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.
Empire Gilt Bronze Sphinx Paperweight on Marble Base, France, Early 19th Century
Located in Knivsta, SE
Empire Gilt Bronze Sphinx Paperweight on Marble Base, France, Early 19th Century A charming Empire-period paperweight featuring a finely cast gilt bronze sphinx resting on a rectan...
Marble, Bronze
French Rouge Griotte Marble Paperweight, Late Empire Period, 1830–1840
Located in Knivsta, SE
French Rouge Griotte Marble Paperweight, Late Empire Period, 1830–1840 A beautifully proportioned French paperweight from the late Empire period, crafted in richly veined Rouge Grio...
Griotte Marble
French Empire Cast Iron Sphinx Paperweight, Early 19th Century
Located in Knivsta, SE
French Empire Cast Iron Sphinx Paperweight, Early 19th Century A charming cast iron paperweight in the shape of a reclining sphinx, dating fr...
Iron
$9,258Sale Price|28% Off
Early 19th Century Empire Russian Malachite and Ormolu Paperweight Spaniel Dog
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
A very fine Russian giltbronze mounted malachite veneered paperweight dating from the early to mid-19th century. The plinth of rectangular form surmounted by a fully sculpted giltbro...
Malachite, Ormolu, Bronze
Elegant Paperweight in dark patinated bronze and marble. Empire 1820s
Located in Knivsta, SE
Elegant Paperweight in dark patinated bronze and marble. Empire, made during 1820s-1830s in Europe. Classic Laurel Wreath from the Empire Era. Wear c...
Marble, Bronze
Antique French Empire Style Gilt Eagle Motif & Emerald Glass Paperweight
Located in Atlanta, GA
French, early 20th century. An antique French empire style paperweight. The paperweight features an emerald green glass base adorned with gilt bronze laurel wreaths surrounding a ce...
Brass, Bronze
Swedish Paperweight in Marble, Early 19th Century
Located in Knivsta, SE
Swedish paperweight in the marble in the shape of a cannon barrel. Beautiful patina. Empire, early 19th century. Minor chips (se pictures) Wear con...
Marble
Antique Marble Paperweight with Figural Bronze Bird of Prey 19th century
Located in Sweden, SE
Late 19th century nice quality bronze and dark green marble work. The finely detailed plumage of the bird with its fierce gaze demonstrates the handiwork of the craftsman. In a world...
Marble, Bronze
An Italian Grand Tour Specimen Marble Paperweight, Late 19th Century
Located in Spencertown, NY
The round paperweight framed in black marble, with porphyry and sienna marble and other marble specimens. The center in sienna marble with carved bea...
Belgian Black Marble
Grand Tour Inlaid Specimen Marble Paperweight, Late 19th Century
Located in Spencertown, NY
The paperweight inset with a plaster cast of the Coliseum, outlined in 'marmo nero' and marmo giallo.
Marble
$226
H 3.15 in Dm 2.5 in
Caithness Glass Paperweight Eagle soaring over Snowy Mountain, Scotland C 1980s
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a beautiful glass paperweight by Caithness Glass, Scotland, showing a soaring Eagle flying over a snowy mountain top, made after 1970 in the last quarter of the 20th Century....
Blown Glass
French Empire Style Green Glass Inkwell with Gilt Mounts
Located in Nashville, TN
Second Empire green glass inkwell circa 1870 .rare color .Encased in gilt metal Empire styled mounts ,swans drinking from a fountain. The lid shows a woman with bust . The ovoid gree...
Glass
$600Sale Price|20% Off
H 2.17 in W 7.49 in D 1.97 in
19th Century Cast Iron French Figural Bird Heron Paper Clip or Letter Holder
By Susse Freres
Located in Haarlem, NL
Rare 19th century French heavy cast iron clip with spring in the shape of a birds head. Most likely a heron, the hinge in its 'jaw joint' makes its beak act as a clip. You pinch the back and its feathered neck to open the beak. So this pretty item could be used as paper clamp...
Iron
$2,195
H 3.15 in W 3.94 in D 3.15 in
1914 René Lalique - Paperweight Deux Aigles Two Eagles Glass with Sepia Patina
By René Lalique
Located in Boulogne Billancourt, FR
Paperweight "Deux Aigles" (two eagles) made in glass with sepia patina by René Lalique in 1914. Molded signature. Perfect condition. height: 8 cm base: 10 cm x 8 cm Félix Marcilh...
Blown Glass
$340Sale Price|20% Off
H 6 in W 7 in D 5 in
19th Century Gilt Bronze Eagle Fragment on White Marble Stand, Italy
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Italian gilt bronze sculpture of an eagle on a rectangular white Carrera piece of marble. The high quality of the gilt work and the early age makes the eagl...
Carrara Marble, Bronze
$1,200 / set
H 1.19 in W 1.97 in D 2.37 in
Two Brutalist Solid Patinated Bronze Paperweights by Monique Gerber
By Ado Chale
Located in New York, NY
Two Brutalist solid patinated bronze paperweights by Monique Gerber, France, 1970s signed.>
Bronze
French Empire Period Wastepaper Basket
Located in Stockbridge, GA
French Empire period wastepaper basket.
Brass
Early English 19th Century Pewter Plate
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Small round pewter plate with London and makers mark on the rear side.
Pewter
Empire Gilt and Patinated Bronze Inkstand 'Encrier'
Located in Kittery Point, ME
The rectangular base mounted with a round lidded ink pot with a porcelain container and a sand pot, each raised on winged lion feet, centered by a ...
Bronze
$650
H 3.75 in W 8 in D 3 in
Antique French Animalier Bronze Marble Greyhound Sculpture Desk Paperweight 1900
Located in Portland, OR
A very handsome antique French Animalier bronze greyhound sculpture, paperweight, circa 1900. The bronze in the style of Emmanuel Fremiet, mad...
Marble, Bronze
Sold
H 1.97 in W 3.55 in D 2.37 in
Empire Style Marble & Gilt Bronze Paperweight with Helmet and Serpent.
Located in Knivsta, SE
Empire Style Marble and Gilt Bronze Paperweight with Helmet and Serpent, 19th Century A striking Empire style paperweight, France, 19th century, combining a finely veined black-and...
Marble, Bronze
Crystal and Gilt Bronze Seal, Empire Period
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
"Crystal and gilt bronze seal, Empire Period" Cachet of Empire period in crystal and gilt bronze, XIXth century, with the initials CC, very ...
Crystal, Bronze
Baccarat Antique Sand Dunes Rock Paperweight
By Baccarat
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A fine antique French Baccarat Sand Dunes (or Rock) paperweight of small Size dating from the mid 19th century. The paperweight of small rounded and domed form contains sand-like designs mottled with translucent green drawn up in two peaks. With a polished pontil and slightly concave base the paperweight is not marked but a well recorded design by renowned French glass makers Baccarat. Provenance: Acquired in the UK Art...
Glass
Paperweight in Cast Iron, Empire Early 19th Century
Located in Knivsta, SE
A Paperweight in cast iron. Empire early 19th Century, with period decor elements. Wear consistent with age and use.
Iron
19th Century Empire Antique Bronze Sculpture Paperweight of Cherub
Located in Shippensburg, PA
Empire gilt and patinated bronze paperweight with putto figural, circa first half of the 19th century, unsigned Item # C104011 An Empire paperweight cast in bronze with a patinated putto raising a floral garland over his head while kneeling over a gilt bronze stepped base. This is raised over a stepped plinth with marble housed...
Marble, Bronze
Sold
H 3.35 in W 6.11 in D 2.96 in
Bronze Dog Paperweight on Marble Base, Swedish Empire Circa 1825-1850
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Mid 19th century bronze dog paperweight perched on beveled black marble base. The detailing of the dog's hair and body is exquisite. This sweet...
Marble, Bronze
Sold
H 3.55 in W 8.47 in D 4.65 in
Paper Weight with a Patinated Bronze of Napoleons Death Mask on a Green Marble
Located in Stockholm, SE
A paper weight with a patinated bronze of Napoleons death mask on a green marble base, France, early 19th century.
Marble, Bronze
Sold
H 9.45 in W 6.3 in D 4.14 in
Bronze Sculpture of Infant Hercules Wrestling with Snakes, Italy, 19th Century
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
A bronze sculpture figure representing Hercules as a young child wrestling two snakes. Marked Ercole Bambino. Fantastic details. Hércules / Heracles had a god as one of his parents...
Bronze
Bronze Appliqués, France, First Half of the 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Pair of disk-shaped wall appliqués or paperweights, formerly used as curtain garters. They are made out of gilt bronze, decorated with rose motives as well as bow, arrow and quiver.
Bronze