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Napoleon III Clocks

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
A French 19th Century Clock Garniture
Located in London, GB
A French 19th Century gilt bronze clock garniture. The clock has two cherubs, holding the clock, on a white marble and Ormolu mounted ba...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Marble, Bronze, Ormolu

Napoleon III Style Clock Made Out of Porcelain and Gilded Bronze
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
This beautiful clock was made out of porcelain and gilded bronze during Napoleon III period. The porcelain dial indicates the hours with Roman numerals. It is decorated with gilded r...
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19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

19th Century French Napoleon III Empire Gilt Bronze Clock with Hunting Motifs
Located in Chicago, IL
This circa 1850 French mantel clock showcases a stunning figurative design made from cast gilt bronze. It depicts a hunter with a rabbit slung over the top curve of the clock case. T...
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Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

Napoleon III Mantel clock in Black marble and bronce philosopher sculture
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...
Category

1880s French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Napoleon III Mantel Clock with Red Marble, 19th Century
Located in Lisbon, PT
A Napoleon III mantel clock featuring a dynamic sculpture of a Revolutionary French peasant woman. Made from high-quality metal and adorned with rich red marble accents, this timep...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Marble, Metal

Clock and 2 Candlesticks Table set Sterling Silver Enamel Salimbeni.
Located in Firenze, FI
Table set made up of a clock and 2 candlesticks in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with two-tone translucent stripes fire-enamelled on guillochè and fine hand-engravings. The cl...
Category

1980s Italian Vintage Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Amethyst, Sterling Silver, Enamel

A Napoleon III Three Piece Figural Clock Garniture
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Napoleon III Gilt and Patinated Bronze Three Pieces Figural Clock Garniture. By Charpentier & Cie., Paris. Comprising a mantle clock modelled with playful cherubs with white enam...
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19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

Fine Sevres and Ormolu Mantel Clock
Located in London, by appointment only
France, circa 1870. A fine late 19th century ormolu and porcelain mounted mantel clock, the painted dial above a courting couple scene, the whole mounted with a Krater vase and ra...
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1870s French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Ormolu

French Portico Barley Twist Clock Napoleon III
Located in SAINTE-COLOMBE, FR
French Portico Barley Twist Clock Napoleon III A beautifully detailed Portico Clock from the 19th century with ebonised and floral inlay. The clock features intricate bronze work...
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Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Metal, Bronze, Enamel

Late 19th C. French Ormolu Champlevé Enameled Clock Garniture Set by Japy Frères
Located in North Miami, FL
Late 19th century french gilt bronze/ormolu cloisonné champlevé enameled mantle clock garniture set by Japy Frères By: Japy Frères Material: bronze, enamel, glass, metal, ormolu, paint, cork Technique: cast, champlevé, cloissoné, cold-painted, enameled, gilt, hand-painted, metalwork, molded Dimensions: 6 in x 19.5 in x 15 in Date: late 19th century, circa 1890 Style: Napoleon III, Rococo Revival, Neoclassicism, Louis XVI, Empire Place of origin: France The Japy family is a french industrial dynasty originally from Beaucourt in the Territoire de Belfort. They owned the second largest french company in terms of capital during the Second Empire. Its influential members left their mark on the french industrial landscape through numerous innovations, particularly in clockmaking, typewriters and pumps, as well as in labor organization and workers' social life in the 19th century. This magnificent late 19th century french mantle clock garniture, work of the eminent Japy family, radiates the opulent decorative style of the Rococo Revival. A four glass...
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Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Metal, Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu

19th Century Napoleon III Fireplace Boulle Clock Pendule
Located in Berlin, DE
Monumental boulle clock Napoleon III, circa 1850-70 fireplace clock salon clock pendule fireplace clock. Wooden housing in boulle technique Shieldpade lined with brass, side windows,...
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19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

French Napoléon III Carved Walnut Long Case Clock with Brass Farming Scene
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Napoléon III period carved walnut antique long case clock from the mid-19th century, with bonnet top, farming scene and scrolling motifs. Created in France at the beginning ...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Brass

Gilt bronze clock, 19th century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Gilt bronze clock, 19th century Large original gilt bronze clock, decorated with garlands of flowers and two hull heads to the right and left of the...
Category

1860s European Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

19th Century Gilt Bronze Clock.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
19th century gilt bronze clock. A gilt bronze clock from the 19th century, Napoleon III period, clock movement to be overhauled. H: 51cm, W: 37cm, D: 12cm
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

Clodion, Gilt Bronze Fireplace Set, 19th Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Gilt bronze mantelpiece set, composed of a clock and two candelabras, on a green marble base This set presents the theme of bacchanalia and autumn, loves celebrate the vine and wi...
Category

19th Century Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

19th Century French Napoleon III Hand Painted Wall Clock with Hunt Scene
Located in Dallas, TX
This elegant antique clock was crafted in France, circa 1870, the black and gilt wall time keeper depicts a hand painted bird hunting scene at the top under the original glass door. ...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Brass, Iron

19th Century Clock Surmounted by a Globe, Napoleon III Period.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
19th century clock surmounted by a globe, Napoleon III period. 19th century clock, Napoleon III period, surmounted by a terrestrial globe, clock movement to be revised, does not wor...
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19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Wood

19th Century Napoleon III Fire-Gilt Fireplace Clock
Located in Berlin, DE
Fire-gilt fireplace clock, Rokokodekor sign. Ansonia New York, 19th century. Bronze-gilt. Four-sided glazed housing on base with reliefed seed beads, leaves and flowers. Approved roof trim. Digits sheet email with Arabic numerals. Brocothemia. Steel filled, formerly mercury pendulum...
Category

19th Century American Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

Large 19th Century French Gilt Bronze Figural Mantel Clock
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A fine large 19th century French gilt bronze mantel clock modeled in form of a classical lady wearing a toga sitting amidst broken columns as she is looking up while holding an angel...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

Monumental Ormolu Bronze Clock Mantel by Maison Marquis Movement by Languereau
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine and monumental 19th century French ormolu bronze mantel clock by Maison Marquis. The movement by Languereau. Paris, Circa 1855 The dial signed 'Marquis A Paris...
Category

1850s French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Bronze Fireplace Trim, Agriculture And Industry, 19th Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Bronze mantelpiece with brown patina and green and white marble. It is composed of a clock with the allegory of agriculture and industry, and 2 candelabra, 5 lights each Wear and te...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Marble, Bronze

19th Сentury Napoleon III Period Clock
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
A 19th century Napoleon III period clock in Griotte marble and Regula. Measures: H: 43 cm, W: 25 cm, D: 17 cm.
Category

1870s European Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Griotte Marble

Gilt Bronze and Marble Figural Clock by Beurdeley
Located in New York, NY
The mantel clock with a seated putto and birdcage. Maker: Alfred-Emmanuel Beurdeley (French, 1847-1919) Origin: French Date: 19th century Dimension: 26 in. x 13 1/2 in.
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

Small Ormolu French Cartel Wall Clock
Located in Norwich, GB
Small French Ormolu Cartel clock in a finely decorated case. Enamel dial with Roman numerals and original gilded hands. Eight day Fr...
Category

1880s French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Ormolu

French, Napoleon III Boulle Clock, 19th Century, S. Marti & Cie
Located in Belmont, MA
French Napoleon III Boulle clock, Paris second half of 19th century. The clockwork was made by the famous company Samuel Martin & Cie, circa 1870-1890. (Makers Mark on the back). The cases beautifully designed with bronze details and Boulle technique inlays. A detailed sculpted bronze victory...
Category

1880s French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

Important Early 19th Century Bronze Figural Mantle Clock of Recumbent Cleopatra
By André-Antoine Ravrio
Located in Long Island City, NY
An Important Early 19th Century Gilt and Patinated Bronze Figural Mantle Clock By Andre-Antoine Ravrio and Mesnil Modeled with a large and beautiful gilt bronze figure of recumbent...
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Griotte Marble, Bronze, Ormolu

Mantel Set with Clock and Two Candelabras, 19th Century.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Garniture de cheminée en bronze doré et marbre, XIXème siècle, époque Napoléon III. Pendule: H: 36cm, L: 15cm, P: 18cm Candélabres: H: 26cm, L: 17cm, P: ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Three-Piece Clock Garniture 19th Century.
Located in Warsaw, PL
Signed Three-Piece Clock Garniture 19th Century. Malachite is a gemstone known for its vibrant green color and unique banding. In feng shui and metaphysical beliefs, malachite is h...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Malachite, Bronze

A Large French Rouge Marble Gilt Patinated Bronze Mantel Clock by A. Beurdeley
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A French Napoleon III Period Rouge Marble Gilt & Patinated Bronze Mantel Clock Alfred Emmanuel Louis Beurdeley Movement marked: J. Lefebvre Fils Paris & Numbered1938 Movement stamped: Medaille De Bronze J. Marti & Cie & Numbered 92 Dial signed: A. Beurdeley Fila, Paris France, Circa 1875 Dimensions: Height: 24" (61cm), Width: 22" (56cm) Depth: 11" (28cm) Excellent Working Condition Biography French — Alfred Emmanuel Louis Beurdeley was a Parisian cabinetmaker who specialized in the manufacture of luxurious French furnishings...
Category

1870s French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Marble, Ormolu, Bronze

19th Century Bronze Mantel Clock Paul and Virginia by Charles Cumberworth
Located in Marseille, FR
Rare and spectacular bronze mantel clock taking up the theme of the most famous 18th century novel "Paul and Virginia" written by Henri Bernardin de Saint Pierre and powerfully describes the feelings of love and the nostalgia of paradise lost. The model presented here is a very rare model, it represents a passage from the book, "Le passage du torrent", we find no trace of this model only in Pierre Kjellberg's book "Les Bronzes du XIXème siècle;" Metman points out Le passage du torrent, first cast by Boyer and also edited by SUSSE" There are two Creole slaves as double patina chandeliers...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Griotte Marble, Bronze

Bronze Lady and Harp Pendulum Mantel Clock on Marble Base, 1900s
Located in Lisbon, PT
A French mantel clock from the early 20th century (c.1905–1920), featuring a bronze sculpture of a lady playing a harp atop a black and siena marble base. This clock evokes classical...
Category

20th Century French Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Marble, Metal, Bronze, Enamel

Clock in Gilt and Patinated Bronze
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Clock in gilt and patinated bronze, period Napoleon III, 19th century. Good working condition Measures: H: 38 cm, W: 28 cm, D: 8 cm.
Category

1870s French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

Napoleon III Chimney 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. Mechan...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Metal, Brass, Enamel, Pewter

Important Napoleon III Period Cartel, 1870, Dial Signed by Gorini Daleau
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Important Cartel d'époque Napoléon III, 1870, cadran signé par Gorini Daleau, à Poitiers. Bronze d'or original Measures: H 91cm, L 44cm, P 20cm.
Category

1870s French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

Griotte Marble and Gilt Bronze Clock Mounted by a Classical Female Bronze Bust
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A finely cast gilt bronze clock base mounted with of a classical patinated bronze bust of a maiden after a model by James Pradier. The maiden has her curly haired head turned demurely to one side resting on her bare shoulders, and hands clasped across her partly exposed breasts...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Griotte Marble, Bronze

AMAZING GARNITURE SÉVRES 19th Century Napoleon III
Located in Madrid, ES
GARNITURE SÉVRES 19th Century Napoleon III French, composed of a clock and a pair of seven-light candelabra, in cobalt blue Sévres style pocella. C...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

French 19th Century Napoleon III Period Boulle Clock
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A striking high quality French 19th century Napoleon III period ormolu, tortoiseshell, and brass inlaid Boulle clock. The clock is raised by handsome ormolu paw feet with acanthus le...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Brass, Ormolu

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 ...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

Royal fire-gilded mantel clock/Pendule Napoleon III, 1870, Paris, signed Lantier
Located in Berlin, DE
Royal fire-gilded mantel clock/Pendule Napoleon III, 1870, Paris, signed Lantier A fantastic masterwork of perfection with beautiful fire-gilded bron...
Category

1870s French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

19th Century Barbedienne French Champleve Enamel and Gilt bronze clock set
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
19th Century Barbedienne French Champleve Enamel and Gilt bronze clock set A fine 19th Century French three piece clock garniture set. Comprising of a clock and pair of candelabra, ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze, Enamel

19 Century French Clock Featuring an Oriental Warrior Archer on Horseback
By Feuchere
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A fine quality Napoleon III mantle clock with a case of gilded, silvered, and patinated bronze. The base of the clock is in chased gilded bronze with elaborate moldings. The patinate...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

French 19th Century Napoleon III Period Marble, Ormolu and Bronze Garniture Set
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A handsome and high quality French 19th century Napoleon III period black Belgian marble, ormolu and patinated bronze garniture set. The three pi...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Belgian Black Marble, Bronze, Ormolu

Raingo Freres Three-Piece Bronze Cherub Clock Set
Located in London, GB
This graceful, joyous antique clock set is a reminder of why the 19th century Parisian clockmaking firm Raingo Freres is so highly revered: the beautiful...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Ormolu, Bronze

French Silver Desk Clock by Boin-Taburet, Paris, in Original Case
Located in London, GB
French silver desk timepiece clock very high quality. Napoleon III period. The case of beautifully cast silver with leaf and dart decoration to the base and to the bezel. The waste o...
Category

1890s French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Silver

Fine Porcelain Mounted Ormolu Mantel Clock
Located in London, by appointment only
France, circa 1880. The ormolu case mounted with fine painted porcelain scenes of a courting couple. This unusual mauve color pallet emphasizes the...
Category

1880s French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Porcelain

Fine Porcelain Mounted Ormolu Mantel Clock
Located in London, by appointment only
France, circa 1880 The ormolu case mounted with fine painted porcelain scenes of a courting couple. This unusual mauve colour pallet emphasizes the...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

An elegant mantle piece clock with vases made in Paris circa 1860
Located in London, GB
An elegant mantle piece clock with its accompanying vases made in Paris circa 1860. Very much in the Jacob Petit style and most probably from his fa...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Porcelain

19th Century Sevres-Style Garniture
Located in London, GB
A beautiful turquoise Sèvres-style clock garniture, hand-painted on 18th century Sèvres porcelaine blanks but decorated in the 19th century most prob...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

Palatial & Rare Napoleon III French Ormolu and Patinated Bronze Clock, Detouche
By C. Detouche
Located in Queens, NY
A Palatial and Extremely Rare Napoleon III French Ormolu and Patinated Bronze Regulateur de Parquet Clock by Louis-Constantin Detouche, Paris, Circa 1850 An exceptional testament to the grandeur and technical mastery of 19th-century French horology, this palatial and extraordinarily rare Napoleon III ormolu and patinated bronze Regulateur de Parquet clock stands as a crowning achievement of the renowned Parisian horologist Louis-Constantin Detouche. Created circa 1850, this monumental timepiece exemplifies the perfect synthesis of artistic opulence and mechanical precision, distinguishing itself as one of the most impressive works from Detouche’s illustrious oeuvre. At over six feet tall, this clock’s imposing scale and decorative grandeur make it an object of immense historical and aesthetic significance. The case, crafted from the finest French ormolu, features two majestic patinated bronze seated putti, serving as allegorical figures and underscoring the artistic sophistication characteristic of the Second Empire style. The white enamel dial, elegantly signed "C. Detouche/Paris," affirms its prestigious maker, while the movement, meticulously numbered 7064 and bearing the stamps "C. Detouche RUE St. MARTIN" and "C. DETOUCHE 158 R. St MARTIN 160," speaks to the highest standards of 19th-century horological craftsmanship. Further distinguishing this piece is the medaille d’argent stamp, a testament to the numerous accolades and awards bestowed upon Detouche for his innovations in timekeeping. A Masterpiece of Horological Artistry: Louis-Constantin Detouche was not merely a clockmaker; he was a visionary whose contributions to horology redefined precision and complexity. This particular regulator clock...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Important Cercles Tournants Rotary Clock set by Deniere
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Very Large Important and Rare Napoleon III Period Ormolu And Patinated Bronze Sculptural rotary 3-piece clock set ("Pendule A Cercles Tournants") compr...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Clocks

Materials

Bronze

Napoleon Iii clocks for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Napoleon III clocks 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 clocks created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, more furniture and collectibles, wall decorations and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, bronze and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Napoleon III clocks 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 clocks, popular names associated with this style include Europa Antiques, Raingo Frères, Ferdinand Barbedienne, and Henri Picard. 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 clocks differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $706 and tops out at $2,500,000 while the average work can sell for $8,006.

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