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Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

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.

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Style: Napoleon III
Important Pair of Marble and Bronze Columns, 20th Century.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Important Pair of Marble and Bronze Columns, 20th Century. Pair of Napoleon III style columns in marble and patinated bronze. H: 125cm, W: 35cm, D: 35cm
Category

20th Century French Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Marble, Bronze

19th Century Napoleon III Brocatelle Marble Column
Located in Lisbon, PT
A brocatelle Jaune marble, set on a square and terraced base with gilted bronze details in Napoleon III style and period, circa 1870
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Marble, Metal, Bronze

Stele, Column in Marble and Gilt Bronze from the 19th Century.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Stele, Column in Marble and Gilt Bronze from the 19th Century. Marble and gilt bronze column from the Napoleon III period, 19th century.   H: 120cm, W: 35cm, D: 35cm
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Large Napoleon III Column
Located in BARSAC, FR
Rare and important Napoleon III column. The barrel is decorated with gilded brass grooves, at its base two rings also in gilded brass. French work from the Napoleon III period Idea...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Brass

Pair of Ceramic Columns, Late 19th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Pair of ceramic columns, late 19th century Pair of ceramic columns, imitation Griotte marble, late 19th century. H: 99 cm, d max: 45 cm, d min: 28.5 cm.  
Category

Late 19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Ceramic

Column in Green Marble Veneer and Gilt Bronze Decoration, Empire Style
Located in Paris, FR
Sumptuous column sheath in Vert de Mer marble of square section. The front face is decorated with a flaming torch, entwined with ribbons and a crown of bra...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Napoleon III Style Pair of Pedestal Columns, France
Located in Paris, FR
Pair of very large pedestal columns in Napoleon III style, conical shape, mid-20th century. Impressive models nearly 1m40 high, with rich ornamentation of gilded bronzes with masks ...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Brass, Bronze

Napoleon III Gilt-Bronze Mounted Ebonised Pedestal
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Napoleon III gilt-bronze mounted Ebonised pedestal. The circular top above a guilloche band and a cylindrical body set with floral garlands, rai...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Ormolu

Napoleon III Display Pedestal Att. to A-G Fourdinois, France, Circa 1865
By Alexandre-George Fourdinois
Located in PARIS, FR
Rare Napoleon III display pedestal with curved front, in wood veneer and chiseled and gilded bronze ornamentation. Topped by a rotating circular top underlined by a frieze of laurels...
Category

1860s French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Bronze

19th Century in the Style of Classicism Napoleon III Onyx Column
Located in Berlin, DE
The high-quality, chased, fire-gilt bronze are distinctive and of exceptionally good quality. Onyx marble with gray-white grain. Square plinth with balustrade shaped column base with...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Onyx, Bronze

19th Century French Hand Carved Red Grey Marble Pedestal Column Napoleon III
Located in Sofia, BG
Hand carved marble column pedestal made of combination of red and grey marble with square head standing on a square, terraced base. Napoleon III style France, circa 1890.
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Marble

19th Century Pietra Dura Pedestal
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A very impressive and good quality 19th Century French ebonized Pietra dura inlaid pedestal with wonderful gilded ormolu scrolling foliate mounts, brass stringing. The central panel having carved precious...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Ormolu

19th Century Napoleon III Brocatelle Marble Column
Located in Paris, FR
Brocatelle marble display column with sculpted and gilt bronze cap and base. The capital is embellished with ovals and fluting, and the base is decor...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Marble, Bronze

19th Century French Napoleon III Period Wooden Column
Located in LEGNY, FR
Beautiful French Napoleon III black painted wooden column. Ideal to show a sculpture. Good condition and quality.
Category

1870s French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Wood

Pair of French 19th Century Louis XVI Style Napoleon III Period Pedestals
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A most elegant pair of French mid 19th century Louis XVI st. Napoleon III period ebony, ormolu and black Belgian marble pedestals. The pair are raised by square bases with 'X' shaped...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Belgian Black Marble, Ormolu

Charles-Guillame Diehl and Jean Brandely Museum Quality Neo-Grec Torchères, 1870
Located in New York, NY
A highly important pair of Charles-Guillame Diehl and Jean Brandely Museum Quality Ormolu and Porcelain Mounted Ebony Neo-Grec Torchères / Pedestals circa 1870. Majestic and exemp...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Ormolu

20th Century Massive Finely Engraved Bronze Pillar or Column, Gold
Located in Berlin, DE
Massive finely engraved bronze casting. With richly structured, strongly ornamented. Ending the pillar on four volute-shaped legs. Under the doubly stepped, finely chiselled cover pl...
Category

20th Century French Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Bronze

French Boulle Ebonized Pedestal, 19th Century
Located in Cypress, CA
Lovely French Napoleon III Boulle ebonized pedestal, 19th century. The pedestal is inset with a rectangular marble top, above a Boulle style brass inlaid column decorated with a central urn within a scrolling foliate motif, the corners are mounted with gilt bronze mythical...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Marble, Brass

19th Century Napoleon III Style Three-Sided Paws Column
Located in Berlin, DE
Unique antique column, circa 1850. High quality carved wood, polished and polished. A multi-articulated, finely carved pillar stem ending on three-sided...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Wood

Empire Style Pair of Italian Green Marble and Gilted Bronze Columns
Located in LEGNY, FR
Beautiful and rare Empire style pair of Italian green marble and gilded bronze columns. Napoleon III period. Bronze Medicis on the top removable thanks to a metal rod. There are me...
Category

1880s Italian Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Marble, Bronze

French 19th Century Pair of Pietra Dura Pedestals in the Manner of Befort Fils
Located in London, GB
A pair of pedestals in the manner of Befort Fils of Paris Constructed in bois noirci, dressed with gilt bronzes, and hardstone inlays; rising from incurved serpentine stepped bases, the inverted tapering columns having central hardstone panels...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Bronze

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 Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Griotte Marble, Siena Marble

20th Century Massive Finely Engraved Bronze Pillar or Column, Gold
Located in Berlin, DE
Massive finely engraved bronze casting. With richly structured, strongly ornamented. Ending the pillar on four volute-shaped legs. Under the doubly stepped, finely chiseled cover pla...
Category

20th Century French Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Bronze

Stele Display Stand, Sculpted Wood, Gilded and Painted, 19th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Stela display case, carved wood, gilt and painted, 19th century, Napoleon III. Measures: H 159cm, D 50cm.
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Wood

19th Century Napoleon III Style Onyx Marble Column
Located in Berlin, DE
Onyx column in the style of classicism Napoleon III, Paris, circa 1850-1880. The high-quality, chased, fire-gilt bronze are distinctive and of exceptionally good quality. Bright ony...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Onyx, Marble, Bronze

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Early 20th Century Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

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Pair of Italian Baroque Columns, 18th Century
Located in Cypress, CA
Outstanding pair of 18th century Italian Baroque carved and paint decorated columns. finely carved and hand poly-chromed spiral motif. Measures: H.85" x D.12".   
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18th Century Italian Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

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20th Century Classicist Style Marble Ornamental Pillar/Column
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Unique marble ornamental pillar in Classicist style. Bordeau red marble with grey white\flecking square plinth with balustrade-formed column base with carved Acanthius capping. The ...
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20th Century Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

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Marble stele
Located in PARIS, FR
This stele is made of untreated natural marble. The structure consists of one block of marble set into another. The latter is simply slid into the former. In...
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2010s Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

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Marble stele
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H 19.69 in W 15.75 in D 9.85 in
Pair of Carved Wood Squared Pedestal Columns
Located in Atlanta, GA
A pair of vintage American carved wood pedestal columns. This pair of bleached wood columns feature squared bodies with a single raised panel at each side, stacked molding just benea...
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20th Century American Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

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Pair of Carved Wood Squared Pedestal Columns
Pair of Carved Wood Squared Pedestal Columns
H 56.25 in W 18.5 in D 18.5 in
High Quality Marble Column with Bronze in the antique Style of Classicism
Located in Berlin, DE
Bordeaux red, real marble with gray-white grain. Square plinth with balustrade shaped column base with decorated bronze capitelle. Exceptionally good quality. Wide, stepped square to...
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20th Century German Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

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19th Century Belgium Bluestone Capitals
Located in Dallas, TX
Gorgeous bluestone capitals. Item dates back to the 1880s. Origin; Belgium.
Category

Late 19th Century Belgian Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Stone

French Marble Column
Located in Essex, MA
The tall column sitting on a socle with square base.
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Late 18th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Marble

French Marble Column
French Marble Column
H 61 in W 13.5 in D 13.5 in
20th Century Marble Pillar/Column in Antique Louis XV Style Bronzed
Located in Berlin, DE
20th century marble pillar/column in Louis XV style green marble with bronze bases and capitals. Rectangular, profiled cover plate. Partially turned column shaft extremely decorative...
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20th Century French Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

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Marble

Pair Early 20th Century Italian Pedestal Columns
Located in Martlesham, GB
A highly decorative pair of early 20th Century Italian alabaster pedestal columns in fantastic condition and has striking colours throughout...
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1920s Italian Vintage Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Alabaster

Neoclassical Columns
Located in Georges Mills, NH
Pair of neoclassical columns with exceptional patina to original finish. Pale almond greens and blues on fluted base and acanthus leaf capital. Carved solid fruitwood construction.
Category

Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Fruitwood

Neoclassical Columns
Neoclassical Columns
H 29 in Dm 17 in
19th Century Group of 4 Italian Terracotta Pedestals
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19th century group of 4 Italian terracotta pedestals of small size. Original finish. The top flat surface measures 6 x 6 inches.
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Terracotta

Previously Available Items
Pair of Gilt Bronze and Onyx Consoles, 19th Century.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Pair of Mahogany, Gilt Bronze and Onyx Consoles, 19th Century. Pair of 19th century consoles, Napoleon III period, in gilt bronze and o...
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19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Pedestal in Stuco and Marble Base
Located in BORDEAUX, FR
Very elegant stucco column decorated in imitation of marble, on a black marble octagonal base. Despite some light, easily restorable chips, it is a very nice functional decorative el...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Stucco

Pedestal in Stuco and Marble Base
Pedestal in Stuco and Marble Base
H 43.31 in Dm 11.03 in
Pair of "Turquin Blue Marble" and "Arlequino Breccia" Columns
Located in Paris, FR
Two Napoleon III period columns composed of a great variety of marbles in rare colors of blue and violet. The shaft in "bleu Turquin" marble is surmounted by a doric capital in "vielle brun" marble. It rests on a circular base underlined by a molded doucine of Byzantine marble...
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1880s French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Marble, Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble, Griotte Marble

Pair of 19th Century French Napoleon III Pedestals/ Plant Stands
Located in Nashville, TN
French made Napoleon III plant stands in Mahogany wood. Two tiers connected with sweeping legs terminating in bronze sabots. Bronze ormolu throughout. Highly detailed work. Franc...
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1850s French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Bronze

Pair of Columns and Candelabra Vase, 19th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
A pair of columns and candelabra vase 19th century Pair of columns in griotte red marble signed by Barbedienne with gilt bronze trim Pair of red gri...
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1870s European Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

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Griotte Marble, Bronze

19th Century Gilded Wooden Pedestal
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
A 19th century gilded wooden pedestal A beautiful tripod stand in carved wood with gold leaf Napoleon III period end of the XIXth century in good condition Measure: Height : 163 cm.
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Mid-19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

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Wood

Pair of 19th Century Napoleon III Carved Marble and Bronze Decorative Columns
Located in Dallas, TX
Turn these antique columns into table lamps or use them as decorative candle holders. Crafted in France circa 1870, each column sits on a square base and features decorative bronze m...
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Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

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Marble, Bronze

Napoleon III Very Tallm Pedestal Column, France, 19th Century
Located in Paris, FR
Impressive and rare such a tall Napoleon III pedestal column in blackened solid heavy wood. Coming from a private castle chapel it has a front door and 2 shelves for storage inside w...
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Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

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Bronze

Napoleon III Pedestal Column, France, 19th Century
Located in Paris, FR
Napoleon III tall pedestal column in blackened fruitwood and Ornamentations with gilt bronzes with Marquetry of tortoiseshell, brass, bone and mother of pearl, with Mamelucks decora...
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Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Bronze, Brass

Napoleon III White Marble Column Pedestals
Located in Paris, FR
Pair of white marble column pedestal stands with large display plate. Crafted in the second half of the 19th century, these elegant French pedestal...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Marble

Napoleon III White Marble Column Pedestals
Napoleon III White Marble Column Pedestals
H 41.34 in W 17.72 in D 17.72 in
Napoleon III Pedestal Column, France, 19th Century
Located in Paris, FR
Napoleon III tall pedestal column in blackened fruitwood and Ornamentations with gilt bronzes with Marquetry of tortoiseshell, brass, bone and mother-of-pearl, with Mamelucks decora...
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Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Bronze, Brass

19th Century Napoleon III Brocatelle Marble Column
Located in Paris, FR
Brocatelle marble display column with sculpted and gilt bronze cap and base. The capital is embellished with ovals and fluting, and the base is decorated with alternating ovals and p...
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19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Pedestals and Columns

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Napoleon Iii pedestals and columns for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Napoleon III pedestals and columns for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Mid-20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage pedestals and columns created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include building and garden elements, tables, asian art and furniture and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, bronze and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Napoleon III pedestals and columns 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 pedestals and columns, popular names associated with this style include and Charles-Guillaume Diehl. 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 pedestals and columns differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $935 and tops out at $245,000 while the average work can sell for $5,057.

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