Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
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.
19th Century Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Mahogany
Early 18th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Other
1880s Balkan Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Giltwood
1880s French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Fabric, Paper
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass, Iron
19th Century English Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass, Iron
19th Century Russian Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver
1890s French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Velvet, Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Leather
Early 1900s French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Fabric, Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Iron, Brass
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Silver
1830s French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood, Giltwood, Glass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass, Chrome
1940s French Vintage Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Oak
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Glass, Wood, Paper
Mid-20th Century American Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
1880s French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Pearwood
1850s French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Silver
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Bronze, Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Terracotta
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
1870s Chinese Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
1850s French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Tortoise Shell, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
1850s French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Bronze, Enamel
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Glass, Wood
1890s Italian Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Art Glass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
1890s French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
Late 20th Century French Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Onyx, Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Enamel, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Ceramic
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Collectibles and Curiosities
Ormolu