Napoleon III Religious Items
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.
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Upholstery, Wood
1880s Balkan Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Giltwood
19th Century Russian Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Velvet, Mahogany
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Brass, Chrome
1850s French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Terracotta
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Glass, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Marble, Bronze, Enamel
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Multi-gemstone, Marble, Brass
17th Century Italian Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Marble
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Rosewood
19th Century North American Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Tin
Early 20th Century German Napoleon III Religious Items
Metal
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Mahogany
1850s French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Rush, Cherry
19th Century Belarusian Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Wood
18th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Oak
Early 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Mahogany
19th Century Russian Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Walnut
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Velvet, Mahogany
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Walnut
1880s French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Porcelain, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Paper
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Beads, Silk
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Copper
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Onyx, Enamel
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Religious Items
Bronze