Empire Mirrors
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
Table Mirror, France Early 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Table mirror in mahogany on oak with brass urn-shaped pinnacles and four drawers.
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Brass
Neoclassical Empire Rectangular Gold Hand Carved Wooden Mirror, Spain, 1970
Located in Madrid, ES
Neoclassical Empire style handcrafted mirror. Rectangular hand carved wooden structure with gold foiled finished.
Category
1870s Spanish Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Gold Leaf
19th Century Dressing table mirror in Empire style
Located in Delft, NL
19th Century Dressing table mirror in Empire style
A dressing table mirror with tiltable mirror, which is fixed to the side with 19th cent...
Category
19th Century Dutch Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Nutwood
19th Century Mahogany Standing Tilting Floor Mirror from Denmark
Located in Round Top, TX
Stately mahogany adjustable/tilting floor mirror standing over 5.5' tall.
Note the elegant finials and central flourish that crown the mirror, resting on elaborately carved lion's fe...
Category
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mirror, Mahogany
Tall French Empire Antique Giltwood Mirror
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Carved gilt wood. 59 7/8" h x 37 7/8" w x 4 5/8" d.
Condition
Gilt loss. Mirror loss. Carving loose. Cracks in wood.
Dimensions
60 x 38 x 5 in
Category
1880s French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Gesso, Walnut
Maitland Smith French Empire Style Mahogany Paw Foot Tall Dressing Cheval Mirror
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Maitland Smith French Empire Style Mahogany Paw Foot Tall Beveled Glass Dressing Cheval Mirror. Item features metal urn finials, metal trim to frame, gold gilt painted details, "anti...
Category
Late 20th Century Unknown Empire Mirrors
Materials
Metal
Empire Mirror In Stuccoed And Gilded Wood, Early 19th Century
Located in Honnelles, WHT
Empire Mirror In Stuccoed And Gilded Wood, Early 19th Century
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Glass, Giltwood
Neoclassical Empire Rectangular Gold Hand Carved Wooden Mirror, 1970
Located in Madrid, ES
Neoclassical Empire style handcrafted mirror. Rectangular hand carved wooden structure with gold foiled finished.
Category
1970s Spanish Vintage Empire Mirrors
Materials
Gold Leaf
19th, Circular Ormolu Bronze French Centerpiece with Mirror
Located in IT
19th, circular Ormolu bronze French centerpiece with mirror (surtout de table)
Diameter cm 75, H 9 cm, 11 cm the highest point (harps)
This splendid French centerpiece has a roun...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Bronze
Table Mirror with Caryatid in French Empire. Gilded and dark.patinated bronze
Located in Knivsta, SE
Very elegant Table Mirror with Caryatid in French Empire from the 1820s in gilded and dark.patinated bronze.
High quality of the casting. The original glass with patina. (See pict...
Category
1820s French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Bronze
Pair of French 19th century Empire st. Patinated and Giltwood mirrors
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An impressive and architectural pair of French 19th century Empire st. Patinated and Giltwood mirrors. Each palatially scaled mirror with it's original mirror plates is raised on a s...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Wood, Giltwood
Empire Psyche Mirror in Mahogany, France, early 19th century
By P. Marcion
Located in VÉZELAY, FR
Psyche mirror in solid and veneered mahogany with antique triangular pediment and feet carved in the shape of animal claws/paws (sphinx, lion).
The bronze parts are on the theme of n...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Bronze
$1,723 Sale Price
20% Off
Pair of French 1st Empire Dore Bronze Mtd. 5-Arm Mirrored Sconces, Att. Thomire
Located in New York, NY
A Magnificent Pair of French 1st Empire Period Dore bronze mounted five-arm sconces/mirrors, Attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire. Each mirrored sconce is of octagonal form with a b...
Category
1810s French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Bronze
Late 19th C. French Overmantel Mirror
Located in Houston, US
This is an impressive classically styled yet restrained overmantel mirror and frame, painted with gilded decorative elements. Fluted pilasters are topped with a classical urn with pe...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Gold Leaf
$2,080 Sale Price
20% Off
19th Century Antique Gilded Wood Empire Pier Mirror
Located in Burbank, CA
Antique 19th century gilded wall mirror for sale. It's made of solid wood, and has beautiful carved wood and details throughout, and balls at the top. The wood is gilded, and shows w...
Category
19th Century American Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mirror, Giltwood
19th Century Carved Giltwood Frame Wall Mirror
Located in Germantown, MD
An impressive late 19th Century Empire carved giltwood Mahogany wall Mirror, Circa 1890s. Measures 49.5" in width, 4" in depth and stands 33" in height.
Category
Mid-19th Century American Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mahogany, Giltwood
Pair Of French 19th Century Empire St. Mahogany And Ormolu Mirrors
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A very architectural pair of French 19th century Empire St. Mahogany and Ormolu mirrors. The pair of mirrors display mirror plates flanked by two Mahogany columns. The columns have a...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Ormolu
Genovese Mirror With Walnut Inlays & Small Parts in Brass
Located in Montelabbate, PU
Genoese walnut mirror with brass inlays and hardware. Excellent construction, on the back it still bears eighteenth century butterfly nailing confirming the Direttorio style...
Category
1890s Italian Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Brass
$1,012 Sale Price
43% Off
19th Century Pair of Mahogany Mirrors, Denmark
Located in Round Top, TX
Pair of mahogany mirrors from Denmark, circa 1840-1860, with a carved and scrolled pediment and turned side columns.
This pair is solid and ready to hang securely.
There is expecte...
Category
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mirror, Mahogany
$1,850 / set
Antique 19th century large oval gold and silver leaf gilt French mirror
Located in Casteren, NL
On offer here is a large antique oval mirror that was made in France in the second half of the 19th century, circa 1860. The mirror is decorated with beautiful ornaments with rich sy...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
19th Century German Empire Antique Cherrywood Freestanding Floor Mirror
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An early 19th Century, antique German floor mirror made of hand crafted polished, partly veneered Cherrywood in good condition. The tall freestanding mirror is consisting its origina...
Category
Mid-19th Century German Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Metal, Brass
19th Century Russian Pair of Antique Beechwood, Brass Wall Mirrors and Consoles
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An antique Russian pair of wall mirrors and console tables, nightstands made of hand crafted Karelian Beechwood in good condition. The floor mirrors are supported by two arched legs ...
Category
Mid-19th Century Russian Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Metal, Brass
French 19th Century Empire Style Mahogany and Ormolu Mirror
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A most handsome French 19th century Empire st. mahogany and ormolu mirror. The original mirror plate is flanked by two most impressive architectural columns with rounded feet, elegan...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Ormolu
Antique Danish Empire Mahogany Wall, Pier Mirror, 1820s
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Mahogany wall mirror with gilt detailing. Manufactured in Denmark in the early to mid-19th century.
Category
1820s European Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mahogany
$714 Sale Price
20% Off
Neoclassical Empire Rectangular Gold Hand Carved Wooden Mirror
Located in Madrid, ES
Neoclassical Empire style handcrafted mirror. Rectangular hand carved wooden structure with gold foiled finish. Spain, 1970.
Category
1970s Spanish Vintage Empire Mirrors
Materials
Gold Leaf
Large French Empire Parcel-Gilt and Beige Rectangular Mirror
Located in Barcelona, ES
Beautiful Empire period large rectangular mirror with neoclassical relief ornamentation with gilded details and a very nice patina in beige color with red accents, France, circa 1810...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Gold Leaf
French 19th Century Empire St. Mahogany and Ormolu Mirror
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An impressive and unique French 19th century Empire st. mahogany and ormolu mirror. The mirror is raised by a straight base with a fine mottled design. The original central mirror pl...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Ormolu
Neoclassical Empire Rectangular Gold Hand Carved Wooden Mirror, 1970
Located in Madrid, ES
Neoclassical Empire style handcrafted mirror. Rectangular hand carved wooden structure with gold foiled finished.
Category
1970s Spanish Vintage Empire Mirrors
Materials
Gold Leaf
Small Late 19th Century Mahogany Table or Wall Mirror
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
English Mahogany Table or Wall Mirror, circa 1860-1900. This small rectangular veneered mirror can either stand on a table or hang on a wall.
Category
Late 19th Century English Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mirror, Mahogany
Gold Giltwood Wall Mirror Neoclassical Style
Located in New York, NY
A gold giltwood wall mirror in the Neoclassical-Empire design, circa 19th century, Europe. The Empire period was another or second phase to Neoclassism. Mirror has beautiful, detaile...
Category
19th Century European Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mirror, Wood, Giltwood
19th Century Large Mahogany Mirror
Located in Casteren, NL
Large mirror made of mahogany, the mirror itself consists of two panels in a large mahogany frame with two candleholders on each side.
Originates...
Category
19th Century Dutch Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mahogany
19th Century Silver Backed Crackle Foxed Giltwood Mirror
Located in Hastings, GB
Sometimes mirrors are all about the frames, this stunning French mirror is all about the almost other Worldly foxed mirror plate, it is truly spectacular, over more than 150 years the silver backed...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mirror, Wood
19th Century Oval Gilt Florentine Mirror, Original Mirror Plate, AT ca. 1810
Located in Lichtenberg, AT
Stunning gilt 19th century Florentine wall mirror from the period around 1810 in Austria. Arftully handcarved out of softwood, this large mirror was part of the inventory of a small ...
Category
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mirror, Softwood, Giltwood
Vintage Golden Sunburst Mirror, 1960s
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Heavy gilded resin sunburst mirror with convex mirror glass.
The golden mirror is in a good condition.
1960s - made in Belgium.
Dimensions:
Diameter: 55cm/ 21.6"
Diameter glass: 1...
Category
1960s Belgian Vintage Empire Mirrors
Materials
Resin, Mirror
$476 / item
Empire Gilt and Patinated Bronze Mounted Mahogany Cheval Mirror, circa 1820
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A very fine Empire gilt and patinated bronze mounted mahogany cheval mirror or 'Psyché'.
French, circa 1820.
This fine Empire style mahogany cheval mirror or 'Psyché' is of e...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Bronze
Empire Mirror, Early 19th Century
Located in New York, NY
An early Empire 19th century mirror in mahogany and birth.
Mahogany and birch veneered. Painted black with bronze decorations.
Category
Early 19th Century Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Bronze
French Empire Style Solid Walnut Bronze Ormolu Mantel Buffet Wall Mirror
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Wood. Metal accents. 48" h x 53 7/8" w x 2 3/8" d.
Condition
Finish loss on edge. Scratches. Dents along edges. Oxidation to metal.
Dimensions
48 x 54 x 4 in
Category
1990s Unknown Empire Mirrors
Materials
Bronze
French Empire Large Self Standing Mirror
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Foyer French Empire mirror in original condition. Brass around the top and the bottom part of the column. Two small side drawers as well as middle glass shelf with the storage. Top p...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Wood
$1,250 Sale Price
35% Off
French Empire Mirror in Cuban Mahogany, Swans in Bronze D'Ore Ormolu, circa 1815
Located in Miami, FL
A very beautiful Empire mirror in fine West Indies/ Cuban mahogany with satinwood inlaid bandings. The book-matched figured mahogany draws the eye upward to the stepped pediment that...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mahogany, Satinwood
French 19th Century Empire Trumeau Mirror
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
Fabulous Empire trumeau mirror with Greco-Roman deity occupying the central frame. Bathed in gold gilt, she is carved with great reverence for beauty and projects off the frame in ¾ ...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mirror, Wood
Early 19th Century Danish Empire Mirror
Located in Vienna, AT
Mahogany fram mirror with the original glass with gilt decoration.
Category
Early 1800s Danish Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mahogany
$590 Sale Price
24% Off
Italian Carved Giltwood & Whitewashed French Empire Style Balloon Wall Mirror
Located in Kennesaw, GA
It is an Italian carved giltwood and whitewashed balloon form mirror with French Empire styling. It has tassel appointments. It is in very good condition.
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mirror, Poplar
$2,021 Sale Price
25% Off
Antique French Giltwood Mirror, Empire Period, circa 1810
Located in Paris, FR
Antique French giltwood wall mirror, Empire period, circa 1810. Antique gold leaf frame, period Empire, adorned with palmettes and vegetal mot...
Category
1810s French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mirror, Giltwood
Tall Stately Empire Mirror in Cuban Mahogany with Columns, Denmark, c. 1820
Located in Miami, FL
A very beautiful tall stately and elegant Empire mirror in fine Cuban mahogany with well-articulated carvings of anthemions as antefix decorating the crown molding. Turned columns wi...
Category
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mahogany
19th Century American Empire Mahogany Gentleman's Shaving or Dressing Mirror
Located in Germantown, MD
19th Century American Empire gentleman's tilt-top shaving mirror of mahogany. The original mirror glass is in a beveled frame with a dome top and is supported by beautifully crafter ...
Category
Mid-19th Century American Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mahogany
Rare Imposing First Empire Walnut and Gilt Bronze Cheval Mirror
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
This magnificent First Empire period cheval mirror, standing at over 1.90 meters in height, is an exceptional example of early 19th-century French craftsmanship. Designed as a freest...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Bronze
Large French Empire Mirror with Worn Gold Gilt Finish
Located in Bradenton, FL
Early 19th century French Empire mirror with original mercury glass mirror. Large scale Empire Gold Gilt mirror is a large statement piece. The...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Wood
A large French Empire wood and gesso mirror, C 1840.
Located in Philadelphia, PA
The two-tone painted, rectangular frame with ornate gilt highlights throughout. Perfect in an entryway, to elongate a hall way or above a mantel horizontally. The neutral mirror may...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Gesso, Mirror, Wood
1820s Italian Inlaid Accent Mirror
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Small wooden accent mirror from Italy in the Empire style, featuring exceptionally refined painted trompe-l'oeil and inlay decoration, architectural schema, and delicate ebonized acc...
Category
1820s Italian Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mirror, Wood
Pair of Wall Mirrors, Early 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Pair of pillar mirrors in gold-patinated and stuccoed frame with profiled molding. The mirror panes are divided in the upper third. Patination is rubbe...
Category
Early 19th Century European Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Giltwood
$13,940 / set
19th Century Antique Rustic Swedish Original Painted Table Mirror Dated, 1870
Located in Boden, SE
19th century Swedish antique rustic vanity mirror / table mirror dated 1870.
The Mirror has nice carved details on the top
This orginal painted mirror...
Category
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Pine
Antique Mirror With Frame Made In Mahogany, Denmark From 1840s
Located in Lejre, DK
This antique mirror, crafted from hand-polished mahogany and originating from Denmark around the 1880s, is a stunning example of late 19th-century design and craftsmanship.
The fram...
Category
1840s Danish Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mahogany
French Empire Mahogany Mantle Mirror
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A stately, Empire style mantle mirror from France with some light foxing throughout the original mercury mirror plate. The minimally carved mahogany has ...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Metal, Brass
19th Century Empire Mahogany Dressing Table Mirror, 1800s
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
Beautiful antique table mirror in mahogany. On the sides the mirror is supported by two columns. Antique mercury mirror.
Category
Early 1800s Italian Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mahogany
French 19th Century Empire Giltwood Wall Mirror with Original Mirror Glass
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Beautiful Empire gold gilt mirror with neoclassical embossed motifs: a classic French form. A lovely rectangular shape, the surfaces all decora...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mirror, Giltwood
19th Century French Gilded Pinewood Wall Glass Mirror - Antique Wall Décor
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A black-gold, antique French wall mirror made of hand crafted gilded Pinewood with its original mirrored glass, in good condition. The particularized carved Parisian mirror...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mirror, Pine
French Empire Style Wall Mirror With Faux Marble Att. To Maitland-Smith
Located in Kennesaw, GA
This is a French Empire style wall mirror attributed to Maitland-Smith. It has a brass eagle crest and faux marble columns. The mirror itself is cased in mahogany. It is unmarked and...
Category
Late 20th Century American Empire Mirrors
Materials
Brass
$1,421 Sale Price
25% Off
Empire Herringbone Gilt Wood Mirror
Located in New York, NY
Empire herringbone gilt wood mirror. Walnut herringbone veneer frame with interior wide Mecca gilt band with further palm foliate border framing original slightly distressed mirror plate. Some wear to wide gilt band otherwise a handsome neoclassical mirror...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Wood
A French Empire small giltwood and gesso decorated mirror, 19th C.
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A French Empire small giltwood and gesso decorated mirror, 19th C.
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Gesso, Mirror, Wood
Napoleon I Empire French Gold Leaf Wood Mirror
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.
Elega...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Mirrors
Materials
Mercury Glass, Wood
Empire mirrors for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Empire mirrors 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 mirrors created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include mirrors, tables, wall decorations and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, glass and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Empire mirrors 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 mirrors, popular names associated with this style include Baker Furniture Company, C. Werné, Chelini Firenze, and Design Institute America. 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 mirrors differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $321 and tops out at $161,044 while the average work can sell for $3,200.
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