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Napoleon III Sculptures

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
Creator: Jules Moigniez
Bronze Jules Moigniez Figurative Animal Sculpture of Two Pheasants
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This wonderfully playful French animaliers study of two pheasants eating wheat has a nice golden patina and finely finished hand chased surface detail, r...
Category

Mid-19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Bronze Inkwell Sculpture "Les Moutons à L'abreuvoir" by Jules Moigniez
Located in Paris, FR
Bronze inkwell sculpture with nuanced brown patination. Two ink pots are cleverly hidden at either end of the sculpture: One in the stump of the tree and the other under a rock. Moig...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Sculptures

Materials

Brass, Bronze

Jules Moigniez Bronze Sculpture of Three Sheep and a Lamb
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Bronze grouping of sheep with a nuanced brown patination. Moigniez' intricate work on the surface of the piece created a true-to-life rendering of the sheep's fleece. The group is se...
Category

Mid-19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Equestrian Bronze, Thoroughbred Racehorse by J. Moigniez
Located in Doylestown, PA
A late 19th century equestrian bronze of thoroughbred racehorse with saddle by Jules Moigniez (1835-1894) signed "J. MOIGNIEZ" on the bronze base and...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

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The Running Stags after Jules Moigniez
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Animalier Bronze of a Pointer by Jules Moingiez
Located in London, GB
Superb antique patinated bronze model of a pointer by Jules Moingiez. Outstanding cast and in pristine condition this shows a pointer at work in a most skillful way. The pointer aler...
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1880s French Antique Napoleon III Sculptures

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Vienna Bronze Walrus Inkwell
Located in New Orleans, LA
Wonderfully charming and boasting a high level of detail, this bronze walrus also serves as an inkwell. The incredible artistry of Viennese bronze work i...
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Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Napoleon III Sculptures

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Vienna Bronze Walrus Inkwell
Vienna Bronze Walrus Inkwell
H 3.5 in W 7 in D 3 in
Lifesize Pair of Original French Bronze Sculptures of Herons- Moigniez
Located in New York City, NY
This important and unusual pair of life size French 19th century Blue Herons are realistically depicted with the two birds foraging in their natural environment. One large Heron is h...
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Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Sculptures

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Jules MOIGNIEZ (1835-1894) - Large Statue of a Hunting dog holding a pheasant
Located in TEYJAT, FR
Large Statue in patinated spelter. Hunting dog holding a pheasant, signed Jules MOIGNIEZ (1835-1894). 31 cm high x 37 cm width. Jules Moigniez was a 19th-century French animal scul...
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Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Sculptures

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Spelter

Equestrian Bronze Figurative Racehorse and Jockey Sculpture Statue
Located in Miami, FL
Equestrian Bronze Figurative Racehorse and Jockey Sculpture Statue Offered for sale is an equestrian bronze figurative sculpture of a thoroughbred ho...
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20th Century American Napoleon III Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

After Jules Moigniez French Bronze Saddled Race Horse Sculpture Statue Marble 16
Located in Dayton, OH
20th Century bronze depicting a saddled race horse. After Jules Moigniez (French, 1835-1894). Signed along the top by the hind legs. The bronze is...
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Late 20th Century Napoleon III Sculptures

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Bronze

Late 19th Century Bronzen Sculpture Boy Playing with Whippet by Jules Moigniez
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
An antique refined bronze sculpture of boy playing with a hoop and a stick go with a Whippet/Greyhound dog. It has the original patina, signed on the base: Jules Moigniez. Made in Fr...
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1870s French Antique Napoleon III Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

19th Century Animalier Bronze Sculpture entitled "Falcon" by Jules Moigniez
Located in London, GB
An excellent mid 19th Century French Animalier bronze study of a falcon perched on a branch using its outspread wings to balance and with its beak open. The bronze exhibiting excellent intricate hand chased surface detail and very fine rich brown lightly rubbed patination, signed J Moigniez. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Height: 23 cm Width: 23 cm Condition: Excellent Original Condition Circa: 1870 Materials: Bronze Book reference: Animals in Bronze by Christopher Paine Page no. 79 SKU: 9000 ABOUT Jules Moigniez (French, 1835 ~ 1894) Moigniez was a French animalier sculptor of the 19th century. He worked primarily in bronze and frequently exhibited his sculptures at the Paris salon. He was best known for his bronzes depicting birds, although his skill and versatility enabled him to produce quality horse sculptures (primarily racehorses), dog sculptures and hunting scenes. His bird sculptures were among the finest ever created in his time. Moigniez was born at Senlis, Oise, France in 1835, the son of a metal gilder. Moigniez’s father bought a foundry to cast his sculptures, which was of great benefit to Moigniez as he didn’t have the added foundry costs that most of his contemporaries had to pay. Moigniez studied sculpture under the tutelage of Paul Comoléra (a student of François Rude) in Paris. It is quite likely that Moigniez’s attraction to bird sculpture was a direct result of his education under Comoléra, who was himself a bird specialist. Over the course of his 40-year sculpting career Moigniez exhibited thirty works at the Salon between 1855–92. His first submission in a major art exhibition was his plaster, Pointer Stopping at a Pheasant, at the Exposition Universelle of 1855.[1][2] Moigniez was known for the fine detail and chiseling of his sculptures. His bronzes—usually cast using the lost wax method—were always immaculately chased and patinated, and were especially popular in England and Scotland.[2] More than half of his output during his lifetime was sold in the United Kingdom. By the end of the 19th century, his sculpture had become popular in the United States as well. In contrast with other animaliers of the period such are P.J. Mêne and Antoine-Louis Barye, Moigniez’s bird sculptures often incorporated highly detailed bases complete with bushes, extensive foliage and undergrowth. His castings were generally of excellent quality with a variety of patinas, the gilded and silvered patinas being the most desirable and sought after by collectors. His bronzes could be reproached for an excess of detail, a result of overly-finicky, over-worked chiseling. Moigniez received redemption, however, by portraying in his sculpture a certain “elegance of attitudes”. His Chien braque...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Hunting Dog Bronze Sculpture of a Dog in Jules Moigniez Style
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Hunting Dog Bronze Sculpture.English Spaniel Pointer Hunting Dog.This beautifully executed cast bronze figure of the hunt canine sculpture depicts a...
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Mid-20th Century French Napoleon III Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Bronze Letter Opener Knife Depicting an Eagle Made by Sculptor Jules Moigniez
Located in North Miami, FL
Late 19th century bronze letter opener knife depicting an eagle made by french animalier sculptor Jules Moigniez By: Jules Moigniez Material: bronze, copper, metal Technique: lost w...
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Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Sculptures

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Bronze, Copper, Metal

Patinated bronze figure of Spanish Cocker signed Jules Moigniez, 19th Century
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Spanish Cocker figure in patinated bronze signed by Jules Moigniez, 19th century French bronze by the Artist Jules Moigniez, in this beautiful piece an old Spanish Cocker is represen...
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19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Sculptures

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Bronze

Previously Available Items
French 19th Century Jewelry Casket by Alphonse Giroux et Cie Paris & J.Moigniez
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
French 19th century jewelry casket by Alphonse Giroux et Cie Paris & J.Moigniez (1835-1894) Silvered bronze richly decorated with Love Bir...
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1870s French Antique Napoleon III Sculptures

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Bronze

19th Century French Bronze Sculpture of Sleeping Lion by Jules Moigniez
Located in Stamford, CT
A fine sculpture depicting a lion asleep with paws crossed. Beautifully cast with a rich caramel patina. Perfect for a desk top, bookshelf or mantel piece. Mounted on a green and whi...
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19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Sculptures

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Bronze

Napoleon Iii sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Napoleon III sculptures for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage sculptures created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, building and garden elements, lighting and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, bronze and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Napoleon III sculptures 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 sculptures, popular names associated with this style include Pierre Jules Mêne, Mathurin Moreau, Jules Moigniez, and Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse. 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 sculptures differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $488 and tops out at $2,500,000 while the average work can sell for $4,001.

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