Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk 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
19th Century French Bronze and Ormolu Clock
By Claude Galle
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
19th Century French Bronze and Ormolu Clock. circa 1810 clock Napoleonic Empire Bronze Dore. La Liseuse" clock after Reiche, by Claude Galle & Grand Girad. Signed in Paris
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Bronze
MID 19th CENTURY NAPOLEON III LIRE PENDULUM
Located in Firenze, FI
Splendid and refined lyre clock in gilded bronze, with spring winding. Its decoration with plant racemes and small roses in Meissen polychrome porcelain gives a touch of elegance and...
Category
Mid-19th Century German Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Bronze
French Gilded & Champleve Clock Garniture
Located in Newark, England
Fine French late 19th century three-piece clock garniture comprising of a pair of candle sticks and clock in a matching set. The garniture boldly cast with rococo influence in the Lo...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Metal, Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu
Empire Clock Napoleon III 19th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Empire Clock Napoleon III 19th Century
in blackened wood, ormolu and stamped brass, circular bronze dial with Arabic numerals signed "BOULLE à Verneuil",
movement with blade suspens...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Bronze
Table Box Clock Swiss mechanical skeletal movement on the lid Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Large hexagonal table box with clock on the lid, in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with hand-painted fire enamel like lapis lazuli stone, with engravings and decorations hand-e...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Amethyst, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Very Fine and Elegant Fire, Gilt Bronze Mantle Clock in the Romantic Taste
Located in Antwerp, BE
A very fine and elegant fire, gilt bronze mantle clock in the romantic taste, the base resting on scroll feet connected with leafy volutes centered by a female mask under a decorated...
Category
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Gold, Bronze, Gold Plate, Enamel
19th Century Neoclassical Gilded Bronze and White Marble Mantel Clock Set
Located in Miami, FL
A fine 19th Century French Neoclassical White Marble and Gilded Bronze Mantel Clock Set with its original and exceptional movement. Bears the makers mark, Finot a Versailles. The dial supporting a reclining bronze classical muse on a rectangular white Carrara marble base decorated by a row of gilt bronze beads, the set rests on four feet. The cross in the hand of the bronze muse can be removed (see photos).
This 19th Century figurative clock is very decorative, interesting for its technicality of the dial and provenance. The bronze feminine muse and its shape has a perfect patina and is a remarkable conversational piece.
The garniture set are a pair of fine neoclassical bronze vases with brown and golden patina that rest on white Carrara marble embellished with gilt bronze figural handles...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Carrara Marble, Bronze
Rocaille Clock In Gilt Bronze, Napoleon III, 19th Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Beautiful gilded bronze clock with lively decoration in the rococo style: flowers and foliage, putti
Clock which is composed to be seen from all sides; dial with numbers in porcelai...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
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...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Bronze
A Gilt and Chased Bronze Clock, a Marble Base, Napoleon III Period, 19th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
An ormolu and chased bronze clock with a marble base, Napoleon III period, 19th century.
An ormolu and chased bronze clock representing two children sitting on a rock, 19th century,...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Bronze
Porcelain Clock, 19th Century, Napoleon III Period.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Porcelain clock, 19th century, Napoleon III period.
A 19th century Napoleon III period painted porcelain clock.
H: 40cm, W: 28cm, D: 17cm
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Porcelain
French Gilded & Champleve Clock Garniture
Located in Newark, England
Fine French late 19th century three-piece clock garniture comprising of a pair of candle sticks and clock in a matching set. The garniture boldly cast with rococo influence in the Lo...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Metal, Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu
A Large 19th Century Clock, Napoleon III Period
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Large 19th century Sèvres blue porcelain and gilt bronze clock, Napoleon III period.
Large 19th century Napoleon III period clock in Sèvres blue porcelain and gilt bronze, circa 189...
Category
20th Century French Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
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.
H: 35cm, W: 23cm,...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Porcelain
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 Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Amethyst, Sterling Silver, Enamel
French Rosewood and Satinwood Portico Clock
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...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Wood
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 ...
Category
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Bronze
MID 19th CENTURY NAPOLEON III LIRE PENDULUM
Located in Firenze, FI
Splendid and refined lyre clock in gilded bronze, with spring winding. Its decoration with plant racemes and small roses in Meissen polychrome porcelain gives a touch of elegance and...
Category
Mid-19th Century German Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Bronze
Clock on the Desk, 19th Century, Napoleon III Period
Located in Warsaw, PL
Patriotic French 19th century ormolu bronze eagle standing on a globe malachite mantel clock. The eagle is a symbol of power as well as a recognizable sign of the Empire style. The d...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Malachite, Bronze
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 Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Bronze
19th Century French Bronze and Ormolu Clock
By Claude Galle
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
19th Century French Bronze and Ormolu Clock. circa 1810 clock Napoleonic Empire Bronze Dore. La Liseuse" clock after Reiche, by Claude Galle & Grand Girad. Signed in Paris
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Bronze
Napoleon III Period Mantel Clock by Barbedienne
Located in London, GB
This stunning clock expertly showcases the ingenuity of its maker, Ferdinand Barbedienne, and its smart styling in the opulent Napoleon III style will make it an excellent addition t...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Malachite, Marble, Ormolu, Bronze
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,...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Bronze
Napoléon III Gilt-Bronze Double-Faced Clock. French, c 1870
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A rare Napoléon III gilt bronze double-faced clock.
The white enameled dial signed 'Julien Le Roy A PARIS'.
This rare Rococo style figural clock h...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Bronze
French Napoleon III Bronze Bacchus Putti Clock, 1870s
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
French Napoleon III bronze Bacchus putti clock, France, 1870s Height: 7.4"(18.8cm), Width: 6.1"(15.5cm), Depth : 3.3"(8.4cm). In perfect working order. Very good condition !
Category
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Bronze
Very Large 19th Century Clock Garniture
By Napoléon III
Located in London, GB
A wonderful garniture in marble and ormolu, the central clock face engraved in ormolu and surrounded by enameled numerals. The clock is adorned by two amorous ormolu figures of an an...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Bronze
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...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Wood
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...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Metal, Bronze, Enamel
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 Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Bronze
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 Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
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 Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Griotte Marble
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 Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Bronze
French Silver Desk Clock by Boin-Taburet, Paris, in Original Case
By Boin-Taburet
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 Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Silver
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 Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Gilt Bronze, Bronze and Marble Clock Set Garniture
Located in London, by appointment only
A fine 19th century clock garniture, the clock with a finely cast and patinated bronze cherub sitting on a rouge marble column with ormolu mounts, he carries the clock movement in a ...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Marble, Enamel, Bronze
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 Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Materials
Bronze
Napoleon Iii table clocks and desk clocks for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Napoleon III table clocks and desk 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 table clocks and desk clocks created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, serveware, ceramics, silver and glass and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, bronze and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Napoleon III table clocks and desk clocks 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 table clocks and desk clocks, popular names associated with this style include Europa Antiques, Ferdinand Barbedienne, Boin-Taburet, and Claude Galle. 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 table clocks and desk clocks differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,297 and tops out at $38,834 while the average work can sell for $6,098.