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.
Napoleon III Chimney Table Clock, 19th Century
Located in Lisbon, PT
A Napolean III period mantel chimney clock with a mark on the letterhead of the mechanism «horlogerie suisse 23 Rue d'Alsace Lorraine Toulouse» in French Rococo Revival style. Mech...
Metal, Brass, Enamel, Pewter
French 19th Century Napoleon III Mother-of-Pearl Inlay Wall Clock
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
This 19th century clock is stunning with its diamond shaped rippling clock frame of ebony painted wood. Mother-of-pearl floral and foliate designs are inlaid in differently stained m...
Mother-of-Pearl, Mahogany, Hardwood, Porcelain
French 19th Century Napoleon III Mother of Pearl Inlay Wall Clock
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
This 19th century clock is stunning with its diamond-shaped, rippling clock frame of ebony-painted wood. Mother-of-pearl floral and foliate designs are inlaid in the stained mahogany...
Brass
Antique Napoleon III French 19th C. Ebonized Mother of Pearl Inlaid Wall Clock
Located in Dayton, OH
Mid 19th Century Napoleon III Era French wall clock by Sarda Besancon. Features an oviform with serpentine ebonized wood and a glass face. The beautiful clock face is enameled porcel...
Porcelain, Glass, Hardwood
18th Century Dutch Longcase Grandfather Clock by Rutgerus van Meurs
Located in New York, NY
Antique (late 18th century) longcase clock by the Dutch firm, Rutgerus van Meurs (1738–1800) with a beautiful burr walnut veneer with fruitwood string inlay, and gilt bronze mounts i...
Brass
Fantastic quality Napoleon III Marquetry inlaid eight day longcase clock
Located in Ipswich, GB
Fantastic quality Napoleon III Marquetry inlaid eight day longcase clock having a quality bombe shaped case finely inlaid with boulle marquetry work of cut brass arabesque and enrich...
Metal, Brass, Bronze
Lyre-Shaped Clock in Marble and Gilt Bronze, 19th Century, Napoleon III Period.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
A 19th century Napoleon III period Lyre-shaped clock in white marble and gilt bronze in the Louis XVI style. H: 59cm, W: 28cm, D: 20cm Please contact us before ordering to confirm ...
Marble, Bronze
Napoleon III Gilt-Bronze Mounted Bleu Turquin Marble Three Piece-Clock Garniture
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Fine and Large Napoleon III Gilt-Bronze Mounted Bleu Turquin Marble Three Piece-Clock Garniture. Comprising a mantel clock and a pair of seven-light candelabra. The clock modelled...
Marble, Ormolu
Antique Ormolu French Cartel Clock on its Stand, Mantle Clock, Napoleon III Era
By Napoléon III, Ecole Boulle
Located in Bochum, NRW
Antique Ormolu French Cartel Clock on its stand, Napoleon III Era. This is a good-sized French mantel clock dating from around 1880. It has a waisted case with applied brass decoration and brass and tortoiseshell-style inlaid panels. The white enameled dial has fancy pierced brass hands and a beaded bezel. It is hand-painted with Arab numerals and decorated with garlands of flowers and leaves. The clock has a center window showing the pendulum shaped like a fairy. It drives the movement that seems to strike the hours and halves on a bell. This gorgeous antique cartel clock...
Brass
$2,006Sale Price / set|20% Off
Antique French Bronze & Marble Three-Piece Mantel Set Clock Napoleon III
Located in Labrit, Landes
Napoleon III French two marbles mantel clock late 19th century circa 1890. Set of a clock and two pedestals. Mercury pendulum The French movement of the clock will be checked befor...
Marble, Brass
French Napoleon III Gilt Bronze Figural Mantel Clock, Early 19th Century
Located in Tarry Town, NY
An exceptional French Napoleon III gilt bronze figural mantel clock, dating to the early 19th century, showcasing the elegance, artistry, and masterful craftsmanship that made French...
Bronze
Small 19th Century Mystery Clock Signed By Ferdinand Gervais
Located in Charmes, FR
mysterious little clock from the 19th century in patinated and gilded bronze on a marble base manufactured by Ferdinand Gervais in Paris in good condition, it works but has not been ...
Bronze
19th Century Decorative Gilt Bronze and Black Marble Clock
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
A striking and highly decorative French Napoleon III mantel clock, dating from circa 1870, featuring a finely cast patinated metal figure of a young scholar or noble youth seated abo...
Marble, Bronze
Napoleon III Gilt Bronze and Porcelain Mantel Clock By Japy Freres
By Japy Frères
Located in New York, NY
Unique Napoleon III Gilt Bronze and Hand Painted Porcelain Mantel clock C.1870's by Japy Freres This impressive mantel clock in the Napoleon III taste with Sèvres style celeste blue...
Bronze
19th Century Napoleon III Pendulum Clock Regulateur De Parquet
Located in Berlin, DE
Museale Pendulum clock "Regulateur de parquet" after Jean-Henri Riesener Napoleon III, Paris, circa 1850-1880. A model by Jean-Henri Riesener ...
Bronze
Fireplace Trim, Diane Huntress
Located in Beaune, FR
Superb Napoleon III period fireplace trim. It consists of an imposing clock in gilded and patinated bronze with a sea green marble base representing the goddess of the hunt, Diana th...
Bronze
French Skeleton Mantel Clock
Located in Norwich, GB
French Skeleton clock with Gothic style brass frame standing on a marquetry inlaid rosewood base with bun feet. Cherubs head pendulum bob, enamel dia...
Brass
Late 19th Century French Black Marble Mantel Clock
Located in Greven, DE
French Mantel Clock Paris, circa 1870 Black marble with gilt bronze mounts Dimensions: H × W × D: 41 x 23 x 12 cm Description: Case in black marble with richly chased and gilt bro...
Marble, Bronze, Enamel
NAPOLEON III pendulum clock with a portico-style frame featuring twisted columns. 1800
Located in Torino, IT
Pendulum Clock NAPOLEON III portico structure with twisted columns, made of ebonized wood and inlaid. France, Late 19th Century ORIGIN France PERIOD Second 19th century MATERIALS ...
Metal, Brass
$1,644Sale Price|20% Off
Napoleon III Mantel Clock or Console 180s Black Marble and Solid Brass Sculpture
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Napoleon III Mantel Clock or Console 180s Black Marble and Solid Brass Sculpture
Marble, Brass
Napoleon III Period Neoclassical Style Three-Piece Clock Set
Located in London, GB
Napoleon III Period neoclassical style three-piece clock set. French, 19th century Dimensions: Height 58cm, width 47cm, depth 19cm Comprised of a mantel clock and two flanking c...
Malachite, Enamel, Ormolu
Napoleon III Period Gilt Bronze and Sèvres Style Porcelain Mantel Clock
By Miroy Frères
Located in London, GB
This sophisticated gilt bronze mantel clock is an elegant piece of mid-19th century design, beautifully cast and gilded and set with two delicate Sèvres style porcelain panels. The clock case's finest feature is the charmingly naturalistic scene at its top, showing a full-length sculpture of a female figure sitting with a basket and two doves. They are displayed on a naturalistic, oval-shaped plinth, which is decorated all around its exterior with painstakingly intricate foliate motifs. Either side of the plinth there are two Sevres style porcelain panels, each of which shows a winged putto. One putto is shown writing, while the other is shown holding a dove. Each is set inside a turquoise blue border decorated with delicate gilt scrolls. In the centre of the plinth sits the clock dial, which is enamelled and contains Roman numerals. It is signed 'Prize Medal 1851 / Miroy Fres Brevetes / Paris' after the clock's maker, Miroy Freres...
Ormolu, Bronze
GUICHE Palais Royal - Gilt Bronze Clock with Puttis
Located in Beaune, FR
Very pretty model for this gilded bronze clock from the Napoleon III period in Louis XV rocaille style dating from the 19th century. Very good quality of gilding and entirely origina...
Bronze
Skeleton clock, Napoleon III, front pendulum, gilt bronze, France
Located in Valladolid, ES
Elegant skeleton table clock, made in 19th-century France. The piece features a gilt bronze structure with a frame of openwork plates. It rests on an elliptical ebonized wood base, ...
Bronze, Ormolu
French Napoleon III Bronze Bacchus Putto Clock, Antique, 1870s
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
French Napoleon III Bronze Bacchus Putti Mantel Clock, 1870s. Charming French Napoleon III bronze mantel clock dating from the 1870s, featuring a delightful Bacchus putto motif insp...
Bronze
A Monumental and Exceptional French Ormolu and Turquoise Sevres Porcelain Clock
Located in Long Island City, NY
A Monumental and Exceptional French Ormolu and Turquoise Sevres Porcelain Clock, circa 1875 Immerse yourself in the splendor of 19th-century French artistry with this monumental an...
Ormolu
MantelClock, Carved Wooden Clock, 19th Century Black Forest Craftsmanship.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Mantel clock, carved wooden clock, 19th-century Black Forest craftsmanship. Clock, 19th-century mantel clock, Napoleon III period, carved wooden Black Forest craftsmanship. H: 34 cm...
Wood
19th Century Napoleon III Fire-Gilt Bronze Figural Mantel Clock
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
This beautifully detailed Napoleon III fire-gilt bronze figural mantel clock is from France, circa 1860-1880. Featuring a graceful maiden in classical dress seated upon a boulder whi...
Bronze
Prestigious Napoleon III Table Clock - Black and Red Marble - Escapement
Located in Manzano, IT
Splendid free-standing (mantelpiece) pendulum clock in the Napoleon III style (Second half of the 19th century), a piece of fine French cabinetry and mechanics. The clock is in perfe...
Marble, Statuary Marble
Table clock blue enamel Swiss mechanical skeletal movement. Salimbeni
By Franco Salimbeni, Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Table clock in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with translucent fire enamel on guilloché and fine hand engravings. The clock has a base of cm. 4 x 10 and is rectangular cm. 8 x...
Sterling Silver, Enamel
A Napoleon III Gilt-Bronze Mantel Clock, By Jean-François Denière
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Napoleon III Gilt-Bronze Mantel Clock, 'Pendule à Cercles Tournants', By Jean-François Denière, Paris. Of imposing scale, surrounded by four winged putti and garlands of flowers in clouds enveloping a bleu celeste tole star-studded sphere. On a shaped base with a wreath and courting doves. The square-plated movement with Brocot escapement and outside count wheel striking on a bell. Stamped to the backplate ‘Deniere A Paris’ and numbered ‘2385’. France, Circa 1860. This clock, magnificent of scale and conception, numbers amongst Denière's most impressive creations. Denière delivered clocks to the Emperor at the château du Fontainebleau in 1857 and 1861. Both are modelled with playful cherubs pulling foliate garlands which show the same designer as those to the present clock. They can be attributed to the sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824 –1887) who from the 1850s produced for Denière models for candelabra, clocks, jardinieres and fireplace ornaments. Inspired by the Louis XVI style, the present clock with celestial sphere enclosing a complex rotating clock...
Bronze
Table clock Sterling Silver fired Enamel on a sunburst Guilloché Salimbeni
By Franco Salimbeni, Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Table clock in 925/1000 sterling silver gold-plated with translucent fired enamel on a sunburst guilloché, with various ornaments in Napoleon III Empire style, late 19th century. The...
Sterling Silver, Enamel, Gold Plate
Marble and Gilt Bronze Clock with Mythological Decor, Napoleon III Period.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Marble and gilt bronze clock with mythological decor, 19th century, Napoleon III period. A 19th century Napoleon III period clock in marble and gilt bronze with a mythological theme...
Marble, Bronze
A superb 19th century eight day grande sonnerie carriage clock, circa 1870.
Located in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
A superb nineteenth century eight day grande sonnerie carriage clock of typical size, c. 1870. The gilt-brass gorge case has glass panel...
Brass
Antique French Portico Clock, Rosewood & Satinwood, Mid-19th Century
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
Antique and elegant French clock, with bronze details and fine inlaid wood, perfectly working. Perfect in a studio room. It's the typical clock of European noble houses...
Wood
$1,276Sale Price|20% Off
Napoleon III Gilt Ormolu Mantel Clock
Located in Lomita, CA
This is a wonderful Napoleon III ormolu mantle clock from the estate of a Los Angeles collector from around 1860. There is a zaftig little boy perched at the top of the clock, and f...
Brass
$11,065 / set
Napoleon III-Era Gilded Bronze Mantelpiece Set.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Napoleon III-era gilded bronze mantelpiece set. Mantelpiece set consisting of a clock and two candelabra in gilded bronze from the Napoleon III era, 19th century. Clock: H: 56 cm, W...
Bronze
19th Century Richard & Cie Porcelain and Ormolu Mantel Clock - Japy Frères
By Japy Frères
Located in SANT ADRIÀ DE BESÒS, ES
An elegant French mantel clock attributed to Richard & Cie of Paris, dating to the late 19th century. The case combines richly gilded bronze-mounted construction with finely painted ...
Bronze
$1,920Sale Price|20% Off
Napoleon III Gilt Bronze Clock of a Victorious Crusader Knight in Battle
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A finely cast gilt bronze figurative clock showing knight crusader stranding on rocky terrain after battle. The knight has a spear in one hand, a battle axe in the other, his helmet ...
Bronze
$2,739Sale Price|20% Off
Napoleon III Mantel clock in Black marble and bronce philosopher sculture
By Paris Studio
Located in Valladolid, ES
Napoleon III Mantel clock in Black marble clock surmounted by a patinated bronze representing a Greek writer or philosopher holding the a manuscript on his knees One of a kind an...
Marble, Bronze
Italian Napoleon III Style Pedestal Clock with Ormolu Mounts and Marquetry Inlay
Located in BŘECLAV, CZ
A striking Italian pedestal clock in the Napoleon III style, crafted around the turn of the 20th century. The piece features a tall, elegant form with a richly decorated case, combin...
Wood
French Napoleon III Bronze Peacock Mantel Clock Viot & Cie, 19th C.
Located in BARCELONA, ES
An exceptional French mantel clock by Viot & Cie, dating to the Napoleon III period, circa 1860–1880. The sculptural composition features a finely cast peacock supporting the circul...
Marble, Bronze
French Pendulum Clock / Mantel Clock, Boulle Style Paris, circa 1870
Located in Berlin, DE
French pendulum clock / mantel clock, Boulle style Paris, circa 1870. Paris, circa 1880 The waisted case, veneered with red tortoiseshell and...
Bronze
Exquisite 19th Century Mantel Clock – Planchon Paris
Located in Stahnsdorf, DE
Exquisite 19th Century Mantel Clock – Planchon Paris This exceptional mantel clock, crafted by the renowned Planchon manufactory in Paris during the second half of the 19th century,...
Bronze
Monumental Antique French Louis XVI Style Ormolu Mantel Clock by Maison Marquis
Located in New York, NY
A very unusual and quite monumental antique French Louis XVI style Napoleon III ormolu mantel clock by Maison Marquis, the Movement by Languereau, Paris, 1860: surmounted by an urn i...
Enamel, Bronze
19th Century Porcelain Clock, Napoleon III Period.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
19th century porcelain clock, Napoleon III period. Napoleon III period clock, 19th century, porcelain, enamelled dial. Dimensions : H: ...
Porcelain
Napoleon III, Gilt Bronze and Porcelain Mantel Clock, 19th Century
Located in Beaune, FR
Imposing and magnificent fireplace gilded bronze and blue porcelain vases. The clock is decorated with putti representing the 4 seasons. It is su...
Bronze
Large Napoleon III Period Gilt Bronze Mantel Set, 19th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Large Napoleon III period gilt bronze mantel set, cloisonné with red and pink enamel, 19th century. Napoleon III period mantel set, 19th century, in gilt bronze, cloisonné with red ...
Bronze
Fireplace Set in Patinated and Ormolu, Napoleon III Period, 19th Century.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Fireplace set in patinated and ormolu, Napoleon III period, 19th century. A Napoleon III period ormolu mantel set in the 19th century, composed of a central clock and two candelabra...
Bronze
Gilt Bronze Clock, Napoleon III Period, 19th Century.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Clock, Napoleon III period, 19th century in gilt bronze. H: 32cm, W: 36cm, D: 18cm Please contact us before ordering to confirm
Bronze
Napoleon III French Gilt Bronze & Patinated Three-Piece Clock Garniture
Located in Houston, TX
Exquisite set by Vincent &Cie Medaille d’ Argent circa 1855 clock works- the Medallion in the center en verso. It is in great working condition with Orig...
Bronze
A Napoléon III Silvered-Bronze Clock Garniture by Charpentier, Paris
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Large and Important Napoléon III Gilt and Silvered-Bronze Sculptural Three-Piece Clock Garniture, By Charpentier, Paris. Comprising a mantle clock and a pair of figural vases. The...
Bronze
Massive French Clock of Baccanalian Maiden Lying Naked on Lion's Skin
Located in London, GB
French patinated bronze and Sienna marble mantel clock of massive proportions. The subject being of a naked maiden lying down on a lion's pelt and leaning against the clock. The subj...
Siena Marble, Bronze
Napoleon III Gilt and Patinated Bronze Clock, France, 1870
By Napoléon III
Located in Astoria, NY
Napoleon III Gilt and Patinated Bronze and White Marble Clock, circa 1870, of rounded rectangular form, the circular white enamel dial signed "Gros A Lyon", the movement strike on be...
Marble, Bronze
French Napoleon III Bronze & Glass Mantel Clock By Vincenti & Cie Circa 1870
Located in Long Branch, NJ
rench Napoleon III Bronze & Glass Mantel Clock By Vincenti & Cie Circa 1870 Dimensions : 19" Tall X 9.25" Wide X 6" Deep This stunning clock was made Vincenti & Cie in the late 19t...
Bronze
Mantel Clock in Portoro Marble with Egyptian Revival Details, 19th Century
Located in NICE, FR
This antique mantel clock was made in the late 19th century and features a solid combination of black Portoro marble with natural beige, gold, and white veins, paired with green serp...
Marble, Brass
French Antique Ormolu Mantel Clock by Leroy Commemorating Napoleon Bonaparte
By LeRoy
Located in London, GB
This fine mantel clock is cast entirely in ormolu by celebrated Parisian clockmaker Leroy and commemorates the return of Napoleon's ashes to France in 1840. The clock is set on a rectangular, tiered base with four decorative feet. The lower tier is centred with a sleeping lion above a plaque showing the scarf, sword and hat of Napoleon. There is a relief plaque above the lion showing a ship off St Helena (the location of Napoleon's exile) and to either side further decorations formed as martial trophies. To the top of the plaque is a portrait medallion of Napoleon with winged cherubs and the letter 'N'. The circular dial of the clock, signed 'Leroy a Paris', is set to the centre above the base within an ormolu border and flanked by the figures of France and an eagle to either side. Between them they hold an urn, which bears the inscription 'Ste Helene / 5 Mai 1821'. The figure of France holds a flag inscribed 'France 1840.' This clock was produced in 1840 by Parisian clockmaker Leroy et fils...
Ormolu
A Fine Napoléon III Gilt-Bronze Three Piece Clock Garniture
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Fine Napoléon III Gilt-Bronze Three Piece Clock Garniture Comprising a mantel clock and a pair of seven-light figural candelabra. Designed as a celebration of music and lyric poe...
Enamel, Ormolu
$4,238Sale Price|20% Off
French Clock Napoléon III Original Label on the Back, 1867
By Napoléon III
Located in Milano, IT
French watch Napoléon III Original label on the back 1867 Important French watch III with original label of the retailer beautiful back of the watch. The ...
Bronze
Napoleon III Pedestal Clock “Parquet Regulator” after Jean-Henri Riesener, 1734
Located in Berlin, DE
A Model of Jean Henri Riesener (Received Master in 1768) executed in 1785. (inv. OA 5501 In Louvre Museum). 19th Century. This fine and sumptuous “Regulateur de Pendule” presents a fine amaranth. Of Sycamore oeuil de vermeuil, ebony and buis stringing marquetry. The base and the gaine are decorated with diamond shapes. The hours are inscribed in Roman numerals and the munutes in Arabic. It takes place in a magnificent gilt décor of three winged children playing with garlands on clouds. The regulateur is enriched with a delicate garniture of bronze. The dial and each panel are framed by an elegant frieze of palms and pearls. The top of the gaine is enhanced with a frieze of palms and ovums, foliages and garlands of flowers. Each corner is ornated with fleurons. The front of the gaine is embellished by an Apollo mask (Sun Symbol) and each side with laurel crowns. Under the mask the cartouche is decorated by a stylized vase of flowers. Foliated scrolls, flowers, garlands, cornucopias and musical instruments such as a harp (Apollo Reference) the cherubs are underlined by pearls, scrolls of Acanthus Leaves and garlands dawning out in foliages, framed with ropes until the lions feet. The feet rest on a base ornated with fleurons and foliages with buds of flowers ending in four conical feet with acanthus leaves. With André-Charles Boulle (1642–1732) and Charles Cressent (1685–1768), Riesener was arguably one of the three greatest French ébénistes of the 18th century. Eventually taking over the workshop after Oeben's death in 1763, and marrying his widow some four years later. He is renowned for completing the famous bureau du Roi...
Bronze