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.
Antique Napoleon III Marble Mantel Clock by Adolf Fraaier, Amsterdam
Located in Antwerp, BE
A distinguished Napoleon III marble mantel clock, retailed by Adolf Fraaier of Amsterdam, dating from the late 19th century. The elegant architectural case is crafted from finely fig...
Belgian Black Marble, Brass
$900Sale Price|25% Off
Baccarat Blue Opaline Bubble Bath Bottle with Top Napoleon III Era
Located in Miami, FL
A large stunning French blue opaline glass bubble bath bottle dating from the 19th century. Unsigned Baccarat piece. Very attractive with vibrant colors. Overall good condition...
Opaline Glass
Tall Paris porcelain polychromatic and gilt vase, mid 19th century
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
A fine tall Paris porcelain vase, mid-19th century typical production (Napoléon III period). Our vase is enhanced with two hand-painted polychromatic bouquets of flowers in large car...
Porcelain
Fine Napoléon III Gilt-Bronze Mounted Porcelain Clock Garniture, circa 1870
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A fine Napoléon III gilt-bronze mounted porcelain clock garniture. French, circa 1870. The movement stamped with the 'Japy Frères ' cachet. This fine porcelain clock set is...
Bronze
$380Sale Price|20% Off
Napoleon III Woven Gilt Bronze Handled Basket, Weave Table Box
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Napoleon III woven gilt bronze handled basket -weave table box France, circa 1875 A whimsical, yet intricately woven of a handled basket weave table ...
Bronze
Christophe Fratin "walking monkey" Bronze, Signed, XIXth Edition
Located in Mouscron, WHT
Christophe Fratin (1801-1864) "walking monkey" bronze, signed, signature of the founder Qyesnel XIXth edition.
Bronze
Neoclassic Marble and Bronze Mantle Clock 3 pieces by J. Bondat, circa 1870
Located in Atlanta, GA
Step into the opulent world of 19th-century French artistry with this extraordinary Napoleon III mantel clock set, meticulously carved from pristine white Carrara marble by the accla...
Marble, Metal, Bronze, Enamel
19th-Century Napoleon III Period Inkwell Made Of Marquetry And Brass.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
19th-century Napoleon III-era inkwell made of marquetry and brass. 19th-century inkwell made of marquetry and brass, from the Napoleon III era. H: 9.5 cm, W: 32.5 cm, D: 26 cm Plea...
Brass
Gaulish Chef On Horseback, sculpture In Bronze, 19th Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Bronze with a brown patina representing a Gallic chief on horseback, pulling a woman taken prisoner This bronze is not signed, yet great care has been taken with the details, numero...
Bronze
Table box oval 925 Silver Enamel handpainted miniature and paillons Salimbeni
By Salimbeni, Franco Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Oval table box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with fired enamels, with pure gold “paillons” on the upper circle, fine fired enamel miniature with an image of a “landscape wi...
Belgian Black Marble, Gold, Sterling Silver, Enamel
$2,780Sale Price|20% Off
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...
Marble, Metal
Exquisite 19th Century Opaline Glass Vase Handpainted, Attributed to Baccarat or
By St. Louis Crystal, Cristalleries De Baccarat, Baccarat
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
This breathtaking 19th-century opaline glass vase is a masterpiece of fine craftsmanship, likely attributed to renowned French glassmakers Baccarat or Saint-Louis. The piece features...
Enamel
A Large Biscuit Sculpture, Gilded Bronze Frame, Napoleon III Era, 19th Century.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
A large biscuit sculpture and gilded bronze frame, Napoleon III era, 19th century. Napoleon III period sculpture, 19th century in gilded bronze and biscuit. H:40cm, W:40cm, D:24cm ...
Bronze
Stylish French, Napoleon III Fine Ladies Writing Desk with Wine / Bacchus Theme
Located in Lisse, NL
Fine quality and great design Napoleon III desk with large drawer and bronze angels. This wonderful antique ladies desk also is highly practical...
Bronze, Brass
19th Century Burr Amboyna Glove Box by Paul Sormani, 114 Rue du Temple, Paris
By Paul Sormani
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
A fine Napoleon III burled amboyna wood glove box with rounded walnut edges and mounted with incised pewter straps with fleur-de-lis terminals, the corners ...
Pewter
19th Century, Large French Trivet
Located in Amerongen, Amerongen
Large 19th century, French Napoleon III period trivet. For heating up a pan or to keep it warm in and in front of the fire. Still in a good working condition.
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Porcelain Allegorical Charger
Located in Houston, TX
19th century French porcelain Allegorical charger. Stunning 19th century French hand decorated, artist-signed allegorical porcelain charger. This b...
Porcelain, Faience
$1,094Sale Price / set|50% Off
Antique French Bronze and Marble Mantel Set Clock Cherub Putti Napoleon III
Located in Labrit, Landes
Napoleon III French clock named "The hour will ring" (visible inscription) signed by the sculptor Lorenzo Vergnano with stamp and number 553 on the back. It represents a building p...
Metal
19th Century French Porcelain de Paris Cachepot with Hand-Painted Landscape
Located in Dallas, TX
Decorate a tabletop or windowsill with this elegant antique cachepot from Paris, crafted circa 1870 during the Napoleon III period. The rounded porcelain vessel stands on a contrasti...
Porcelain
A Pair of Napoleon III style giltwood and gesso picture frames, 19th C.
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A Pair of Napoleon III style giltwood and gesso picture frames, 19th C. having oval openings and relief branch and leaf embellishments on frames.
Gesso, Giltwood
$7,852Sale Price|20% Off
French Ormolu Mounted Pink Sevres Style Lidded Vase, 19th Century
By Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres
Located in Lisbon, PT
A beautiful antique decorative pink porcelain Sèvres Style urn with a hand-painted background of a guitar musician and his lady. A Serenata scene. In the back a lake scene with a ca...
Bronze
$7,000Sale Price|30% Off
French Napoleon III Sevres Style Porcelain Ormolu Ram Candelabra Urn Stepniewski
Located in Dayton, OH
An elaborate monumental French Louis XVI / Napoleon III Sevres Style palace vase and candelabra by Eric Stepniewski. Features a cobalt blue porcelain urn wrapped in low relief chisel...
Bronze
Table Box Sterling Silver Striped Paillons in pure Gold and flowers Salimbeni
By Salimbeni, Franco Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Round table box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with fired enamels, with “paillons” in pure gold on the upper circle, fine floral miniature fired enamelled by the painter Renato Dainelli, enamelled border with vertical stripes. Napoleon III French Empire...
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel, Gold
Napoleon III Gilt Brass Woven Oval Basket, France, 1870s
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Napoleon III Gilt Brass Woven Oval Basket, France, 1870s 13" W × 10.5" D × 3" H Elegant and finely executed, this Napoleon III–period gilt brass oval basket, France, circa the 1870...
Brass
$1,552Sale Price / set|38% Off
19th Century Pair of Hand-Painted Paris Porcelain Urns
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
A fine pair of antique French urns in 'Porcelain de Paris', and dating from the early 19th century. These sensational vases are decorated w...
Porcelain, Paint
Napoleon lll, French Inkwell Desk Set, Boulle Inlay, Tortoise, France, 19th c.
Located in Stamford, CT
Napoleon lll, French Inkwell Desk Set, Boulle Inlay, Tortoise Shell, France, 19th century A superb and increasingly rare antique Napoleon III period Boulle inlay inkstand, exemplify...
Tortoise Shell
Picture Frame Oval Ruby Red enamel and hand-carved Salimbeni
By Giorgio Salimbeni, Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Oval photo frame in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with translucent ruby red fired enamel on guilloché and with ornaments in the French Empire Napoleon III style. External size...
Gold Plate, Enamel, Sterling Silver
$1,389Sale Price / set|20% Off
Porcelain De Paris Napoleon III Pair of French Hand Painted Vases
Located in Prato, Tuscany
We kindly suggest you read the whole description, because with it we try to give you detailed technical and historical information to guarantee the authenticity of our objects. Beau...
Porcelain
19th Century Vieille Garde Sculpture on Inkstand by A. Le Véel and Susse Frères
By Susse Freres, Armand LeVeel 1
Located in North Miami, FL
Late 19th century Napoleon III 'Vieille Garde' sculpture with inkwells and marble base inkstand by Armand Le Véel and Susse Frères, France By: Armand Le Véel, Susse Frères Material:...
Stone, Marble, Metal, Bronze, Copper, Tin
Pair of Terracotta Urnes Vases castle , spain XIXs
Located in La xara, VC
This exceptional Pair of Urnes Vases second parts of the XIXs , Provenance Castle Near the district of Biarritz ! 1. Historical and cultural signifi...
Terracotta
Pair of Terracotta Urnes Vases castle , spain XIXs
Located in La xara, VC
This exceptional Pair of Urnes Vases second parts of the XIXs , Provenance Castle Near the district of Biarritz ! 1. Historical and cultural signifi...
Terracotta
Petite French 1860s Napoleon III Period Crystal Toiletry Bottle with Silver Neck
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Napoleon III period petite crystal toiletry bottle from the mid-19th century, with silver neck. Born in France during the reign of Emperor Napoleon III, this lovely toiletry...
Crystal, Silver
$440Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair 19thc French NapoleonIII Bronze Putto/ Cherub Candle Holders
Located in Opa Locka, FL
Pair 19thc French Napoleon III Bronze Cherub/ Putto Candleholders/ Candle Sticks.
Bronze
Pair of Paris Porcelain Vases, Cobalt Blue & Gilt, 19th Century
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
This refined pair of French vases is crafted in Paris porcelain and dates to the mid-19th century, likely during the Napoleon III period, when richly decorated pieces of this type we...
Porcelain, Paint
Table Box pure gold paillons and fired enamel miniature Salimbeni
By Franco Salimbeni, Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Round table box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with fire enamels, with pure gold “paillons” on the upper circle, fine fire enamelled miniature hand painted by the painter Br...
Gold, Enamel, Sterling Silver, Gold Plate
Gilded Bronze Inkwell by Albert Marionnet, 19th Century, Napoleon III Period.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Gilded bronze inkwell by Albert Marionnet, 19th century, Napoleon III period. Gilded bronze inkwell, 19th century, Napoleon III period, by Albert Marionnet. H: 12 cm, W: 38 cm, D: 2...
Bronze
Mahogany And Gilded Bronze Inkwell, 19th Century, Napoleon III Period.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Mahogany and gilded bronze inkwell, 19th century, Napoleon III period. Gilded bronze and mahogany inkwell, 19th century, Napoleon III period, with a drawer around the base. H: 18 cm...
Bronze
19th Century French Gilt Bronze Urn Form Compote Attributed to Barbedienne
Located in Pittsburgh, PA
This finely detailed gilt bronze compote features a border of vintage motif including grapes and grape leaves. The compote is mounted on a verde antique marble base.
Bronze
Pair of Antique French Neoclassical Gilt Tole Cachepots Jardinieres
Located in Pearland, TX
A lovely pair of antique French black and gold jardinieres or cachepots. No maker's mark. These gorgeous planters have a fine hand painted laurel wreath garland with gilt ring handle...
Metal
19th-Century Pendulum Clock Movement.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
19th-century pendulum clock movement. 19th-century pendulum clock movement with dial, in need of servicing. Diameter: 15.5 cm, Depth: 10 cm P...
Metal
Pair of Paris Porcelain Vases with Hand-Painted Floral Bouquets, c.1880
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
This elegant pair of hand-painted porcelain vases is a fine example of the artistry associated with the Paris porcelain workshops of the late 19th century. Each vase is gracefully ba...
Porcelain, Paint
$4,997Sale Price / set|25% Off
19th Century Pair of Austro-Hungarian Vases in Silver Gilt with Gemstones
Located in Paris, FR
Pair of small Etruscan-shaped vases. Austro-Hungarian craftsmanship from the 19th century in silver-gilt and cabochons. They are carved with fluting and vegetal patterns and adorned ...
Silver
Large Brown Patinated Bronze Lion Sculpture Art Deco style
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Art Deco style brown patinated bronze lion sculpture. This bronze animal statue represents a lion fighting a snake, mounted on a dark oval base. The snake coils beneath the lion, cre...
Bronze
Pair of 19th Century Majolica Vases Choisy Le Roi
Located in Austin, TX
Pair of 19th Century Majolica Vases signed Choisy Le Roi. The manufacture of Choisy le Roi was one of the most important manufacture at the end of 19th century, they produced very hi...
Majolica, Ceramic
French Napoleon III Period Brass Inlaid Rosewood and Walnut Lap Desk
Located in San Francisco, CA
A very pretty French Napoleon III period brass inlaid rosewood and kingwood lap desk of fine quality. This portable writing desk is centered by a beautifully painted landscape scene....
Brass
Prestigious Napoleon III Table Clock - Black and Red Marble - Escapement
Located in Manzano, IT
Splendid free-standing (mantelpiece) pendulum clock in the Napoleon III style (Second half of the 19th century), a piece of fine French cabinetry and mechanics. The clock is in perfe...
Marble, Statuary Marble
Antique Bronze Sculpture by P.-L. Détrier, Boules Game, Circa 1870
Located in PARIS, FR
Signed Détrier Charming, intimate group in patinated bronze with golden highlights, depicting a genre scene that is fully in keeping with the 19th-century historicist style, which s...
Bronze
Antique Female Marble Sculpture, Bust Of Young Woman With Curls Late 19th.
Located in Breganze, VI
The category Antique Marble and Alabaster Sculptures, features a beautiful and refined Female Sculpture, depicting a Bust of a Woman, a young girl with ringlets. The work has its O...
Marble
Pair of Bottles in Painted and Gilded Opaline, Napoleon III period
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Pair of bottles in Ppainted and Gilded Opaline, Napoleon III period. Nice pair of 19th century bottles, Napoleon III period, in painted and gilded opaline, crystal stopper...
Crystal
French Bronze Vide-Poche with Rooster by Auguste Cain, 19th Century
By Auguste Cain
Located in New York, NY
This finely cast 19th-century French bronze vide-poche takes the form of a broad, naturalistically modeled leaf, animated by a sculptural rooster perched upon a rocky outcrop at one ...
Bronze
19th Century Bronze Sculpture of Napoleon Crossing the Alps
Located in Dallas, TX
PRESENTING A LOVELY late 19C Bronze Sculpture of Napoleon Crossing the Alps. 19th Century Bronze of Napoleon on Horseback in Battle, with c...
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
$1,188Sale Price|20% Off
Napoleon III Fireplace Set with Bronze Greek Gods and Black Marble
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Beautiful antique fireplace set consisting of a clock and a pair of cassolettes. The black marble clock rests on lions' feet and is surmounted by a bronze engraved Medici vase with eight faces of Greek...
Marble, Bronze
Bronze Bust of Aesculapius, Grand Tour, H39cm, Collas Mechanical Reduction, 19th
By A. Collas Brevete
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
A distinguished patinated bronze bust depicting Aesculapius (Greek: Asclepius), the Greco-Roman god of medicine and healing. Faithfully rendered after the celebrated antique prototyp...
Marble, Bronze
Table Box Sterling Silver Paillons in Pure Gold and Miniature Salimbeni
By Salimbeni, Franco Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Oval table box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with fired enamel, with “paillons” in pure gold on the upper circle, fine miniature fired enamelled with an image of “fox hunti...
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
19th C. French Louis XVI Patinated And Ormolu Bronze Clock Set By Millard Paris
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
There are clock sets that politely sit on a mantel, minding their own business… and then there are clock sets that move in like French aristocracy—three pieces, full entourage, and a...
Bronze
Antique round glass box with miniature painting, late 19th century
Located in Bilzen, BE
An antique round glass box with in the lid a painted miniature from a noble lady Late 19th century The inside of the lid has a mirror The glass box have a frame from gilded brass Dia...
Brass
"The Mother", Brown Patinated Bronze, Sculpture by Paul Dubois
By Paul Dubois
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
"The mother", sculpture by Paul Dubois in brown patinated bronze, foundry Barbedienne (1829 - 1905) Contact us before ordering to confirm product availability. Measures: H: 66 cm, W...
Bronze
French Ormolu Mounted Pink Sevres Style Lidded Vase, 19th Century
By Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres
Located in Lisbon, PT
A beautiful antique decorative pink porcelain Sèvres Style urn with a hand-painted background of a guitar musician and his lady. A Serenata scene. In the back a lake scene with a ca...
Bronze
$2,688Sale Price / set|30% Off
Pair Of French Champlevé Desk Inkwells, Napoleon III, 19th Century
Located in Lisbon, PT
A French pair of Champlevé enamel inkwells from the 19th century, created in the opulent Napoleon III style: - A 19th century French inkwell in Champlevé enamel and bronze, mounted ...
Brass, Bronze, Enamel
19th-Century German Porcelain Sculpture, Porcelain Group.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
19th-century German porcelain sculpture, porcelain group. 19th-century German porcelain sculpture from the Napoleon III period, depicting a tailor on a goat...
Porcelain