Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
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.
Early 18th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Brass, Iron
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Brass, Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Iron, Brass
1830s French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Wood, Giltwood, Glass
1940s French Vintage Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Bronze, Brass
1890s French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Paper
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Enamel, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Upholstery, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Brass
Mid-18th Century Dutch Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Metal
Mid-18th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Iron
Early 18th Century Swedish Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Ebony, Oak
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Mahogany
Mid-17th Century Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Slate
18th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Brass, Iron
Early 20th Century English Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Brass, Iron
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Metal, Brass, Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Marble, Copper
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Wood
1870s European Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Copper, Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Marble, Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Glass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Marble, Brass
1880s French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Wood
1880s French Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Wood
1860s European Antique Napoleon III Scientific Instruments
Marble