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.
Table cigarette box Silver Sterling Enamel two-tone striped guilloché Salimbeni.
By Salimbeni, Giorgio Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Exceptional table cigar or cigarette box in 925/1000 sterling silver, gold plated, and decorated with translucent two-tone striped fired enamels over guilloché engraving. Finely hand...
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
A Rare French Cigar Humidor by Charles Guillame Diehl and Jean Brandley
By Charles-Guillaume Diehl, Jean Brandely
Located in Long Island City, NY, NY
A Rare Wood and Silvered Bronze French Cigar Humidor by Charles Guillaume Diehl and Jean Brandely, C. 1860, Paris This extraordinary cigar humidor, crafted by the esteemed French ar...
Bronze
Table Cigarette Box like lapis lazuli stone enamel on guilloche Salimbeni.
By Salimbeni, Franco Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Rectangular with rounded corners table box for cigarettes in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with translucent enamels on a radial guilloché an...
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Table box with mechanical musical movement by Swiss company Reuge S.A Salimbeni
By Salimbeni, Franco Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Large oval table box with mechanical musical movement by the Swiss company Reuge S.A. in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with translucent fired enamels on guilloché and on fine ...
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Early 20th century French Wood and Brass Musical Cigar Boxe, 1920s
Located in LEGNY, FR
Magnificent Napoleon III style musical cigar humidor dating from the beginning of the 20th century in lacquered wood and garland of brass beads. A lyre adorns each door. By turning t...
Brass
$2,240Sale Price|20% Off
A Large and Rare French Napoleon lll Tobacco / Cigar Humidor, 19th Century
Located in ARMADALE, VIC
A Large and Rare French Napoleon lll Tobacco / Cigar Humidor, 19th Century Description: Fully hand carved with floral decorations and wood carvings with ebonized details and removab...
Wood
$3,257Sale Price|20% Off
19th Century Napoleon III Guillaume Diehl Cigar Boxe
Located in LEGNY, FR
Beautiful Cigar humidor, stamped by Charles Guillaume DIEHL (1811 - 1885), in ebony with inlaid decoration of friezes of scrolls, fleurons and lanceolate leaves, inside with five dra...
Brass
Table box oval 925 Silver Enamel handpainted miniature and paillons Salimbeni
By Franco Salimbeni, Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Oval table box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with fired enamels, with pure gold “paillons” on the upper circle, fine fired enamel miniature with an image of a “landscape wi...
Belgian Black Marble, Gold, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Table Box pure gold paillons and fired enamel miniature Salimbeni
By Salimbeni, Franco Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Round table box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with fire enamels, with pure gold “paillons” on the upper circle, fine fire enamelled miniature hand painted by the painter Br...
Gold, Enamel, Sterling Silver, Gold Plate
Table Cigarette Box hand painted in tempera on a vegetable ivory Salimbeni.
By Franco Salimbeni, Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Square table box for cigarettes in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with translucent fired enamel on guilloché also on the sides. In the center beautiful miniature hand painted i...
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Snuff box Two-Tone Striped Fired Enamel Sterling Silver Salimbeni
By Salimbeni, Franco Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Rectangular snuff box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with translucent two-tone striped fired enamel on guillochè and hand-engraved ornament. Late Empire Napoleon III style. ...
Sterling Silver, Enamel
A ceremonial cigar display stand in honor of the Imperial Prince Napoleon IV
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
This exceptional cigar display stand, crafted from mahogany-stained wood, is richly carved and composed of three distinct elements. Taking the form of a ...
Wood, Elm
$280
H 2.25 in W 9.5 in D 5.88 in
Beautiful Hand Crafted Cigar Humidor Box Catchall Antique Austria, 1910s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A cigar or desktop catchall box from Austria in the 1900s, made of patinated brass and wood, sounds like a unique and valuable antique. The fact that this particular box is an antique from the early 1900s adds to its value and collectability. Depending on the condition and other factors such as the brand or maker, it could be worth a significant amount of money to collectors of antique smoking...
Metal
$6,961 / item
H 10.24 in W 10.83 in D 11.82 in
Hundred Cigar Solid Bog-Oak Humidor, Cedar Lining & Brass Jointing
Located in London, GB
Dovedale — has designed two different humidors, a smaller humidor carrying fifty cigars and a more substantial to take a hundred cigars. Both are lined with Spanish cedar to keep the...
Brass
$560
H 9 in W 16 in D 10 in
Early 20th C. French Repoussé Brass and Wood Slant Lid Box with Sailboat Scene
Located in Dallas, TX
Decorate a desk, library table, or console with this charming antique French decorative box, crafted circa 1920. The rectangular coffer features a slant lid clad in repoussé brass, b...
Brass
Antique William IV Sterling Silver Table Snuff Box
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique William IV English sterling silver table snuff box; an addition to our collectable silverware collection. This exceptional antique William IV sterling silver snuff box has a rectangular, rounded form. The body of the box is embellished with impressive chased floral motifs accented with scrolling stem and foliate ornamentation, all on a matte background. The decoration to the body incorporates a chased single leaf design to each corner, emanating from the rounded lower portion. The upper rim of the body and swept sides of the cover are encompassed with a continuous band of engine turned decoration. The underside of the box features a further panel of engine turned decoration. This exceptional example of antique silverware is fitted with a hinged hallmarked cover embellished with an engine turned bordered rectangular vacant cartouche to the upper plateau. The cover is further embellished with an exceptional cast and applied domed, incurved border to the upper portion, matching the ornamentation to that of the body and continuing to an impressive floral thumbpiece to the anterior edge. This antique sterling silver snuff box opens to reveal the original gilded interior. Condition This antique sterling silver snuff box is an exceptional gauge of silver, exceptional quality and in exceptional condition. The chased and applied ornamentation is all very sharp and the engine turned decoration is all very crisp. Full hallmarks struck to the interior of the box are all very clear. Reflections in photographs may detract from the true representation of this antique silverware. Dimensions Length 9.8cm/3.9" Width 6.5cm/2.6" Height 4.3cm/1.7" Weight 8.2 troy ounces/253g Maker: Joseph Willmore...
Silver, Sterling Silver
Paradigm Humidor Company Cigar Box Marquetry Wood Inlay
By Dunhill
Located in Chula Vista, CA
Paradigm Wood Inlay Marquetry Humidor Cigar Box 5.5 h x 12 w x 9.5 d Preowned vintage Refer to images.
Wood
$550
H 1.5 in W 4.75 in D 3.5 in
Wonderful Bailey Banks Biddle Company Sterling Oval Jewelry Keepsake Footed Box
Located in Roslyn, NY
A wonderful Bailey Banks & Biddle Company sterling oval jewelry keepsake footed box.
Sterling Silver
20th Century Italian Sterling Silver Table Box
By Pampaloni
Located in VALENZA, IT
Rectangular/octagonal table box in 925 silver. The box was completely handmade in Florence at the end of the last century. Engraved with floral and abstract motifs, it has been fin...
Sterling Silver
Art Deco Sterling Silver-Mounted Shagreen Table Box
By Charles Boyton & Sons, Ltd.
Located in New York, NY
Art Deco, sterling silver-mounted shagreen table box, London, 1923, Charles Boynton & Sons, Ltd, makers. Measures: 6 1/4" wide x 3 1/2" deep x 2 1/4" high. Wood lined. Shagreen is be...
Sterling Silver
$811Sale Price|25% Off
H 13.39 in W 17.72 in D 10.24 in
Early 20th Century Italian Gothic style Decorative Boxe or Small Trunk
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
We present this beautiful and rare small trunk made in the early 20th century. Made entirely of iron with brass decorations, this trunk has a Gothic-inspired design. A unique decora...
Iron
$16,576Sale Price|20% Off
H 1.58 in Dm 7.68 in
20th Century Sterling Silver Italian Gilded and Enameled Table Box
By Salimbeni
Located in VALENZA, IT
Round haped silver gilded 925/1000 table box with translucent enamels on guilloche with hand-painted floral miniatures and gold paillons Made in Italy 1.400 grams The Miniatures are hand-painted on a usually white homogeneous enamel base. The same colored glazes are used, but ground much finer, which are mixed with special oils to form an infinite palette of colors. The paint must be gradually dried on electric stoves...
Sterling Silver
$2,500
H 2 in W 5.5 in D 4 in
Antique Sterling Silver Japanese Export Engraved Cigarette or Decorative Box
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This antique engraved sterling silver cigarette or decorative box was made in Japan in approximately 1900 in the period Japonisme style. The box is composed of an ebonized hardwood c...
Sterling Silver
$2,934
H 0.4 in W 3.04 in D 3.39 in
Antique German Silver & Enamel Cigarette Case c 1900 Erotic Nude Sea Ocean
Located in London, GB
A gorgeous Antique solid Silver Cigarette Case with an Enamel Image on the front cover. This Image shows a nude woman with long brown hair surrounded by a cresting wave in the ocean....
Enamel
Sold
H 7.88 in W 10.63 in D 7.88 in
Late 19th Century Cigar Cabinet Case - Napoleon III - Warm Red Burl Veneer
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
A beautiful antique cigar box, from France, from the Napoleon III period, circa 1880. The box is veneered with warm red burl wood. A copper emblem in the center of the lid (which can...
Burl
Cigar and Music Box, Early 20th Century, Napoleon III Style.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Cigar and music box, Early 20th Century, Napoleon III style. Cigar box and music box, early 20th century in silver-plated metal and stone, certainly alabaster, 6 cigar holders, whic...
Stone, Alabaster, Metal, Silver Plate
Sold
H 8.27 in W 12.21 in D 8.27 in
Royal Count Cigar Box Humidor French Napoleon by Alphonse Giroux 19th Century
Located in Paris, FR
Cigar Humidor Signed by Alphonse Giroux Count Boulle Crown Napoleon III Period Napoleon 3" Beautiful cigar humidor in fruit wood marquetry and brass fillets. Precious gorgeous woods....
Brass, Bronze
19th Century Wood Inlaid Cigar Carrousel - Napoleon III
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
A beautiful antique wooden cigar carousel. A typical object from the French Napoleon III period. When you turn the top knob, the doors on all sides open and the cigars appear. The ci...
Bronze, Copper
Napoleon III Period Brass, Ebony, Bone Inlay Cigar Box, 1870s
Located in LEGNY, FR
Very beautiful and rare curved cigar humidor from the 19th century from the Napoleon III period. This cigar humidor is inlaid with pewter, brass, ebony and bone. It can hold up to ...
Brass, Pewter
Sold
H 3 in W 8.5 in D 6 in
Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Period Marquetry Cigar Box, Music Box
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This mid nineteenth century French Napoleon III period marquetry cigar presentation box is constructed of rosewood and is marked Cigares on the top in lemon wood inlay. Additional i...
Bronze
19th Century Napoleon III Burl and Mother-of-Pearl Cigar Boxe
Located in LEGNY, FR
XIX cigar cellar in magnifying glass and marquetry. This box has four cigar racks and a drawer. A cartouche in marquetry and mother-of-pearl decorates th...
Mother-of-Pearl, Burl
Late 19th Century Napoleon III Cigar Box
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
Antique cigar chest with room for 60 cigars. The chest is veneered with various kinds of wood, mostly burl walnut. On top a brass inlay. The interior has s...
Brass
Late 19th Century Napoleon III Burl Walnut Cigar Box
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
Antique cigar chest with room for 36 cigars. The chest is veneered with various kinds of wood, mostly burl walnut. On top a brass inlay. The interior has f...
Brass
Sold
H 8.5 in W 11.5 in D 8 in
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Period Marquetry Cigar Presentation Box
Located in Fayetteville, AR
Originally used to present cigars, this mid-nineteenth century Napoleon III period thuya wood cave a cigares, as it is referred to in French, features a ce...
Bronze
19th Century Napoleon III Burl and Mother-of-Pearl Cigar Boxe
Located in LEGNY, FR
XIX cigar cellar in magnifying glass and marquetry. This box has four cigar racks and a drawer. A cartouche in marquetry and mother-of-pearl decorates ...
Mother-of-Pearl, Burl
19th Century Napoleon III Marquetry Cigar Cellar, 1850s
By Tahan Paris
Located in LEGNY, FR
Beautiful cigar cellar from the Tahan house in Paris in 19th century marquetry. This cellar is fully restored and in perfect condition with its five sto...
Brass