Of Four Cups In Sterling Silver Nineteenth
By A. Aucoc
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Model mounted on a round pedestal decorated with a laurel leaf and surmounted by a poly-lobed cup whose inner edge is chiselled and pierced with grooves and surrounded by a laurel fr...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Sterling Silver
Louis XVI Style Golden Plaster Mirror, 19th Century
Located in Beaune, FR
Superb Louis XVI style mirror in gilded plaster. Decorated with garlands of flowers and bay leaves. Good condition.
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Plaster, Giltwood
Cut Crystal Cup or Small Vase
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
A cut crystal cup or small vase, 19th century, Napoleon III period.
Measures: H: 18 cm, D: 11 cm.
Category
19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Crystal
Pair of Gilt Bronze Bases, 19th Century, Napoleon III Period
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Pair of gilt bronze bases, 19th century, Napoleon III period, original gilding.
Measures: H 7cm, D 13cm.
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Bronze
GUICHE Palais Royal - Gilt Bronze Clock with Puttis
Located in Beaune, FR
Very pretty model for this gilded bronze clock from the Napoleon III period in Louis XV rocaille style dating from the 19th century. Very good quality of gilding and entirely origina...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Unusual Pair of Napoleon III Sconces - France, Circa 1880s
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Very rare pair of sconces, made out of antique bayonets that have been bent into scrolled arms.
Highly decorative, adorned metal stars, rosettes an...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Antique Bathtub Lions Claw Foot Changed into a Lamp, 19th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Antique bathtub lions claw foot changed into a lamp, 19th century.
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Metal
Pair of Hand-Painted Napoleon III Chairs - France, 1880s
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Exquisite pair of ebonized side chairs, hand-painted with a decor of birds, butterflies and foliage.
Original deep pink satin seat cover...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Wood
Louis XV Style Support Cabinet Domed Marquetry, Martin Varnish and Gilt Bronze
Located in Beaune, FR
Superb support or sideboard in marquetry decorated with chiseled gilded bronzes in Louis XV style. The door is painted with a gallant scene in Vernis Martin. This piece of furniture ...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Bronze Gilded Suspension with Glass Gemstones, Napoleon III Period
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
This gilt bronze chandelier has eight branches which take the form of glassware and candles and surround a semi spherical decorated with glass gemstones. Result of a very careful wor...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Multi-gemstone, Bronze
Opaline Lanterne with Gilded Bronze
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Opaline pink lantern with bronze style Napoleon III. This lantern is part of the high
French decoration decorated and hand painting. These colors for thi...
Category
1880s Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Bronze
19th Century, Marquetry
Gilt Bronze Vitrine Louis XV Style
Located in Beaune, FR
Wonderful marquetry and gilt bronze vitrine style Louis XV - Napoleon III. There are two doors with shelves inside. Fish-shaped bronzes.
French wo...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Large impressionist ceramic, mounted as a lamp (pierced bottom) XIXème
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Large impressionist ceramic, mounted as a lamp (pierced bottom) with decoration of boats and flowering trees, late 19th century
currently presented with a large patinated plaster can...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Ceramic
Six “La Restauration” garden chairs France, circa 1880
Located in Paris, FR
Six 1880s garden metal and wood chairs, from the restaurant « La Restauration » in the park of the city of Vichy, center of France.
In good condit...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Metal
2 Original Napoleon III Low Chairs, France, 1850s
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
2 original Napoleon III low chairs, France, 1850s.
price is for 1
2 are available
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Wood, Walnut, Alligator
$2,702 / item
Jacob Et Josef Khon, 4 Fauteuils 101/f, circa 1902, Set of Four Napoleon III
By J.&J. Khon 1, Thonet
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Jacob Et Josef Khon, 4 Fauteuils 101/f, circa 1902,Set of four Napoleon III curved and blackened wood armchairs,
Original fabric.
Category
1880s Austrian Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Bentwood
Lacquered and Gilded Rocaille Planter, 19th Century
Located in Marseille, FR
Exceptional entrance planter with its bevelled glass all lacquered gilded in Venetian rockery style very close to the Louis XV style of the 19th century. This planter is perforated o...
Category
19th Century Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Lacquer
19th Century Ormolu Bronze Antique Candlestick Holders with Putti
Located in Paris, FR
Pair of antique candlestick holders crafted of beautiful ormolu or gilt bronze. They feature a figure of a child standing on a ribbed cylind...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Ormolu, Bronze
Regulate Pocket Tray , XIXth century
Located in Beaune, FR
Regulate pocket tray supported by pierrot, harlequin and polichinelle. Good condition.
Dimensions
Height 15cm
Width 24cm
Depth 12cm
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Suit of 9 Walnut Chairs Period Napoleon III, 19th Century
Located in Beaune, FR
Suit of 9 carved walnut chairs Napoleon III period - XIXth. They are covered with mustard yellow imitation leather. The backrests and seats are made up of easily removable cakes. The...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Leather, Walnut
Exceptional Baccarat Chandelier and Its Ten Wall-Lights, France, Circa 1870
Located in PARIS, FR
Provenance : Private palace, Italy.
Chandelier- Height : 255 cm (100,4 in) ; diam. : 170 cm (66,9 in).
Wall-lights - Height : 102 cm (40,1 in.) ; width : 58 cm (22,8 in.) ; depth...
Category
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Materials
Crystal
Napoleon Iii furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Napoleon III furniture for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage furniture created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, building and garden elements, case pieces and storage cabinets and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Napoleon III furniture made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and Italy pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original furniture, popular names associated with this style include Europa Antiques, Baccarat, Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, and Ferdinand Barbedienne. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for furniture differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $49 and tops out at $2,500,000 while the average work can sell for $3,313.
Still Thinking About These?
All Recently ViewedMore Ways To Browse
Cabinets With Metal Inlay
Cameo Glass Bowl
Campaign Chest Camphor
Canopic Jars
Canton Chinese Bowl
Cardinal Sculpture
Carrera Marble Dining Table
Carved Boar
Cast Grape Vine
Ceramic Cheetah
Ceramic Giraffe
Ceramic Pagoda
Ceramic Spanish Jug
Cherry Blossom Painting Japanese
Chest Of Drawers Display
Chinese Ancestral Portraits
Chinese Chippendale Style Display Cabinet
Chinese Coral Sculpture