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.
Sèvres Style Porcelain Mounted Jewellery Box on Stand Attributed to Giroux
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A fine transitional style gilt-bronze and Sèvres style porcelain mounted Jewelry box on stand, attributed to Alphonse Giroux. This exquisite pe...
Porcelain, Wood
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...
Bronze, Enamel
Table Cigarette Box hand painted in tempera on a vegetable ivory Salimbeni.
By Salimbeni, Franco 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
Antique French Decorative Box, Napoleon III Style, Late 19th Century
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...
Parchment Paper, Wood
19th Century French Rosewood and Mother of Pearl Travel Vanity Trinket Case
Located in Dallas, TX
This beautiful, antique jewelry box set was crafted in France, circa 1870. The box has a mother of pearl crest on the top and front, and reveals several dividers inside while the com...
Silver Plate
Snuffbox basket with flowers, in Florentine Renaissance style, Salimbeni
By Salimbeni, Franco 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 ...
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
$883Sale Price|49% Off
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...
Brass
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
19th Century French Parquetry Ebonized Domed Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Signed by maker on lock. Paris, France. Bronze/brass mounted.
Brass, 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).
Brass
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...
Agate, Marble
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...
Wood