Empire Vases
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
Paire of Vases Empire Dagoty Manufacture Ceramic France \\\'800
Located in Milano, IT
Pair of ceramic vases resting on a black Belgian marble base; with two handles in shape of winged caryatids. The vases are partially gilded and glazed in green with Empire-style motifs, such as Greek leaf motifs and subsequent leaf motifs. On the front, a painted polychrome reserve, in which Cupid and Psyche, Flora and Zephyr...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Ceramic
Monumental 19th Century French Empire Sèvres Style Porcelain Urns, a Pair
Located in Forney, TX
A magnificent pair of French antique gilt bronze mounted pink Sèvres porcelain style vasiform urns.
Born in France in the 19th century, hand-crafted in rich grandiose Empire taste, palatial awe-inspiring large scale, featuring ornate finely chiseled and sculpted dore' bronze hinged handle mounts, partial gilt pink ground baluster form amphora - pithos form body surmounted by patinated brass final topped cover affixed to the flaired narrowing neck rising from voluptuous bulbous tapering body, embellished with elaborate gilded gold enameled scroll flourish filigree decoration framing central oval medallion showcasing hand painted polychrome classical landscape and pastoral figural scenes, over doré bronze mount fillet adorned porcelain foot ending in substantial sturdy octagonal cast gilt metal plinth base.
A superb example, high quality craftsmanship, construction, and materials, exceptionally executed design, this pair makes for a wonderful decorative object and most impressive statement piece!
Exceedingly rare, boldly beautiful and absolutely stunning, this majestic pair is sure to become the focal point in any room. Placed in beside a fireplace, flanking an door, entry or hall, atop a massive sideboard...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Brass, Bronze
Pair of Porcelain Empire Style Vases Marked Paris
Located in London, GB
Pair of antique French porcelain vases, the front of the vases hand painted with battle scenes, while the reverse decorated with golden e...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
Neoclassical Pair of Patinated and Dore Bronze Empire Covered Urns
Located in New York, NY
A gorgeous and rare neoclassical pair of patinated and doré bronze Empire period covered urns with doré bronze cupid masks and foliage scroll doré bronze handles. Each is beautifully...
Category
1820s French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Bronze
Pair of French Neoclassical Style Red Tôle and Gilt Bronze Vases
Located in London, GB
Pair of French Neoclassical style red tôle and gilt bronze vases
French, late 19th Century
Height 53cm, width 24cm, depth 17cm
Each vase in this pair, crafted from gilt bronze mounted red...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Metal, Ormolu
Pair Paris Porcelain Golden Mantle Vases Made in France Circa 1830
Located in Katonah, NY
We are pleased to offer this pair of golden Paris Porcelain mantle vases made in the Empire style, circa 1840. The gilding on these vases is dazzling. The delicate band of flowers an...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
Pair French 19th C. Blue & 2-Tone Gold Ground Porcelain Vases w/ Gold Handles
Located in New York, NY
A Beautiful Pair of French 19th Century Empire Blue and Two-Tone Gold Ground Porcelain vases with White Medallion Gold Handles. Each piece is beautifully hand-painted with gorgeous l...
Category
1820s French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
Early 19th C. Sicilian Glass Pharmacy Jar Set, 3 Pieces
Located in Ross, CA
Originally handblown in Sicily in the early 19th century, this impressive pharmacy pot incorporates two separate containers and a lid, and would have been...
Category
Early 19th Century Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Blown Glass
Pair of Neoclassical French Doré Bronze, Patinated Bronze and Rouge Marble Vases
Located in New York, NY
A pair of neoclassical French Empire Period doré Bronze, patinated bronze and Rouge Campana shaped marble vases, circa 1820, with gilt bronze decorations of finely sculpted playful p...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Pair of First-Empire Period 2-Handled Porcelain Vases with Westall Venus Scenes
By Porcelaine de Paris, Richard Westall
Located in New York, NY
An incredible and rare pair of French Paris Porcelain First-Empire Period Winged Sphynx-form double- handled porcelain vases with mythological scenes of Venus and Cupids after Richar...
Category
Early 1800s French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
19th Century Meissen Style Porcelain Napoleon lll Bowl Vase Centerpiece
Located in Guaynabo, PR
This is a gilt bronze mounted and hand painted porcelain large bowl vase with lid. The hand painted continuous scene shows a town celebration with some peasants dancing & playing som...
Category
19th Century German Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
Pair of Large Fuseau Vases in Porcelaine de Paris, Empire Period
Located in Paris, FR
Large pair of painted fuseau vases in Porcelaine de Paris from the Empire period. The neck and the pedestal of the vases are in burnished gold and feature laurel crowns and stylized ...
Category
1810s French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
Pair of Neoclassical Style Gilt Bronze and Marble Vases
Located in London, GB
Pair of neoclassical style gilt bronze and marble vases
French, early 20th century
Measures: Height 52cm, width 21cm, depth 19cm
Each vase in this pair, crafted from gilt bronze...
Category
Early 20th Century French Empire Vases
Materials
Marble, Ormolu, Bronze
19th Century Pair of Egyptian Porphyry Vases and Vessels Porcelain Gilded Bronze
Located in PALERMO, IT
Rare and ancient pair of Egyptian porphyry vases with finely chiseled and gilded
bronze applications, in the upper part, precious gilded bronze workmanship to
compose branches and ...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porphyry, Bronze
Pair of Empire Period Sèvres Porcelain Pale Blue and Faux Porphyry Ground Vases
Located in New York, NY
A very unusual and quite large pair of Empire period Sèvres Porcelain pale Celeste blue and faux porphyry ground vases. Each vase is intricately hand painted with meticulous detail and further adorned with 24-karat hand painted gilt decoration. The bases are a very unusual hand painted faux porphyry porcelain. Each vase and base is marked with various pressnumera and Sèvres signs...
Category
Early 1800s French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
20th Century Empire Style Table Decoration after J.B. Claude Odiot
Located in Berlin, DE
Bronze, engraved and silvered. Three columns shafts with full-plastic, finely engraved swans. Funnel-shaped insert.
(T-RA-6).
Category
20th Century Empire Vases
Materials
Bronze
1800 Empire Nast Porcelain Griffins Masks Roses Flowers Garlands France Vase
Located in Munich, DE
This very high quality French vase in caramel hue with guilding is most probably made by the Nast Porcelain Manufacture ( 1754 - 1817 ). It's handles ar...
Category
Early 1800s French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
20th Century French Empire Blue Urn Vase with Gold Decoration, Jaget & Pinon
Located in Sofia, BG
Amphora-shaped vase and in the Empire style, circa 1920, France made of earthenware with a marine-blue background with gold decorations in the spirit of Sèvres. Round neck surrounded...
Category
Early 20th Century French Empire Vases
Pair of Empire Porcelain Vases
Located in Berlin, DE
Pair of Empire porcelain vases of egg-shaped form modelled with soft-paste porcelain handles representing 'Pheme', the personification of fame and renown. Decorated with a dark blue ...
Category
1820s French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
Pair of French Neoclassical Style Swan Handle Porcelain Vases
Located in London, GB
This pair of comprises pendant krater-shaped porcelain vases. Each vase’s wide-lipped ovoid body is supported by a flared stem, which stands on a square-sided podium. Most strikingly...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
Pair of Napoleonic Period Porcelain Vases
Located in London, GB
The vases in this pair are heavily gilt, as is typical of Paris porcelain. The exception to the gilding on each vase, however, is the main portion of the body, which is ornamented wi...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Bronze, Ormolu
Rare Pair of Early 19th Century Empire Bronze Vases, French or German
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
A rare and decorative pair of early 19th century Empire gilt and patinated bronze vases of campana form on a stepped square marble base. The everted egg-and-dart rim above a finely chased frieze depicting putti playing music.
This or a similar pair of vases belonged to the collection of the Queen Louise of Prussia...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Pair of Empire Period Porcelain Campana Vases, Parisian, circa 1815
Located in Atlanta, GA
A fine pair of Paris porcelain vases, designed in campana form with the front featuring circular vignettes with landscape scenes, on the reverse are framed musical trophies created t...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
Two Empire Period Gilt Porcelain Vases by Dihl Et Guérhard
Located in London, GB
These beautiful painted and gilt vases were crafted in circa 1810 by the important Parisian porcelain factory, Dihl et Guérhard (French, 1781-circa 18...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
Pair of Empire Vases, firegilt Bronze, Marble Bases, France, Early 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Pair of Empire vases on red marble plinths with fire-gilt bronze fittings in the shape of small satyrs and putti. (Measurements plinth: 10 x 10 cm).
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Large B&G, Bing & Grondahl Vase in Pink with Handles in Gold, Early Stamp
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Large B&G, Bing & Grondahl vase in pink with handles in gold.
Early stamp. Dated 1865.
1st. assortment. In perfect condition.
Measures 29.5 x 14.5 cm.
Category
1860s Danish Antique Empire Vases
Magnificent Pair of Russian Imperial Ruby Glass Vases w/ Gilded Bronze Mounts
Located in New York, NY
While Napoleon's armies never conquered Russian, French taste did, and in a big way. This pair made at the Imperial Glass Workshop, under the Sponsorship of the Imperial Family would have been at home in a Paris drawing room as easily as in St. Petersburg.
The Intense Ruby Red color of the Crystal is created by adding large quantities of gold to the molten glass before the object is created. The resulting color is dense yet full of light just like its namesake the precious jewel. The Dore bronze mounts use motifs taken from antiquity. Likewise, the shape of the handles is inspired by Greco-Roman amphora...
Category
19th Century Russian Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Bronze
Pair of French Empire Period Gilt Ground Porcelain Vases
Located in London, GB
These excellent gilt ground vases are high quality antique pieces, dating from the Empire period in France at the start of the 19th century. Each vase is set on a square base, is mounted with twin scrolling handles inset with neoclassical masks, and has a flared gilt ground neck. Both vases are also decorated to the front with depictions of winged putti on gilt ground; one vase shows the putti playing musical instruments, while the other shows them holding writing tablets and laurel wreaths. The reverse of each vase is Neo-Gothic in character, showing medieval church arches...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
Paris Porcelain Vase with Landscape Scene, France c. 1820
Located in Atlanta, GA
A large Paris porcelain vase of good quality, almost two feet in height. The body with painted figural and landscape vignettes on opposing sides, contained by acid-etched gilt border...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
Pair of Empire Period Antique Parisian Porcelain Vases
Located in London, GB
This pair of antique porcelain vases, dating from the early 19th century in the period of Napoleonic rule known as the Empire period, ar...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
19th Century Huge KPM Berlin Vase Rare
Located in Berlin, DE
Biscuit porcelain matte blue background. Round picture frame in a crowned gold-framed frame, color-painted view of the Crown Prince's Palace with a statue of Frederick the Great and ...
Category
19th Century German Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
Fine Pair of French Gilt Bronze and Glass Ormolu-Mounted Neoclassical Urns
Located in Roslyn, NY
Pair of lovely French empire style bronze and glass urns. Please note, they are blown glass and one is slightly higher than the other. The base measures 3" x 3".
Category
Early 20th Century French Empire Vases
Materials
Bronze
Empire Rare Beverage Dispensers with Monochrome Decoration
Located in Paris, FR
Pair of beverage dispensers in caramel-colored lacquered tin. They are decorated with monochrome village scenes and landscapes dotted with ruins. Th...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Tin
Early 19th Century Gilt Bronze Cut-Glass Centerpiece
Located in New York, NY
Cut-glass centerpiece with gilt bronze mounts. Hair line crack in bowl.
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Bronze
Pair of French Empire Period Matte and Burnished Gilt Porcelain Vases
Located in Firenze, IT
Pair of French 19th century Empire porcelain two handles baluster-shaped vases. The body of each vase is in two-toned gold exceptionally tooled with matte and glazed gold. The vases ...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
Large French Empire Patinated and Gilt Bronze Footed Bowl
Located in Essex, MA
French Empire bowl with snake handles and beaded edge, reeded shallow bowl, square base with censor and wreath mounts, plinth base.
Category
Early 19th Century European Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Other
Pair of 'Old Paris' Porcelain Vases with Drapery Decoration
Located in New York, NY
French
Pair “Old Paris” Porcelain Vases with Drapery Decoration, about 1820
Porcelain, painted and gilded
13 1/16 in. high
CONDITI...
Category
1820s French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Porcelain
Vase in Sevres Hand-painted Porcelain and Bronze from 1800
Located in Milano, MI
Vase in Sevres porcelain and hand-painted bronze made in 1800
Ø cm 15 h cm 32
The Sèvres ceramics are one of the most famous ceramic manufacturers in all of Europe, born in France ...
Category
1880s French Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Bronze
Empire Ormolu-Mounted Malachite Ewers Attributed to Claude Galle, Russian, Pair
By Claude Galle
Located in New York, NY
A pair of Empire Ormolu-Mounted Malachite Ewers attributed to Claude Galle, circa 1805, Possibly Made For The Russian Market. Each with an ovoid body applied with an ormolu band depi...
Category
Early 1800s Russian Antique Empire Vases
Materials
Malachite, Bronze
Empire vases for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Empire vases 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 vases created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, serveware, ceramics, silver and glass, asian art and furniture and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, ceramic and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Empire vases made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and Germany pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original vases, popular names associated with this style include Europa Antiques, Porcelaine de Paris, Old Paris, and Baccarat. 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 vases differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $416 and tops out at $126,260 while the average work can sell for $5,700.
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