French Napoleon Iii Tray
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Tôle
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Metal
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Metal, Brass, Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Tôle
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Metal
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Tin
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Bronze
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Walnut, Lacquer
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Tôle
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Desk Sets
Marble, Bronze, Gold, Ormolu
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Platters and Serveware
Metal
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Platters and Serveware
Iron
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Inkwells
Bronze
Antique 1880s French Napoleon III Platters and Serveware
Crystal
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Serving Pieces
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Platters and Serveware
Tôle
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Children's Furniture
Leather, Mahogany
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Serving Pieces
Metal
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Marble, Brass, Iron
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Gueridon
Walnut
Antique 19th Century French Louis XVI Serving Tables
Metal
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Tableware
Metal
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III Porcelain
Porcelain
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique 1850s French Napoleon III Inkwells
Malachite, Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Platters and Serveware
Metal
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Sheffield and Silverplate
Crystal, Silver
Recent Sales
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Platters and Trays
Silver
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Lacquer
Fruitwood
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Serving Pieces
Tôle
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Baskets
Lacquer, Paper
Antique 19th Century French Platters and Serveware
Tôle
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Dishes and Vide...
Bronze, Enamel
Antique 19th Century French Platters and Serveware
Tôle
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Tableware
Tin
Antique Early 19th Century French Napoleon III Platters and Serveware
Metal
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Bowls
Paper
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Vintage 1940s French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Brass
Antique 19th Century French Tray Tables
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Mother-of-Pearl, Walnut
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Metal
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Metal, Tôle
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Tôle, Metal
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Wood
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Tôle
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Tôle
Late 20th Century English Tray Tables
Paper
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Tôle
Vintage 1940s French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Metal
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Tôle
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Tray Tables
Fruitwood
Antique 1880s French Napoleon III Platters and Serveware
Silver
Antique 1860s French Napoleon III Jewelry Boxes
Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Serving Pieces
Metal
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Platters and Serveware
Metal
20th Century French Napoleon III Sheffield and Silverplate
Silver Plate
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III Bird Cages
Brass
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Platters and Serveware
Steel
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Iron
Antique 1880s French Napoleon III Platters and Serveware
Lacquer
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Platters and Serveware
Sterling Silver
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Late 18th Century French Directoire Serving Pieces
Metal
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Platters and Serveware
Metal
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Platters and Serveware
Tôle
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Baskets
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Napoleon III Dessert Tables and Tilt-top Tables
Brass
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Serving Pieces
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
Enamel, Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
Bronze, Enamel
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
Marble, Bronze
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Platters and Serveware
Tôle
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
Onyx, Bronze
Antique 19th Century French French Provincial Serving Tables
Brass
Antique 19th Century French Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Steel
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
Bronze
Antique Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Inkwells
Bronze, Ormolu
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Platters and Serveware
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Platters and Serveware
Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Porcelain
Porcelain
20th Century French Napoleon III Porcelain
Porcelain
People Also Browsed
Late 19th Century Academic Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Pillows and Throws
Silk
20th Century Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Late 19th Century Academic Still-life Paintings
Oil
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Architectural Elements
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Textile, Wood, Linen, Fiberglass
Antique Early 1800s English Georgian Beds and Bed Frames
Upholstery, Mahogany
2010s Belgian Modern Sofas
Linen
Antique 19th Century French Baroque Revival Desks
Wood
Early 1900s Academic Still-life Paintings
Oil
Vintage 1960s Neoclassical Console Tables
Marble
Antique 1820s American Neoclassical Cabinets
Mahogany
Antique Late 19th Century French Neoclassical Gueridon
Marble, Ormolu, Tôle
Antique Early 19th Century French Empire Secretaires
Marble, Ormolu
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Side Tables
Aluminum
Antique 1790s Italian Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Paint
French Napoleon Iii Tray For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a French Napoleon Iii Tray?
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.













