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.
$270Sale Price|20% Off
French Smoker Set in Red Glazed Earthenware 19th Napoleon III, De Bruyn Fives
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Five-piece smoker set. Four pots including a covered tobacco pot and a red faience tray which has a floral pattern. Very nice enamelled earthenware work. ...
Ceramic
Collectible White Porcelain Ashtray Hotel Intercontinental Paris France 1950's
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Collectible Ashtray Intercontinental Paris le Grand Hotel France. From the InterContinental Paris le Grand Hotel France, collectible. Ivory white ceramic with gold Imperial crown logo and inscriptions. A cream crackled ceramic ashtray with gilt edge from the Intercontinental Hotel in Paris, France. Manufactured by Bausher Weiden Bavaria white Porcelain Germany...
Ceramic
$583
H 1.58 in W 6.3 in D 7.88 in
Limoges Midcentury Hand-Painted by Cevoli White Porcelain French Ashtray, 1980s
By Limoges
Located in Roma, IT
Amazing midcentury Limoges hand-painted white porcelain ashtray. This fantastic piece was hand-painted by Giulia Lucente Cevoli in Italy during the...
Ceramic, Porcelain
Romano Bianchi Alabaster Smoking Set, Handmade, Italy, 1960s
Located in Milano, IT
1960s Stunning alabaster smoking set by Romano Bianchi with ashtray, cigarette box and table lighter, everything is handmade carved. Made in Italy. This smoking set is in excellent c...
Alabaster
Castaways Hotel Miami Beach Glass Ashtray
Located in Bradenton, FL
A hexagonal glass ashtray from The Castaways Hotel of Miami Beach, Florida. The center is printed with their logo and reads “Castaways, Quality Courts, Miami Beach Florida”.
Glass
$244Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 5.91 in W 15.75 in D 15.75 in
1970s Italian Red Glazed Ceramic and Brass Smoker Set Smoking hode decor
Located in Nicolosi, IT
Elegant 1970s smoking set composed of four coordinated elements in glossy red glazed ceramic with brass accents, a striking combination typical of the refined decorative objects prod...
Brass
Hermes Paris porcelain ashtray
By Hermès
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Hermes Paris Porcelain Ashtray Rectangular white porcelain ashtray with gold details on the edges. It features a central design of a horse in harness and gold and black decoration. I...
Porcelain
Hermès Paris Porcelain Ashtray
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Hermès Paris Porcelain Ashtray An elegant fine porcelain ashtray from Hermès Paris, decorated with a refined equestrian motif, one of the maison's most recognizable emblems. The piec...
Porcelain
$68 / item
H 6.5 in W 9.5 in D 2 in
19th Century French Antique Leather Bound Books in Napoleon III Style
Located in Austin, TX
French antique books with Moroccan leather black spine, gold leaf imprinted title and blue and black covers. A large selection available, also in red, bl...
Leather, Paper
$320Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 1.18 in W 3.14 in D 3.14 in
1970s Brass Smoking Set by Pierre Cardin: Lighter & Ashtray
Located in Milano, IT
1970s Gorgeous smoking set by Pierre Cardin in brass and metal. This exceptional two-piece desk smoking set is an authentic testament to the 1970s avant-garde industrial design era o...
Metal, Brass
Hermes Silver Cube Lighter, 1960s France
By Hermès
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Magnificent cube lighter by Hermes, Paris. In cast metal with silver plating, this piece is meticulously handcrafted. The letter 'H' emerges from the structural silhouettes, echoing ...
Metal, Silver
$455
H 1.78 in W 7.09 in D 7.09 in
Midcentury Italian Ashtray in Wine-Red Leather and Crystal, Italy 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Stunning Mid-Century ashtray in a refined combination of wine-red leather and thick crystal glass. This elegant piece was produced in Italy during the 1970s. Fully original and in a...
Crystal
$1,995
H 16 in Dm 7.5 in
Very Large 19th Century French Napoleon III Period Ebony and Bronze Hourglass
Located in Fayetteville, AR
Standing at 16 inches in height, this large scale nineteenth century Napoleon III period hourglass features three turned ebonized wood disks joined by bronze supports and finished wi...
Bronze
Unavailable|$2,450
H 25.2 in Dm 7.88 in
19th Century Crucifix - Gilt Bronze - Napoleon III - Serpent & Sunburst Details
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
This refined French Napoleon III–style crucifix is crafted in richly gilt bronze, displaying a magnificent glow and a beautifully aged patina. The figure of Christ is rendered with r...
Belgian Black Marble, Griotte Marble, Bronze, Ormolu