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 19th Century Belgian Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Belgian Black Marble
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze, Gold
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Iron, Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Walnut
1850s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Ormolu
1950s French Vintage Napoleon III Furniture
Satin, Wood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass, Bronze
20th Century French Napoleon III Furniture
Oak, Pine
21st Century and Contemporary French Napoleon III Furniture
Crystal, Bronze, Gold
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass, Iron, Steel
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Fabric
19th Century Japanese Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Velvet, Fruitwood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Enamel, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
1890s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Stone, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Ebony
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Ceramic
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble, Ormolu
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
1880s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Enamel
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Crystal
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Upholstery
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mahogany
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Early 1900s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Fabric, Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
Late 19th Century Spanish Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary American Napoleon III Furniture
Linen
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Leather, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Opaline Glass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Porcelain
1880s Italian Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Sterling Silver
20th Century French Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
1880s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Latex
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass, Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Enamel, Ormolu, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Enamel, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Malachite, Enamel, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Tapestry, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble, Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Iron, Wrought Iron
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu





