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.
Late 20th Century French Napoleon III Furniture
Fabric, Cotton, Mahogany
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Metal
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
1880s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Napoleon III Furniture
Other
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Canvas, Giltwood
2010s American Napoleon III Furniture
Velvet, Wood
Late 20th Century French Napoleon III Furniture
Canvas
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Tapestry, Giltwood
1880s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mirror
1890s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Leather, Walnut
1890s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze, Enamel
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Silk, Velvet, Hardwood
1870s European Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Gold Leaf
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Linen, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary French Napoleon III Furniture
Mohair, Silk
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble
1890s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bamboo, Lacquer
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Satinwood
Early 1900s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Ormolu
1960s Italian Vintage Napoleon III Furniture
Ormolu, Brass
2010s Napoleon III Furniture
Fabric, Foam, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mirror, Canvas, Wood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble
1890s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Porcelain
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass, Wrought Iron
1970s Italian Vintage Napoleon III Furniture
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s American Napoleon III Furniture
Upholstery, Bentwood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
1950s French Vintage Napoleon III Furniture
Satin, Wood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Crystal
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Fabric
19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Paste, Gesso, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble, Brass, Ormolu
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mother-of-Pearl, Porcelain, Oak, Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mirror, Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
20th Century Napoleon III Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Terracotta
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
Mid-19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze





