Empire Bookcases
EMPIRE STYLE
From 1804–15, Napoléon I reigned as the emperor of France, bringing the country into a new era of opulence after the fall of the monarchy and the tumultuous years of the French Revolution. He declared, “We must have very solid things, made to last 100 years.” Empire-style furniture followed suit, with imposing pieces constructed from mahogany and adorned with gilded ornaments. Expanding on the neoclassicism popularized in the previous century — such as in Louis XVI style — Empire style borrowed from the great civilizations of antiquity, from Egypt to Greece and Rome, to connect this nascent empire to the power of the past.
Napoléon I believed the production of fine furniture would reflect the stature of the republic, with his official architects Charles Percier and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine leading the way with their work on his residences.
Luxurious materials, symmetrical shapes and bold colors characterize antique Empire-style bedroom furniture, armchairs, cabinets and other structures, with frequent motifs including mythological creatures, geometric designs, acanthus leaves, eagles, bees (the imperial emblem) and swans, a favorite of Empress Joséphine.
Flat surfaces, like marble tabletops, were accented with decadent details, such as the bronze furniture mounts made by sculptor Pierre-Philippe Thomire for the French palaces. Martin-Guillaume Biennais, who worked as the imperial goldsmith, crafted intricate luxury objects that mixed wood, fine metal, mother-of-pearl and ivory. Ormolu — or elaborate bronze gilding — was essential to French design in the 18th and 19th centuries as a cornerstone of the neoclassical and Empire styles.
The style became popular abroad, influencing the American Empire style. Stately pieces carved with sprigs of olives by cabinetmaker Pierre-Antoine Bellange were acquired by American President James Monroe for the White House in 1817.
Find a collection of antique Empire tables, lighting, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
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Style: Empire
Rare French Empire Mahogany Bookcase Library Jacob Desmalter
By François-Honoré-Georges Jacob-Desmalter
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
Large and very unusual French Empire bookcase in beautifully figured mahogany veneer. Four glazed doors (original glass), interior with original shelves (two on each level allow an adjustment for larger...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Mahogany
Antique American Empire Style Mahogany 4 Section Stacking Barrister Bookcase
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique American Empire Style Mahogany 4 Section Stacking Barrister Bookcase. Item features carved paw feet, 4 glass doors, stacking form, very nice antique bookcase. Top 2 sections ...
Category
Early 1900s Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Glass, Mahogany
French Empire Style Ebonized Bookcase
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
This handsome Empire style open book shelf has a recent ebonized finish. This antique has the rounded column fronts of the empire style raised on paw feet. The interior is fitted wit...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Mahogany
19th Century Walnut Pair of Bookcases Boiserie de Bibliothèque
Located in Vosselaar, BE
A rare pair of heliocodal French Directoire library bookcases in solid walnut. This type of bookcases is also known as 'boiseries de Bibliothèque' a...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Walnut
French 19th Century Empire Style Petite Bookcase
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A handsome petite Empire style bookcase from France, circa 1850. Crafted from warm and patinated mahogany with a more recently painted interior in Farrow & Ball Oval Room blue paint....
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Metal, Brass
Antique American Empire Carved Mahogany Bookcase in the Manner of R.J. Horner
Located in South Bend, IN
A beautiful antique American Empire or Victorian glass front bookcase with carved columns and lion paw feet
In the manner of R.J. Horner
USA, Circa 1890s
Carved mahogany, with mul...
Category
Late 19th Century American Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Glass, Mahogany
19th Century French Empire Period Walnut Bookcase or Vitrine, Bronze, 15-in deep
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This early nineteenth century Empire period walnut bookcase features half columns that flank its glass doors. The columns are capped in bronze detailed with diamond and a Vitruvian s...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Bronze
Early 19th century Scandinavian empire flame mahogany breakfront bookcase
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Early 19th century Scandinavian empire flame mahogany breakfront bookcase circa 1820.
Stunning bookcase of grand proportions veneered in golden flame mahogany. Bookcase comprises of 7 sections which screw together to. 3 sections to the base, 3 glazed sections and a cornice.
Central double door glazed...
Category
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Glass, Mahogany
Early 19th Century French Empire Bookcase with Safe-Deposit-Box, Mahogany
Located in Greven, DE
Empire bookcase with safe deposit box
France
Mahogany
Empire around 1820
Dimensions: H x W x D: 227 x 154 x 49 cm
Description:
Impressive Empire ...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Mahogany
19thc French Large Gilt & Wood Exotic Inlay Bookcase Empire- Burl Wood
Located in Opa Locka, FL
Stunning and Majestic 19thc French Empire Large Bookcase in Exotic Burl Amboyne with Exotic Wood Inlay, Artist Masterpiece! There is also gilt bronze elements, incredible full figura...
Category
1880s French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Wood
19th century Empire Mahogany Bookcase
Located in Stockholm, SE
A very nice directoire/empire mahogany bookcase from around 1800 or early 19th century. The craftsmanship and quality of this piece is high and above what you normally see. It's maho...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Mahogany
French Empire Bookcase - Walnut Open Front Cabinet
Located in Potters Bar, GB
Sumptuous French Empire style bookcase and cabinet in walnut
Hope the photos do this stunning piece some justice certainly more impressiv...
Category
1980s Vintage Empire Bookcases
Materials
Walnut
Antique French Empire Burl Wood Bibliotheque Bookcase Cabinet, Circa 1880s
Located in South Bend, IN
A beautiful antique French Empire knockdown bibliotheque bookcase cabinet
In the manner of Louis Majorelle
France, Circa 1880s
Gorgeous burl wood, with bronze mounts and trim.
Me...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Bronze
Antique Empire Bookcase
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An extraordinary antique empire bookcase in great condition completed and restored by our professional craftsmen team. This elegant piece is th...
Category
Early 1900s French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Brass
Pair of Late Empire Style Bookcases
Located in Roveredo In Piano, IT
Pair of Late Empire style bookcases. Small in size, they are composed of elements in solid walnut and others in folder and feature a wick shellac...
Category
19th Century European Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Glass, Wood
19th Century French Pinewood Book Shelf - Antique Cupboard
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An antique shelf cupboard in patinated Pinewood with top and lateral molding, in good condition. This early 19th Century furniture is perfect to display ...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Pine
19th Century French Empire Period Ebonized Bookcase
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
Great quality early 19th century ebonised French Empire period bookcase.
Having a moulded cornice above a pair of shaped glazed doors with original old glass and flanked by pilaster...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Wood
French 19th Century Empire Bibliotheque
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
This two-door French Empire bibliotheque is framed on either side by columns that go all the way to the feet. The top and bottom of the columns are...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Brass
19th Century French Empire Walnut Bookcase
Located in Dallas, TX
A large French Empire bookcase, or buffet a deux corps in walnut with bronze mounts and glass doors, dating from the early 19th century.
This handsome piece has a nice old patina a...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Bronze
Empire Library, Early 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Six-door glazed bookcase with muntins and mahogany veneered body with brass fluting.
Category
Early 19th Century Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Brass
Pair of French Empire Bookcases
Located in Pomona, CA
A pair of French Empire bookcases / China cabinets. Ebonized side pillars with brass capitals. Gilt appliques to top and bottom front. Beveled g...
Category
1950s American Vintage Empire Bookcases
Materials
Wood
C19th Pine Two Door French Cabinet/Bookcase with Glazed Astragal Detail
Located in London, GB
Handsome two door pine cupboard/ cabinet.
This is a lovely understated and useful cabinet which looks great in the flesh.
In one piece, it has a shaped cornice, glazing to the top ...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Pine
Gilt-Bronze Mounted Mahogany Empire Library Bookcase
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A fine gilt bronze mounted mahogany Empire library bookcase.
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Ormolu
Bookcase Empire Mahogany Veneer Sessile Oak France Early 19th Century
Located in Milano, IT
French Empire bookcase, supported by feet, the front ones vase shaped. There are two panelled doors on the front, surmounted by the same amount of drawers in the under the top band, ...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Mahogany, Oak
19th Century French Mahogany and Ormolu Bookcase in the Empire Style
Located in London, GB
An exceptional and fine library breakfront bookcase by Antoine Krieger of Paris
In the Empire taste, this wonderful piece shows careful selection of matched flame mahogany veneers, contrasted by finely chiselled mercury gilded ormolu bronze mounts. The glazed, four door upper section is surmounted by ormolu laurel wreath victory garlands, and acanthus leaves to the cornice, the lower four blind doors having central caduceus mounts, emblematic of Mercury’s staff; the outer doors showing central Apollo masks, with acanthus leaves in a cruciform pattern; the cornered motifs being rosettes with conforming acanthus leaves; the pilaster columns are capped by stylised Tuscan capitals. The four oak lined drawers have Grecian Lyre backplates to the handles, and the locks are signed by the maker. The bookcase is elevated on toupie ‘cotton reel’ feet.
The very finest workmanship has gone into this piece, as evinced by the ethereal ‘gold dust’ ormolu mounts, with the crispest of ciselure, and the breathtaking quality of the mahogany veneers. This piece, originally conceived by Percier and Fontaine, adopting the decoration from the Antique, is signed by Antoine Krieger of Paris. Circa 1860
Percier and Fontaine published in 1812 the ‘bon ton’ design collection, ‘Recueil des Decorations Interieurs...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Ormolu
19th Century French Empire Period Walnut Bibliotheque or Bookcase
Located in Birmingham, AL
A fine French Empire period bibliotheque handcrafted from select French walnut by skilled artisans from Lyon during the First Empire of Napoleon, circa early 1800s. The upper bookcas...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Bronze, Ormolu
French Empire 19th Century Walnut Bookcase-Cabinet
Located in Troy, NY
Small French Empire bookcase/cabinet with framed glazed sides, featuring a molded wooden elongated X on the inside, one wire-mesh-inset door, the corners e...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Brass
Antique Empire Style Secretary with Brass and Marble Top mahogany veneer
Located in Berlin, DE
Mahogany veneer on solid conifers. High-right corpus on chased bronze claw feet. Architecturally articulated front with library dummy and brass rim sockets. On both sides slightly co...
Category
20th Century French Empire Bookcases
Materials
Mahogany
Unusual Empire Style Bookcase, France, 19th Century
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Quirky and unusual Empire style breakfront bookcase, the wood painted with a faux bois trompe l'oeil, and decorated with plaster moldings painted gold....
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
French Empire Bookcase in Walnut
Located in Doylestown, PA
An early 19th century French provincial biblioteque in walnut, with upper case with adjustable shelves and wire-grill doors over a lower pair of paneled cabinet doors, circa 1810.
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Walnut
19th Century Germany Empire Wood Lacquered Wall Open Library, 1800s
Located in Roma, RM
Rare piece of furniture of German origin, from the early Empire, in excellent state of conservation, but to be restored, completely removable is a bookcase that will then have to be ...
Category
Early 1800s German Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Wood
Antique 1810 France Cast Iron Bookcase Shelves Flowers
Located in Munich, DE
Charming and elegant shelves made out of cast iron. The front of this slim piece of furniture and the struts are decorated with flowers.
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Iron
Large Antique French Empire Vitrine or Display Cabinet, circa 1890
Located in Dallas, TX
Monumental 19th century French Empire black lacquered vitrine or display cabinet. The shaped bonnet with intricate doré bronze appointments above...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Bronze
Large Empire Danish Glass Cabinet, Bookcase in Mahogany with Bronze Details
Located in Miami, FL
Elegant late Empire 4 doors glass and wood cabinet, bookcase in mahogany.
Pair of locking paned glass doors sitting atop pair of locking wood d...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Bronze
Russian Mahogany Secretary Bookcase
Located in New York, NY
Russian (18th Century) mahogany secretary bookcase with brass gallery pediment and trim with 2 front doors revealing 3 drawers and shelves ...
Category
Late 18th Century Russian Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Brass
Austrian 18th Century Empire Style Two Doors Larch Wood Armoire Wardrobe Cabinet
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Precious and original larch wood wardrobe, convertible into a bookcase, with two doors in the Austrian Empire style of the 18th century
The wardrobe, all in larch wood, is all origi...
Category
Late 18th Century Austrian Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Brass, Other
19th Large Empire Style Mahogany Bookcase from French Chateau
Located in Marseille, FR
Large Empire style mahogany bookcase. There are zippers on all pediments. This library is adorned with gilded bronzes. Its dimensions are impressive. It comes from the Château de Faï...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Mahogany
Pair of French Empire Mahogany and Bronze Bookcases
Located in New York, NY
Pair of French Empire-style (19th Century) mahogany and bronze trimmed 2 plexiglass door bookcases. (PRICED AS Pair)
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Bronze
French Empire Style Mahogany Bookcase
Located in New York, NY
French Empire-style (19th Century) mahogany bookcase cabinet with bronze trim and 2 glass doors.
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Bronze
Early 19th Century Berlin Mahogany Armoire
Located in London, by appointment only
Germany, circa 1825.
A Berlin mahogany display cabinet having a stepped pediment inlaid with boxwood stringing above partially glazed doors divided...
Category
Early 19th Century German Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Glass, Mahogany
French Empire Mahogany Bibliothéque Cabinet
Located in New York, NY
French Empire flame mahogany 2 door bibliothèque cabinet with with wire mesh and tapered square column sides having gilt bronze trim with classical heads.
Category
1820s French Antique Empire Bookcases
Neoclassical Mahogany Empire Bookcases
Located in New Haven, CT
This beautiful pair of mahogany Empire bookcases is decorated with gilt bronze mounts portraying armorial motifs, winged Nike figures, swans and garlands.
...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Bronze
French Empire Period Bookcase
Located in Stockbridge, GA
French Empire Period bookcase. Early 19th century, the bookcase wears a beautiful flamed blond mahogany marquetry. Original old window glass.
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Mahogany
Pair of Antique Irish Chiffoniers
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Rare pair of traditional Irish chiffoniers or sideboards crafted with mahogany and celebrating several early 19th century styles, including empire and regency. Featuring high quality...
Category
19th Century Northern Irish Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Mahogany
Empire Style Mahogany Bookcase Bibliotheque, French, Late 19th Century
Located in San Francisco, CA
An exceptional French mahogany bookcase - bibliotheque with finely cast gilt bronze mounts and interior fitted with 4 shelves. Late 19th century with original key. Very Fine top qual...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Bookcases
Materials
Ormolu
Dutch Empire Style Breakfront Bibliotheque
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A practical Empire style bookshelf made of mahogany, perfect for storing your books and display objects. The center and deepest cavity has a single 16” deep adjustable shelf flanked ...
Category
20th Century Dutch Empire Bookcases
Materials
Bronze
Empire bookcases for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Empire bookcases for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Late 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage bookcases created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include case pieces and storage cabinets, building and garden elements and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, mahogany and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Empire bookcases made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and Germany pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original bookcases, popular names associated with this style include and Antoine Krieger. 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 bookcases differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $3,019 and tops out at $155,000 while the average work can sell for $10,529.
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