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Seating For Sale
Style: Empire
Style: Anglo-Indian
Pair of Empire Armchairs, France ca. 1810
Located in Leimen, DE
Pair of Antique Empire Armchairs from France, Circa 1810 Discover this exquisite pair of Empire armchairs, crafted in France around 1810. These elegant chairs feature rich mahogany ...
Category

Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany

Empire Settee, France 1810, Manner of Jacob Desmalter (1770-1841)
Located in Leimen, DE
Empire Settee, France 1810 Step back in time to the opulent era of 19th-century France with the exquisite Elegant Empire Settee, crafted in 1810. This resplendent sofa is a testament...
Category

Early 1800s French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Bronze

Magnificent Carved Hardwood Elephant Chair
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Magnificent carved hardwood elephant chair A comfortable, substantial realistically carved, chair, modelled as a standing elephant. The raised back a...
Category

Early 20th Century Anglo-Indian Seating

Materials

Wood, Hardwood

Antique Empire Custom Painted Sofa
Located in New York, NY
Custom painted Empire sofa. Sofa has a down filled seat cushion. Legs and frame has carvings.
Category

19th Century American Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Upholstery, Wood

Pair 19th Century French Napoleon III Period Empire Style Painted Armchairs
Located in Dallas, TX
Pair 19th Century French Napoleon III Period Empire Style Painted Armchairs ~ Bergere with Fauteuil with cut silk velvet recalls the glory days of Napoleon and Josephine creating wha...
Category

1870s French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Silk, Walnut, Paint

Early 19th Century French Empire Mahogany Armchair
By François-Honoré-Georges Jacob-Desmalter
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A period French Empire mahogany armchair with carved lion heads to the arms and lion's paw feet to the legs, upholstered in French Emp...
Category

Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany

French Empire Mahogany Side Chair
Located in Queens, NY
"French Empire style (19th Cent) mahogany sleigh back side chair with bronze griffin legs and trim and red seat Antique condition. Shows wear"
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Bronze

19th Century, Four Tuscany Curule Wood Stools
Located in IT
19th Century, Four Tuscany Curule Wood Stools These four elegant stools were crafted from fine wood in Tuscany, Italy, during the early decades of the 19th century. The distinctive...
Category

Early 19th Century Italian Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Wood

Empire Armchair, Pierre-Benoît Marcion, France, c. 1810
Located in Greding, DE
Armchair by the French ébéniste Pierre-Benoît Marcion with carved lion's heads and paw feet. The frame is made of polished mahogany. The backrests and seats are newly upholstered in ...
Category

1810s French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Fabric, Mahogany

Set of 6 American Empire Style Carved Wood Gondola Dining Chairs
Located in Queens, NY
Set of 6 American Empire wood dining chairs in mahogany veneer with sloped gondola backs with an openwork, urn-form center topped by a carved foliate neoclassical crown...
Category

20th Century Empire Seating

Materials

Mahogany

Pair of Swedish Empire Green Stripe Club Chairs
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of Swedish Empire-style (20th Century) gilt club chairs with green lacquered claw feet and stripe upholstery (PRICED AS Pair)
Category

20th Century Swedish Empire Seating

Materials

Giltwood

French Empire Green Armchairs
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of French Empire style (19th century) mahogany armchairs with bronze trim and eagle heads with green seat.
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Bronze

Sofa Bench French Empire Mahogany Brass Brown France
Located in New York, NY
A rare sofa made in France during the Empire period, circa 1790-1810. Mahogany frame with gilded brass decor shaped as palm leaves. Tapered legs en...
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Fine Pair of Late 19th Century to Early 20th C Empire Parcel Gilt Benches
Located in Dallas, TX
A fine late 19th century to early 20th century Empire mahogany and parcel gilt pair of benches. Tufted upholstery.
Category

Late 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany

Pair of Consulat Ebony-Inlaid Birchwood Armchairs Stamped Jacob Frères
Located in Kittery Point, ME
The curved pierced back with a palmette-inlaid shaped splat terminating in dolphin supports raised on an upholstered seat, on front carved joined hairy animal legs (pieds de bîches) and hoof feet and back sabre legs; stamped: JACOB FRERES RUE MESLEE under the front rail. For a similar dolphin support, see Madeleine Jarry and Pierre Devinois, Le Siège Français, pp. 267 and 271 illustration 264 for an armchair at the Musée Marmottan stamped G. Jacob and executed in 1792. Provenance: Millicent Rogers her son, Arturo Peralta Ramos II Jacob Frères was the stamp used by brothers Georges II (1768-1803) and Francois-Honore Jacob (1770-1841) from 1796 to 1803. They were sons of Georges Jacob (1739-1814), arguably the best-known chair maker who worked for aristocracy and royalty during the reign of Louis XVI. The Jacob Frères firm's most famous client was Josephine, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. She would have most likely seen the work of their father during the revolution in a progressive aristocrat's house. She used them to decorate various Imperial residences, such as the Tuileries palace, and remained a loyal customer, using them almost exclusively, until her death. When Georges II (the elder brother) died in 1803, Georges came out of retirement to help the remaining son, Francois-Honoré (who changed his named to Jacob Desmalter) from a new partnership called Jacob Desmalter Et Cie. (stamped Jacob D. R. Meslée, on two lines), which continued to be an influential supplier for the Imperial period and is credited with helping to define the Empire style as it is known today. Millicent Rogers, born Mary Millicent Abigail Rogers, was a Standard Oil heiress, but she wasn’t a poor little rich girl...
Category

Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

19th Century French Napoleon III Period Empire Style Painted Sofa ~ Canape
Located in Dallas, TX
19th Century French Napoleon III Period Empire Style Painted Sofa ~ Canape with cut silk velvet recalls the glory days of Napoleon and Josephine creating what many experts consider t...
Category

1870s French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Silk, Walnut, Paint

Empire Style Painted Iron Bench, 19th Century, French
Located in El Monte, CA
A highly decorative and unique 19th century French empire painted and parcel gilt cast iron upholstered bench. Parcel gilt border is of a rich gold with warm red undertone painting jester...
Category

Late 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Iron

Set of 6 French Empire Dining Chairs in Mahogany with Bronze Mounts
Located in Dallas, TX
Set of 6 French Empire dining chairs in mahogany with bronze mounts are a stylish expression of the genre, with exotic imported ma...
Category

Early 20th Century French Empire Seating

Materials

Bronze

Pair of 19th Century French Empire Mahogany Wing-Back Armchairs
Located in Troy, NY
Exceptional Pair of late Empire Period Chairs, of Comfortable Size and Flowing Movement of Form. The accentuated wings beautifully complementing th...
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Brass

1980s Empire Style Sculptural Daybed Bench Ottoman
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
On offer on this occasion is one of the most stunning, versatile piece you could hope to find. This is an ultra-rare opportunity to acquire what is, unequivocally, the best of the be...
Category

1980s English Empire Vintage Seating

Materials

Upholstery, Wood

Set of Four 19th Century French Empire Mahogany Armchairs
Located in Dallas, TX
A set of four French Empire fauteuils-armchairs in carved and veneered mahogany with beautiful carving and scale.
Category

Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany

Exceptional armchair, Empire around 1800/10 Walnut
Located in Münster, DE
Exceptional armchair, Empire around 1800/10, solid walnut, patina condition, carved armrests with dolphin-shaped finials, upholstery with old leather cover Height: 81 cm, width: 60 ...
Category

1810s German Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Nutwood, Leather

Pair of French Consulate Arm Chairs
Located in Queens, NY
PAIR of French Consolate mahogany (circa 1800) open arm chairs with beige leather seat and square back with an open X design (PRICED AS PAIR)
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Bone-Inlaid Armchair from India, Curved Back
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful armchair, handcrafted in India out of aged and naturally seasoned teak wood, inlaid with responsibly sourced bone and artisanally weaved cane. Round top, cane back, uphol...
Category

2010s Indian Anglo-Indian Seating

Materials

Bone, Teak, Muslin, Cane

An Elegant Pair Italian Empire Pale-green Painted and Parcel-gilt Armchairs
Located in San Francisco, CA
each with incurved back sloping to join a tight seat flanked by bowed arms ending in swan neck terminals; raised on cabriole legs; adorned overall with giltwood acanthus leaves, bell...
Category

1810s Italian Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Wood

French Empire Period Mahogany Armchair with Swans' Heads
Located in Pembroke, MA
French Empire period mahogany fauteuil or armchair with saber legs and swans' heads on the arms. The chair is upholstered neoclassical-patterned cut mohair fabric.
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mohair, Mahogany

pair of French 19th century Empire st. Mahogany and Ormolu side chairs
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A handsome and high quality pair of French 19th century Neo-Classical/Empire st. Mahogany and Ormolu side chairs. Each wonderful chair is raised on four square curved legs all connec...
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Ormolu

Original antique Empire Armchair circa 1860-1880 Massive Mahogany bronze
Located in Berlin, DE
Original Empire armchair circa 1860-1880 massive mahogany 2 beautiful armchairs from an Empire room. Each 2 figures provided cast bronze. The chairs have a nice curve, in a top...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany

Pair of French Armchairs Fauteuil White Carved Back 1800s 1900s Antique Empire
Located in Lewes, England
Unusual Late 1800s early 1900s French antique pair of armchairs in original white paint with carved backs and beautiful curved arms and legs. They hark back to Napoleon's favorite Em...
Category

Late 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Bentwood

19th Century Vintage Empire Mahogany Salon, Set of 5
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Set of four fauteuils and one large sofa. Mahogany wood. Beautifully restored. Very comfortable and elegant. French work of the beginning of the 19th century, Empire period. Sold as ...
Category

Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany

Set of 5 French Empire Mahogany Living Room Set
Located in Queens, NY
Set of 5 French Empire-style (19th century) mahogany salon or living room set with bronze trim and red damask upholstery. Measurements: 2 arms 27½" W 28" D 40½" H 2 sides 22½...
Category

19th Century Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Bronze

Pair of 19th Century Empire Lyre Back Dining Chairs
Located in San Francisco, CA
Pair of 19th century Empire Lyre back dining chairs Wonderful pair of walnut dining chairs with carved double eagle head and lyre carving. Mea...
Category

Late 19th Century Austrian Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Walnut

Original Antique French Empire Sofa Mahogany Veneer with Columns
Located in Berlin, DE
Original French Empire sofa, circa 1800. Mahogany, right and left, each with columns and fire-gilt bronze fittings. Some bronze are missing.
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Wood

Pair of French Empire Striped Armchairs
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of French Empire ivory painted open Armchairs with gilt trim and green stripe upholstered seat and back
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Gold Leaf

French Empire Sofa, 1810-15
Located in Belmont, MA
This unique Empire settee dates back to around 1810-15 and comes from France. The elegant settee has a cherry wood frame with hand carved details on armrests and front legs. The sett...
Category

1810s French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Cherry

Rare Indian Carved Three-Piece Salon Suite with a Bench and Two Chairs
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Unusual and slightly outrageous three-piece salon suite with a love seat and two chairs. The actual furniture has a sophisticated regency form, crafted with hardwood and decorated wi...
Category

20th Century Indian Anglo-Indian Seating

Materials

Paint

French Empire Style Chair by Frederick Victoria
Located in Stamford, CT
A French Empire style chair made by Frederick Victoria with ostrich leather seat.
Category

20th Century French Empire Seating

Materials

Wood

Around 1800 Baltic States 4 Dining Chairs Mohagony Brasswire Decor
Located in Epfach, DE
4 chairs for a dining room, around 1800, provenance probably from a noble household in the Baltic States Mahogany, backrests and seat frames decorated with brass wire, designed in s...
Category

1810s Baltic Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany

a Pair of Newly Upholstered French Empire Armchairs One Stamped J. Louis
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A classic pair of French Empire period open armchairs in well figured and carved mahogany; each with a square back topped by a bow shaped carved frieze featuring folliate rosettes and downscrolled arms. Where the arms join the chair rail there are carved anthemians and palmettes. These two chairs are presented in the green Empire fabric...
Category

Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany

Madras Armchair in Rope by Laura Gonzalez
Located in Paris, FR
This limited edition Madras armchair is made with a hand-carved wooden base and features a hand-woven rope covering by the Véronique de Soultrait works...
Category

2010s French Anglo-Indian Seating

Materials

Fabric, Rope, Wood, Lacquer

Early 19th Century Danish Giltwood Armchair by Gustav Friederich Hetsch
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
A very decorative and large giltwood armchair after a design by the famous Danish Architect Gustav Friedrich Hetsch, (1788-1964). The German born architect worked mostly in Copenhage...
Category

Early 19th Century Danish Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Giltwood

Elegant Danish Empire Armchair, circa 1810
Located in Kastrup, DK
Elegant and decorative Empire armchair. Made in mahogany, with light wood inlaid (lemon tree). Oval backboard in ebonised wood. Front of arms in the form of wooden cut grippers with ...
Category

1810s Danish Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany, Velvet, Wood, Fruitwood

French Empire Green Damask Side Chairs
Located in Queens, NY
Set of 8 French Empire-style (19th Century) mahogany side chairs with bronze trim and green damask upholstery. (PRICED AS Set) Antique condition, some fa...
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Damask, Upholstery, Mahogany

Set of 6 Empire Barrel Chairs, 1810-20
Located in Belmont, MA
This unique and original set of 6 early 19th century Empire barrel chairs stands out for its elegant design. The chairs feature a beautiful walnut...
Category

1810s French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Walnut

19th Century Painted Swedish Bench
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
A 19th Century Swedish bench from the Empire period, the back panel decorated with a classical scene of a pair of griffon. New seat cushion in plain linen.
Category

19th Century Swedish Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Wood, Paint

19th Century Empire Tub Armchair
Located in Belmont, MA
Unique Empire tub armchair, circa 1820, mahogany with finely carved details. Newly upholstered with beautiful crème colored fabric.
Category

1810s French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany

VINTAGE ANGLO INDIAN HAND PAINTED FOLDING FOLDING ARMCHAiR ORNATELY DETAILED
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this super decorative Anglo Indian hand painted folding armchair Please note the delivery fee listed is ju...
Category

20th Century Indian Anglo-Indian Seating

Materials

Wood

Set of Four Swedish Empire Side Chairs by F. Pettersson, Mid 19th C.
Located in Atlanta, GA
A set of four Swedish Empire side chairs from the mid-19th century by furniture maker F. Pettersson. These antique chairs from Sweden have an elegantly curved backs, with straight wo...
Category

19th Century Swedish Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Upholstery, Giltwood, Wood

Antique French Tabouret Seat
Located in Buxton, GB
This exquisite piece of furniture is an Antique French Tabouret Empire Style, crafted from high-quality mahogany wood in France during the peri...
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Hardwood

Elegant Antique French Carved Wood Recamier Bench with Bronze Mounts
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Elegant and rare French 19th century mahogany recamier bench having pronounced curved sides and lovely carved cabriole legs that terminate in gilded hairy paw feet. There are other g...
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Bronze

Set of Two Antique Empire Side Chairs, circa 1830, Empire / Biedermeier
Located in Praha, CZ
Very good original condition with new cover fabric. Solid and compact. Perfectly cleaned and polished with shellac.
Category

Early 19th Century Austrian Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Textile, Wood

Pair of French Empire Style Side Chairs
Located in New York, NY
Pair of elegant French Empire style side chairs. The chairs are burl with bronze mounts and feet. The black section to the front of the legs i...
Category

Early 20th Century French Empire Seating

Materials

Bronze

Oak Dining Chair with Decorative Ears of Wheat Hand Carved, Made in Italy
Located in Barlassina, IT
Oak wood chair, with decorative ears of wheat hand carved on backrest and counter back. This armchair is inspired by Russian Empire style ( zar Nicola II )....
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Empire Seating

Materials

Oak

Pair Empire Style leather armchairs
Located in Schöfflisdorf, CH
Pair Empire Style leather armchairs very wide and comfortable with golden print on the seat and back
Category

1980s French Empire Vintage Seating

Materials

Leather, Birch

French Empire Silk Bergère Armchairs
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of French Empire mahogany bergère (armchairs) upholstered in red silk with scrolled back above winged caryatid arm uprights & a loose seat cushion, (early 19th century).
Category

Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Silk, Mahogany

Pair of Empire Consulate Mahogany Chairs Griffin Heads & Paw Feet
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
Pair of Very Important Empire Consulate Mahogany Chairs Griffin Heads & Paw Feet. Unique pair purchased in France. Age appropriate wear, see detailed photos. Message us with any ques...
Category

Early 18th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany

Pair of Late Empire Armchairs in Birch from the 1840s
Located in Lejre, DK
A pair of Late Empire birch armchairs, upholstered in red fabric and from around the 1840s, make a beautiful and period feature in any interior with their...
Category

1840s Danish Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Fabric, Birch

Sofa, Historismus, 1880s
Located in Praha, CZ
- Made in Czechoslovakia - Made of wood, fabric - Original upholstery - Wooden parts has some signs use - Good, original condition.   
Category

1880s Czech Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Fabric, Wood

Unique Chairs, Sofas and Other Seating for Sale on 1stDibs

With entire areas of our homes reserved for “sitting rooms,” the value of quality antique and vintage seating cannot be overstated.

Fortunately, the design of side chairs, armchairs and other lounge furniture — since what were, quite literally, the early perches of our ancestors — has evolved considerably.

Among the earliest standard seating furniture were stools. Egyptian stools, for example, designed for one person with no seat back, were x-shaped and typically folded to be tucked away. These rudimentary chairs informed the design of Greek and Roman stools, all of which were a long way from Sori Yanagi's Butterfly stool or Alvar Aalto's Stool 60. In the 18th century and earlier, seats with backs and armrests were largely reserved for high nobility.

The seating of today is more inclusive but the style and placement of chairs can still make a statement. Antique desk chairs and armchairs designed in the style of Louis XV, which eventually included painted furniture and were often made of rare woods, feature prominently curved legs as well as Chinese themes and varied ornaments. Much like the thrones of fairy tales and the regency, elegant lounges crafted in the Louis XV style convey wealth and prestige. In the kitchen, the dining chair placed at the head of the table is typically reserved for the head of the household or a revered guest.

Of course, with luxurious vintage or antique furnishings, every chair can seem like the best seat in the house. Whether your preference is stretching out on a plush sofa, such as the Serpentine, designed by Vladimir Kagan, or cozying up in a vintage wingback chair, there is likely to be a comfy classic or contemporary gem for you on 1stDibs.

With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles.

Admirers of the sophisticated craftsmanship and dark woods frequently associated with mid-century modern seating can find timeless furnishings in our expansive collection of lounge chairs, dining chairs and other items — whether they’re vintage editions or alluring official reproductions of iconic designs from the likes of Hans Wegner or from Charles and Ray Eames. Shop our inventory of Egg chairs, designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Florence Knoll lounge chair and more.

No matter your style, the collection of unique chairs, sofas and other seating on 1stDibs is surely worthy of a standing ovation.

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