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Empire Wall Clocks

EMPIRE STYLE

From 1804–15, Napoléon I reigned as the emperor of France, bringing the country into a new era of opulence after the fall of the monarchy and the tumultuous years of the French Revolution. He declared, “We must have very solid things, made to last 100 years.” Empire-style furniture followed suit, with imposing pieces constructed from mahogany and adorned with gilded ornaments. Expanding on the neoclassicism popularized in the previous century — such as in ​​Louis XVI style — Empire style borrowed from the great civilizations of antiquity, from Egypt to Greece and Rome, to connect this nascent empire to the power of the past.

Napoléon I believed the production of fine furniture would reflect the stature of the republic, with his official architects Charles Percier and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine leading the way with their work on his residences.

Luxurious materials, symmetrical shapes and bold colors characterize antique Empire-style bedroom furniture, armchairs, cabinets and other structures, with frequent motifs including mythological creatures, geometric designs, acanthus leaves, eagles, bees (the imperial emblem) and swans, a favorite of Empress Joséphine.

Flat surfaces, like marble tabletops, were accented with decadent details, such as the bronze furniture mounts made by sculptor Pierre-Philippe Thomire for the French palaces. Martin-Guillaume Biennais, who worked as the imperial goldsmith, crafted intricate luxury objects that mixed wood, fine metal, mother-of-pearl and ivory. Ormolu — or elaborate bronze gilding — was essential to French design in the 18th and 19th centuries as a cornerstone of the neoclassical and Empire styles.

The style became popular abroad, influencing the American Empire style. Stately pieces carved with sprigs of olives by cabinetmaker Pierre-Antoine Bellange were acquired by American President James Monroe for the White House in 1817.

Find a collection of antique Empire tables, lighting, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Style: Empire
Empire Bronze and Ormolu Cartel Clock by Bailly, Paris
Empire Bronze and Ormolu Cartel Clock by Bailly, Paris

Empire Bronze and Ormolu Cartel Clock by Bailly, Paris

$13,500

Empire Bronze and Ormolu Cartel Clock by Bailly, Paris

Located in Essex, MA

A wall clock with gilt bronze ribbon bow joining a gilt bronze ribbon attached to the clock case with patinated bronze back section and laurel leaf mounted surrounding a circular glass hinged cover opening to an enamelled dial signed Bailly a Paris. An eagle with spread wings at the base seated on a plinth. All finely cast. The laurel leaves signify victory and the eagle represents strength and power. Bailly is considered on of the finest French clock makers...

Category

1810s French Antique Empire Wall Clocks

Materials

Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu

19th century Swedish gilt and eglomise ornate wall clock
19th century Swedish gilt and eglomise ornate wall clock

19th century Swedish gilt and eglomise ornate wall clock

$3,347

19th century Swedish gilt and eglomise ornate wall clock

Located in Debenham, Suffolk

19th century Swedish gilt and églomisé ornate wall clock circa 1840. Fine quality Swedish wall clock of the empire period circa 1840. Beautifully carved, surmounted with doves. 2 si...

Category

Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Wall Clocks

Materials

Brass

EARLY 19th CENTURY GOLDEN WALL CLOCK WITH MUSIC BOX
EARLY 19th CENTURY GOLDEN WALL CLOCK WITH MUSIC BOX

EARLY 19th CENTURY GOLDEN WALL CLOCK WITH MUSIC BOX

$3,651

EARLY 19th CENTURY GOLDEN WALL CLOCK WITH MUSIC BOX

Located in Firenze, FI

Splendid wall clock set in an elegant opening wooden case, with carved frame and golden tablet. The internal finishes of the clock are also in golden tablet and brass. The decoration...

Category

Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Empire Wall Clocks

Materials

Brass

19 Century Italian Clock Landscape Painting
19 Century Italian Clock Landscape Painting

19 Century Italian Clock Landscape Painting

$8,500

19 Century Italian Clock Landscape Painting

Located in Vancouver, British Columbia

An early/mid-19th century Italian clock painting indistinctly signed on the lower right corner. The oil painting is set in a period Empire gilt frame and d...

Category

Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Empire Wall Clocks

Materials

Canvas

Antique French Empire Victorian Bronze Ormolu Walnut Vatican Wall Clock
Antique French Empire Victorian Bronze Ormolu Walnut Vatican Wall Clock

Antique French Empire Victorian Bronze Ormolu Walnut Vatican Wall Clock

$795

Antique French Empire Victorian Bronze Ormolu Walnut Vatican Wall Clock

Located in Philadelphia, PA

Antique French Empire Victorian Bronze Ormolu Walnut Vatican Wall Clock. Item features a glass dome front and bronze ormolu. Has not been tested. Circa Late 19th Century. Measurement...

Category

Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Empire Wall Clocks

Materials

Bronze

19th century French Empire Period Elm Barometer signed Gabriel
19th century French Empire Period Elm Barometer signed Gabriel

19th century French Empire Period Elm Barometer signed Gabriel

$6,147

19th century French Empire Period Elm Barometer signed Gabriel

Located in London, GB

Empire Cistern Barometer by Gabriel Of rectangular form, with the case waisted, veneered in burr elm with mounts in the manner of Percier and Fontaine, of cistern type, with bronze ...

Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Clocks

Materials

Ormolu

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We present you this chain pendulum clock with a gravity winding mechanism with a single weight. The case bears normal traces of long years of use. It is intended to be renovated. ...

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Late 19th Century Antique Empire Wall Clocks

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Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Wall Clocks

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Swedish Case Clock, circa 1837
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19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Clocks

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Empire Period Mantle Clock by Leroy a Paris, Bronze & Ormolu, 1815
Empire Period Mantle Clock by Leroy a Paris, Bronze & Ormolu, 1815

Empire Period Mantle Clock by Leroy a Paris, Bronze & Ormolu, 1815

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H 13.75 in W 12.25 in D 4.5 in

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Located in Montreal, QC

This mantle clock is by a well-respected Paris maker in a fashionable style. The oval base supports a vase shaped clock case in turn supported by winged dolphin heads and flanked by ...

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1810s French Antique Empire Wall Clocks

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Early 19th Century Austrian Biedermeier Wall Clock
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H 20 in W 14 in D 5 in

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Located in Vancouver, British Columbia

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Porticus Clock - Napoleon III - 19th Century
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H 19.69 in W 9.85 in D 5.91 in

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Located in Madrid, ES

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19th Century Gilded Ormolu and Bronze Mantel Clock
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$6,147

H 25.6 in W 16.93 in D 5.91 in

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Located in Brighton, Sussex

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Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Clocks

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H 23.23 in W 11.82 in D 6.3 in

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Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Clocks

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Ormolu

Previously Available Items
19th century Swedish gilt and eglomise ornate wall clock
19th century Swedish gilt and eglomise ornate wall clock

19th century Swedish gilt and eglomise ornate wall clock

Sold

H 36.5 in W 19.25 in D 5.5 in

19th century Swedish gilt and eglomise ornate wall clock

Located in Debenham, Suffolk

19th century Swedish gilt and églomisé ornate wall clock circa 1840. Fine quality swedish wall clock of the empire period circa 1840. Beautifully carved, surmounted with doves. 2 si...

Category

Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Wall Clocks

Materials

Glass, Giltwood

19th century Swedish gilt and eglomise ornate wall clock
19th century Swedish gilt and eglomise ornate wall clock

19th century Swedish gilt and eglomise ornate wall clock

Sold

H 36.5 in W 19.25 in D 5.5 in

19th century Swedish gilt and eglomise ornate wall clock

Located in Debenham, Suffolk

19th century Swedish gilt and églomisé ornate wall clock circa 1840. Fine quality Swedish wall clock of the empire period circa 1840. Beautifully carved, surmounted with doves. 2 si...

Category

Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Wall Clocks

Materials

Giltwood

19th Century Swedish Gilt and Églomisé Ornate Wall Clock
19th Century Swedish Gilt and Églomisé Ornate Wall Clock

19th Century Swedish Gilt and Églomisé Ornate Wall Clock

Sold

H 36.5 in W 19.25 in D 5.4 in

19th Century Swedish Gilt and Églomisé Ornate Wall Clock

Located in Debenham, Suffolk

19th century Swedish gilt and églomisé ornate wall clock circa 1840. Fine quality swedish wall clock of the Empire period circa 1840. Beautifully...

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Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Wall Clocks

Materials

Giltwood

French Empire Tole and Parcel-Gilt Wall Clock, circa 1810-1820
French Empire Tole and Parcel-Gilt Wall Clock, circa 1810-1820

French Empire Tole and Parcel-Gilt Wall Clock, circa 1810-1820

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H 18 in Dm 13.5 in

French Empire Tole and Parcel-Gilt Wall Clock, circa 1810-1820

Located in Atlanta, GA

Of circular form and made to resemble a pocket watch, with gilt decoration on a tole body, the works having been serviced and in fine condition.

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1810s French Antique Empire Wall Clocks

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Metal

Vienna Laterndluhr Regulator Clock
Vienna Laterndluhr Regulator Clock

Vienna Laterndluhr Regulator Clock

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H 53 in W 15 in D 7 in

Vienna Laterndluhr Regulator Clock

Located in New Orleans, LA

This rare Vienna regulator clock, or Laterndluhr, beautifully demonstrates the precision and superiority of Viennese craftsmanship. The elegant ...

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19th Century Austrian Antique Empire Wall Clocks

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Enamel

French Empire Tole Wall Clock, 19th Century
French Empire Tole Wall Clock, 19th Century

French Empire Tole Wall Clock, 19th Century

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H 17 in W 13 in D 4 in

French Empire Tole Wall Clock, 19th Century

Located in Doylestown, PA

A decorative French Empire period wall clock in tole with brass details and porcelain face, circa 1810.

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Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Clocks

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Brass, Tin

Late 19th Century Swedish Gilt Wall Clock by Rob Engstrom, Stockholm
Late 19th Century Swedish Gilt Wall Clock by Rob Engstrom, Stockholm

Late 19th Century Swedish Gilt Wall Clock by Rob Engstrom, Stockholm

Sold

H 35.75 in W 17.5 in D 5 in

Late 19th Century Swedish Gilt Wall Clock by Rob Engstrom, Stockholm

By Robert Engstrom

Located in Debenham, Suffolk

Fine quality Swedish wall clock in the empire taste, circa 1895. Movement stamped b & w, which is by German Company Berger & Wurker. Clock by Rob Engstrom...

Category

Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Wall Clocks

Materials

Giltwood

19th Century Swedish Gilt and Eglomise Ornate Wall Clock
19th Century Swedish Gilt and Eglomise Ornate Wall Clock

19th Century Swedish Gilt and Eglomise Ornate Wall Clock

Sold

H 36.5 in W 19.25 in D 5.5 in

19th Century Swedish Gilt and Eglomise Ornate Wall Clock

Located in Debenham, Suffolk

Fine quality Swedish wall clock in the empire taste, circa 1840. Beautifully carved, surmounted with doves. Two silhouette eglomise glass panels ( 1 of which has a break.) Craquelu...

Category

Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Wall Clocks

Materials

Giltwood

German Mahogany Eglomise Banjo Clock. Circa 1880
German Mahogany Eglomise Banjo Clock. Circa 1880

German Mahogany Eglomise Banjo Clock. Circa 1880

Sold

H 41 in W 12 in D 5.5 in

German Mahogany Eglomise Banjo Clock. Circa 1880

Located in Charleston, SC

German mahogany eglomise banjo clock with brass eagle finial, signed paper numerical dial, tapered throat, and terminating on a rectangular plinth with gad...

Category

1880s German Antique Empire Wall Clocks

Materials

Glass, Mahogany

American Mahogany and Églomisé Banjo Clock, New Haven, CT, Circa 1880
American Mahogany and Églomisé Banjo Clock, New Haven, CT, Circa 1880

American Mahogany and Églomisé Banjo Clock, New Haven, CT, Circa 1880

Sold

H 43 in W 12.5 in L 43 in

American Mahogany and Églomisé Banjo Clock, New Haven, CT, Circa 1880

Located in Charleston, SC

American mahogany banjo clock with a perched eagle finial, steel engraved dial under glass, centered decorative gilt reversed painted glass, lower hinged door with a reverse painting...

Category

1880s American Antique Empire Wall Clocks

Empire wall clocks for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Empire wall clocks for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Early 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage wall clocks created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, wall decorations and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Empire wall clocks made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and Scandinavia pieces for sale on 1stDibs. 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 wall clocks differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $950 and tops out at $44,751 while the average work can sell for $10,752.

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