Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
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
19th Century Napoleon III Burl Wood Sewing Box
Located in Paris, FR
Varnished, burl wood sewing box, decorated with Greek frieze and brass inlays. The box contains a mirror and sewing utensils made of bone and brass, as...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Brass
Marqueterie de paille Boîte
Located in VILLENEUVE-LÈS-AVIGNON, FR
Marqueterie de paille, boîte en bon état du XIXe siècle
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Straw
Napoleon III card holder
Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Napoleon III card holder
(card fray)
Gilt bronze and enamel
Origin France Circa 1900
Gilt bronze and Cloissone enamel with hand-painted Sevres porcelain plate signed by E. Horche
Per...
Category
Early 1900s French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Bronze, Enamel
$1,040 Sale Price
20% Off
Porcelain Box, Late 19th-Early 20th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Porcelain box, late 19th - early 20th century.
Porcelain box from the end of the 19th century or beginning of the 20th century, gilded brass, very nice painted scene with gold dec...
Category
Late 19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Porcelain
Covered Vase with Atlantes, attr. to A. Giroux, France, circa 1880
Located in PARIS, FR
Beautiful ovoid-shaped covered vase in patinated bronze with golden highlights, with rich rotating decoration in relief. The lid, symbolizing Night, is decorated with a turtle, a moon, a dragon flying among the clouds ; and the belly, symbolizing the Day, is decorated with a rising sun, mountainous landscapes, and cherry tree branches.
The whole, topped with a flamed seed, is supported by three African-type atlantes dressed in a loincloth.
Historical and artistic context
This work of art combines elements of Japonism and Orientalism, two important movements representative of the taste of the time for exoticism. Indeed, this taste for Chinoiserie was revived at the end of the 19th century following the Franco-English military campaign against the imperial army in China in 1860. Napoleon III’s French troops bring back part of the treasure from the Summer Palace, constituting in 1863 the famous Chinese Museum of Empress Eugénie at the Palace of Fontainebleau. First in painting, the movement quickly spread to decorative arts and furniture.
This craze for the Far East is encouraged in France by the diffusion of Chinese ornamental works renewing the interior decoration of the luxurious Parisian residences of a clientele eager for something new.
It was also under the Second Empire that the Orientalists were propelled to the forefront. Emperor Napoleon III, aristocrats as well as wealthy bourgeois in search of exoticism fill the order books of the most renowned artists. It is then not the predominantly academic style of the Orientalists that counts but above all the exoticism that they show to a fascinated public.
Biography
Alphonse Giroux and Company, famous curiosity and luxury goods shop was situated in Paris, at No. 7 rue du Coq-Saint-Honoré and in business from the time of the Consulate until the end of the Second Empire. The company was founded by Francois-Simon-Alphonse and continued in 1838 by his two sons, Alphonse-Gustave (1810-1886) and André (1801-1879). The father became a close associate of the royal family and specialized in the manufacture of refined items for gifts. Kings Louis XVIII and then Charles X were both supplied with gifts for « The Children of France » by Giroux. Making progressively small furniture, they were mentionned for the first time in 1837 in the class « cabinet...
Category
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Bronze
19th Century French Repousse Brass Clad Coal Bin on Casters with Hunt Motifs
Located in Dallas, TX
Crafted in France, circa 1870, the antique brass coffer is mounted on a wooden frame, and stands on caster wheels. The slant top opens up with stopping chain revealing inside storage...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Brass
Napoleon III Writing Slope or Box, Marquetry, France, 19th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Napoleon III box. Marquetry. France, 19th century.
Rectangular wooden box with a flat top and supported on circular legs that presents a front opening with a key lock and a hinged ...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Other
Napoleon III circular enamel box
Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Napoleon III circular enamel box
Material bronze and Cloisonne enamel
Origin France Circa 1870
19th century
Excellent quality and excellent condition
Natural wear on its patina
Its i...
Category
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Bronze, Enamel
PERFUME BOX WITH LID French Napoleon III 19th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
PERFUME BOX WITH LID
French Napoleon III 19th Century
in ebonised wood, tortoiseshell and gilded metal.
Interior with three golden glass bottles.
Defects of age
Dim.: (box) 11 x 1...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Wood
$1,145 Sale Price
20% Off
19th Century French Marquetry Inlaid and Ebonized Wood Box
Located in Bradenton, FL
19th Century Napoleon III precious wood and marquetry Inlaid and ebonized box. Hinged box top features a central motif of fauna and flowers. Inner box is lined with blue satin padded...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Wood
French 19th Century Napoleon III Period Ebony, Ormolu, and Brass Box
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A most elegant French 19th century Napoleon III period ebony, ormolu, and brass box. The box is raised by fine ormolu ball feet below a lovely wrap around mottled band. Each ebony si...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Brass, Ormolu
19th Century Italian Writing Box with Macassar Veneer and Silver Mounts
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
Beautiful antique writing slope case. The chest is veneered with Macassar wood. Decorated with silver mounts. The interior is made of birdseed maple...
Category
1880s Italian Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Sterling Silver
Napoleon III Woven Gilt Bronze Handled Basket, Weave Table Box
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Napoleon III woven gilt bronze handled basket -weave table box
France, circa 1875
A whimsical, yet intricately woven of a handled basket weave table ...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Bronze
$380 Sale Price
20% Off
NAPOLEON III Paris 1860 Travel Foldable Writing Desk Box In Precious Woods & Aba
By Napoléon III
Located in Miami, FL
An antique Napoleon III traveler portable writing-desk box.
This is a gorgeous portable writing desk-box, created in France during the period of emperor Napoleon III, circa 1860. Th...
Category
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Leather, Shell, Wood
$1,372 Sale Price
30% Off
19th Century French Boulle Tea Caddy
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Very fine. Early 19th century Napoleon tea caddy. Brass inlay. Crystal vessel (not original).
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Crystal, Brass
Early 20th Century French Repousse Brass and Wooden Firewood Box on Wheels
Located in Dallas, TX
Crafted in France, circa 1920, the antique wood and brass fireplace wood coffer stands on casters; the trunk is decorated with repousse tavern scene motifs in the manner of David Ten...
Category
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Brass
Antique French Napoleon III Cut Crystal & Bronze D'ore "Fan Box" circa 1870-1880
Located in New Orleans, LA
Most Unusual Antique French Napoleon III Era Cut Crystal and Bronze D'Ore "Fan Box" Circa 1870-1880.
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century Napoleon III Wood Marquetry Teacaddy
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
A refined antique French tea caddy from the end of Napoleon III. The box is beautifully inlaid with different types of wood and brass, outside around ...
Category
1880s French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Brass, Bronze
Antique Black Rosewood Liquor Case, 1890s, Set of 11
Located in Opole, PL
Antique Black Rosewood Liquor Case, 1890s, Set of 11
Step into the opulence of 19th-century France with this stunning Napoleon III-style liquor case, a tr...
Category
Late 19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Glass, Rosewood
$2,099 Sale Price / set
20% Off
French Napoleon III Period Brass Inlaid Rosewood and Walnut Lap Desk
Located in San Francisco, CA
A very pretty French Napoleon III period brass inlaid rosewood and kingwood lap desk of fine quality. This portable writing desk is centered by a beautifully painted landscape scene....
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Brass
French Silver Mounted Mother of Pearl Engraved Box, circa 1800
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
An exceptional and fine antique French silver mounted mother of pearl box and with an exquisitely carved ducal with a maiden holding a coronet, elaborate monogram and a rod of Caduce...
Category
1790s French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Mother-of-Pearl
Box of Sevres
Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina
sevres box
circa 1900
perfect state
cobalt blue with gold hand painted
origin france.
The Manufacture nationale de Sèvres is one of the most important and w...
Category
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Ceramic
$1,200 Sale Price
20% Off
Boîte en marqueterie de paille
Located in VILLENEUVE-LÈS-AVIGNON, FR
Boîte en marqueterie de paille du XIXe siècle
Bon état
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Straw
Napoleon III Style French Walnut Table Box
Located in Prato, Tuscany
We kindly suggest you read the whole description, because with it we try to give you detailed technical and historical information to guarantee the authenticity of our objects.
Eleg...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Walnut, Paper
Antique French Napoleonic Style Bronze Box with Sévres Attr. Inset plaque
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Dimensions - H: 4 1/2 in W: 6 3/4 in D: 4 1/2 in
This exquisite Antique French Napoleonic Style bronze box captures the imperial grandeur and refined craftsmanship associated with ...
Category
20th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Bronze
Game Box in Wood and Glit Brass, Napoleon III Period
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Game box in lacquered wood marquetry and gilt brass, with tokens inside. Gilding on the extremities of the spiral shape box.
Work realized under Napoleon III (1852-1870).
Category
19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Brass
19th Century French Cast Iron Shell-Form Coal Bucket
Located in Dallas, TX
This antique coal scuttle was created in France, circa 1870. Built of cast iron, and shaped as a shell with foliage repousse decor, the patinated bucket stands on escargot feet over ...
Category
Mid-19th Century English Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Iron
Paul Sormani Marquetry Token Box, 19th Century.
By Paul Sormani
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Paul Sormani marquetry token box, 19th century.
Precious wood and bone marquetry token box, Napoleon III period, 19th century.
H: 10cm, W: 36cm, D: 26cm
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Bone, Wood
Table Box transparent brown fired enamel over hand-engraved wood grain Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Rectangular table box in gold-plated 925/1000 sterling silver with fine hand-engraved ornaments in late Napoleon III Empire style and transparent brown fired enamel over hand-engrave...
Category
1970s Italian Vintage Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Antique Black Lacquer and Brass Trinket Decorative Box
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
19th Century Napoleon III period black lacquer jewelry or trinket box features an intricate lid. Intricately decorated lid highlights this beautiful trinket box, circa 1860's. The pe...
Category
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Wood
$240 Sale Price
51% Off
Belt with Napoleon III style enameled Sterling silver decoration Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Belt in real black lizard reptile with rectangular buckle in gilded 925/1000 silver with translucent fired enamel on guilloche surrounded by engraving of enamelled leaves, in French ...
Category
1990s Italian Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Sterling Silver, Enamel
French Boarding Student Suit Case Napoleon III Style Pine, circa 1900
Located in Labrit, Landes
French pupil suitcase in pine.
This kind of suit case was used by the boarding students to transport their school equipment.
In the style of Napoleon III
Shipping:
L 39,5 P17 ...
Category
Early 20th Century European Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Metal
$467 Sale Price
20% Off
Snuffbox basket with flowers, in Florentine Renaissance style, Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Rounded rectangular snuffbox in 925/1000 sterling Silver gold plated with beautiful fire enamelled miniature hand-painted by the painter Renato Dainelli of a basket with flowers, in ...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Early 20th Century French Repousse Brass and Wooden Box with Sailboats Decor
Located in Dallas, TX
Crafted in France, circa 1920, the antique wood and brass coffer is decorated on the top with a repousse sail boat scene in the manner of Claude Vernet. T...
Category
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Brass
Sevres Porcelain Chest Romantic Scene 'Lux'
Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Sevres porcelain chest romantic scene (Lux)
signed Lux
19th century crica 1900.
Category
Early 1900s French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Porcelain
$1,600 Sale Price
20% Off
Important Berlin Porcelain Covered Pot
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Important Lidded Pot In Berlin Porcelain.
Beautiful Lidded Pot in Berlin Porcelain, Manufacture KPM of the 19th century.
Dimensions: H: 40,5cm, D: 33,5cm.
Category
19th Century German Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Porcelain
Chased Bronze Jewellery Box, 19th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Chased bronze jewellery box, 19th century
Chased bronze jewellery box, red silk inside, Napoleon III period, 19th century
Measures: H: 7 cm, W: 16 c...
Category
1870s European Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Bronze
19th century French Napoleon III Singing Bird Brass Cage, 1870s
Located in LEGNY, FR
Beautiful Helvetic French Napoleon III period animated Singing Bird Brass wire cage dome with a repousse filigree decorated brass base has two birds in the cage which alternate singi...
Category
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Brass
Pumpkin-Shaped Candy Box in Opaline, 19th Century, Napoleon III Period.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Pumpkin-shaped candy box in opaline, 19th century, Napoleon III period.
A Napoleon III period candy dish, 19th century, in white opaline, forming a pumpkin.
H: 16cm, D: 23cm
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Opaline Glass
19th Century French Walnut and Brass Writing Boxe
Located in LEGNY, FR
Beautiful walnut desktop box which opens into a writing slope.
Decorated on the outside with 2 decorative inlaid tunbridge ware bands.
Box opens out to a beige fabric writing slo...
Category
1890s French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Brass
$906 Sale Price
49% Off
Rare Box with a Hand-Painted Medallion of a 19th Century Man, Napoleon III
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
"Rare box with a hand-painted medallion of a 19th century man, Napoleon III period."
Miniature box decorated with a hand-painted portrait from the 19th century, Napoleon III period....
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Wood
Mid-19th Century Wooden Coffer Inlaid with Mother-of-Pearl
Located in Paris, FR
Sizeable rectangular, wooden coffer with its key. The blackened wood is inlaid with mother-of-pearl and brass. The lid and the main face of the box are r...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Brass
Correspondence Box Napoleon III
Located in Madrid, ES
Correspondence box, Napoleon III period, composed on the top of two flaps. Their facades are embellished with Square and Rectangle Marquetry. In add...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Wood
$1,479 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Wooden Casket, Covered Impressed Paper
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
French wooden casket, covered with colored and impressed paper with ancient processing system -
Suitable for Your photos hanging around waiting to be fix...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Parchment Paper, Wood
$852 Sale Price
20% Off
Paul Sormani Fruitwood Box Dedicated to Marie, Dated 1868
By Paul Sormani
Located in New York, NY
Our fruitwood jewelry chest with bronze mounts and plaque dedicated to Marie comes from the esteemed Parisian cabinet maker, Paul Sormani (1817-1877). Signed and dated on the brass.
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Bronze
Carlsbad Bohemian Hardstone Inlaid Rosewood and White Metal Casket Box
Located in London, by appointment only
Bohemia, circa 1870.
This exceptional 19th century antique casket originates from Carlsbad, a spa town in the west Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. The town is officially known as Karlovy Vary and gained fame as a destination during the 19th century.
Its piping hot springs drew tourists from across Europe to 'take the waters' and their health benefits. The highly figured stones used on this exceptional box were locally sourced and are specific to the hot mineral rich springs of Carlsbad. Close inspection will reveal layer on layer of fine mineral...
Category
1880s Czech Antique Napoleon III Decorative Boxes
Materials
Agate, Marble
Napoleon Iii decorative boxes for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Napoleon III decorative boxes 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 decorative boxes created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, serveware, ceramics, silver and glass, more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Napoleon III decorative boxes 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 decorative boxes, popular names associated with this style include Europa Antiques, Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, Paul Sormani, and A. Aucoc. 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 decorative boxes differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $333 and tops out at $20,970 while the average work can sell for $1,726.
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