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Seating For Sale
Style: Empire
Style: Anglo Raj
Empire Style Mahogany and Gilt Bronze Side Chair
Located in London, GB
Empire style mahogany and gilt bronze side chair French, late 19th century Measures: Height 94cm, width 52cm, depth 52cm Crafted from mahogany, this unusual side chair...
Category

Late 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Ormolu

Pair of Swedish Empire Armchairs
Located in Ljungby, SE
A pair of Swedish Empire armchairs made in Lindome outside Gothenburg. Flared saber legs at the front and back. Made around 1810. In good condition.
Category

1810s Swedish Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Wood

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

French Federal EmpireStyle Victorian Cherry Wood Armchairs, Set of Four
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Amazing set of 4 Empire Style Armchairs, ornately decorated with bronze appliqué, leaf foot caps and stunning bronze griffin arm details. The commanding chairs are made of solid Cher...
Category

Early 1900s French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Bronze

Matched Pair of French Empire Armchairs, 19th Century
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A good quality near pair of French Mahogany Empire influenced armchairs. Each being upholstered in a classical damask patterned burgundy fabric, polished back rail, Dolphins carved t...
Category

Late 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany

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

French Empire Revival Mahogany Armchair w/ Gilt Bronze Sphinx Figures
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Condition: Original Vintage Condition, Requires New Upholstery Materials: Mahogany, Patinated Bronze Style: French Empire This exquisite armchair is a striking example of French Emp...
Category

Early 1900s French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Bronze

Vintage French Empire Sofa With Carved Swan Arms
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Wonderful painted and parcel gilt Empire sofa with medallions heads on the back, uprights modeled as swan heads in the arms, ( the swan heads are carved wood). This beautiful sofa ha...
Category

Early 1900s French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Linen, Upholstery, Wood

French Empire Solid Mahogany Regency Side Chairs Figural Bronze Ormolu, a Pair
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique French Empire solid mahogany Regency side chairs with figural bronze ormolu - a pair. Item features finely cast ornate bronze ormolu, slightly curved backrest, solid wood fra...
Category

Late 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Bronze

Set of Four French Empire Armchairs, 1810
Located in Belmont, MA
This set of four Empire armchairs dates back to around 1810. The elegant armchairs have a pretty cherry wood frame. The armrest and front ...
Category

Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Cherry

20th Century antique Empire Style Lion canapé Sofa beech bronze
Located in Berlin, DE
Imperial stylish lion Kanapee in Empire style. Finely detailed carving work on solid ebonized beechwood. Gilded. Winged, protruding lions heads in bronze.
Category

20th Century French Empire Seating

Materials

Beech

Jean-Joseph Chapuis Rare Pair of Empire parcel-gilt japanned Fauteuils
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
Despite his long life, very little is known about the general production of menuisier (chairmaker) Jean-Joseph Chapuis and even less about his use of bent laminates, which must be viewed as the most advanced of its kind until the appearance of Michael Thonet’s work of the 1830s. The profound reverence for the classical world in enlightened circles in early nine-teenth-century Europe and the United States often resulted in the archaeological resurrection of the art, architecture, and design of ancient Greece and Rome. No chair employing the innovative technique of bending wood more boldly expresses this allegiance to the past than this armchair painted in le style antique and based on the ancient Roman sella curulis (folding stool); With a curved toprail decorated with putti supporting a medaillion and flanked by scrolling acanthus, the arms with ball finials, above a caned seat, on curved supports terminating in foliate gilt-metal sabots. This merger of technological innovation with fashionable aesthetics parallels the work of the American Samuel Gragg...
Category

Early 19th Century Belgian Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Bentwood

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

20th Century French Empire Salon Sofa/Couch, Black
Located in Berlin, DE
20th century French Empire Salon Sofa/Couch, black Very specific finely detailed carving work on solid ebonized beechwood. Partially gilded. Cum...
Category

20th Century French Empire Seating

Materials

Beech

Baltic Set of 6 Empire-Armchairs, Mahogany, Design by Georg Friedrich Hetsch
Located in Göttingen, NI
A rare Baltic set of 6 Empire-armchairs - design by Georg Friedrich Hetsch Mahogany richly carved and veneered Side frame construction with inlaid upholstered seat on turned f...
Category

1820s Danish Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany

Opulent Set of 8 Empire Style Dining Chairs with Versace Upholstery
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Dramatic and sublime set of 8 Empire style custom dining chairs having glossy maple or mahogany frames adorned with warm bronzey gilded details on the corinthian column backs and ros...
Category

Early 2000s American Empire Seating

Materials

Upholstery, Maple

Empire Style Sofa, XX th, Mahogany, Gray
Located in Nice, FR
Empire style sofa Structure in solid mahogany with brass medallions Renovated upholstery, thick cotton fabric, gray color. The large seat cushion is ...
Category

1940s Italian Empire Vintage Seating

Materials

Mahogany

Neoclassical Empire Early 19th Century Mahogany Desk Armchair
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
An unusual North European mahogany desk armchair with original brass castors. Fully carved armrests with eagle heads, the design probably by a designer from Berlin or Copenhagen (e.g...
Category

Early 19th Century German Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Brass

Empire Style Mahogany Armchair
Located in Brussels, Brussels
Lovely empire style mahogany armchair from the end of the 19th century Very good quality bronze and beautiful mahogany Very beautiful armchair which can be used as a library chair or...
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany

2 armchairs Classicism - Empire Walnut
Located in Würzburg, DE
✓ Top condition ✓ Wonderful wood carvings ✓ High quality walnut Dimensions: W: 60cm H: 92cm D: 48cm Item: Antique armchair Item no.: 927 Epoch: Empire around 1800 Material: Walnut ...
Category

Early 18th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Walnut

Antique Empire / Biedermeier Armchair, circa 1810, Mahogany
Located in Berlin, DE
Mahogany solid wood, partially veneered. Semicircular backrests, Bergeren-form. Restored and reupholstered with original Wollrips fabric covered. (C-147).
Category

Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany

Pair of Empire Mahogany Armchairs in the Manner of Jacob Desmalter
Located in Berlin, DE
A pair of Empire mahogany fauteuils or armchair 'a la Reine' in the manner of Jacob-Desmalter/ François-Honoré-Georges Jacob Desmalter (1770-1841, son of Jacob Desmalter), newly upho...
Category

1810s French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany

Antique Pair of French Empire Neoclassical Louis XVI Harp Lyre Back Side Chairs
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Pair of antique harp back side chairs with brass or bronze mounts in the French Empire / Louis XVI taste. Item features solid wood construction, harp back...
Category

Early 20th Century French Empire Seating

Materials

Fabric, 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

Wood, Giltwood, Upholstery

French early 19th century Empire period Mahogany and Ormolu chaise, Circa 1805
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An elegant and most decorative French early 19th century Empire period Mahogany and Ormolu chaise, Circa 1805. This exquisite chaise is raised by six elegant Mahogany legs with Ormo...
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Ormolu

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

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

Pair 19th Century French Empire Style Chairs With Red Silk Upholstered Seat
Located in Sheridan, CO
Extraordinary pair of French Empire style mahogany chairs featuring a tub or gondola form frame. Minimally decorated having a curved back,...
Category

Late 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Silk, Mahogany

Pair of Empire Style Parcel Gilt Stools
Located in El Monte, CA
A magnificent pair of Empire-style parcel-gilt stools that exude timeless elegance. Each stool features a carved wooden frame with a cream and gilt finish showcasing the luxuriousnes...
Category

20th Century French Empire Seating

Materials

Wood

19th Century Empire Style Gilt X Frame Stool
Located in Chillerton, Isle of Wight
19th century Empire style gilt X frame stool. A superb antique neoclassical X frame stool in the Empire style, the stool has relatively new upholstery and the show wood is carved ...
Category

Late 19th Century Empire Antique Seating

Empire Walnut and Gold Leaf Hand-Made Sitting Chair by Modenese Gastone Interior
Located in PADOVA, Italy
Have a seat on this wonderfully upholstered empire side chair by Modenese Gastone Interiors featuring a wood frame gold leaf applied in details, upholstere...
Category

2010s Italian Empire Seating

Materials

Gold Leaf

Pair of Armchairs
Located in New York, NY
Pair of Russian neoclassical parcel-gilt mahogany armchairs Each armchair made during the Empire period in Russia. The mahogany veneered frame with gilded details. With unusual tu...
Category

19th Century Russian Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Giltwood

Empire Mahogany Sofa, Restored, Original Upholstery, France, 1860s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Empire Mahogany Sofa Origin: France 1860s This item features classic Empire elements. This style, originating in 19th century France, was made to...
Category

1860s French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Fabric, Upholstery, Lacquer, Mahogany

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 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

Rare and Magnificent Mid 19th Century Brazilian Empire Grand Settee
Located in Rio De Janeiro, BR
Immerse yourself in the timeless elegance of this Brazilian Empire Settee, circa 1850, a captivating piece that exudes history and craftsmanship. Originating from a prominent coffee ...
Category

1850s Brazilian Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Cane, Wood

Antique French Empire Neoclassical Style Brass Harp Lyre Side Chairs - a Pair
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique French Empire Neoclassical Style Brass Harp / Lyre Back Side Chairs - a Pair. Item features solid wood construction, harp backs, finely cast brass or bronze mounts, white dis...
Category

Early 20th Century Unknown Empire Seating

Materials

Fabric, Wood

Important Empire Early 19th Century Fauteuil by Jean-Joseph Chapuis
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
Despite his long life, very little is known about the general production of menuisier (chairmaker) Jean-Joseph Chapuis (1765-1864) and even less about his use of bent laminates, which must be viewed as the most advanced of its kind until the appearance of Michael Thonet’s work of the 1830s. The profound reverence for the classical world in enlightened circles in early 19th century Europe and the United States often resulted in the archaeological resurrection of the art, architecture, and design of ancient Greece and Rome. No chair employing the innovative technique of bending wood more boldly expresses this allegiance to the past than this armchair painted in le style antique and based on the ancient Roman sella...
Category

Early 19th Century Belgian Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Cane, Bentwood

Pair of Swedish Antique Taboret Stools from the Empire Period in Yellow Birch
Located in Kramfors, SE
Pair of antique taboret stools from the empire period, around 1840. The stools are Swedish and made in solid yellow birch. Curved legs and turned armrests. The seats can be taken out...
Category

Mid-19th Century Swedish Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Birch

Empire period ormolu and mahogany swans' heads stool
Located in London, GB
Empire period ormolu and mahogany swans' heads stool French, Early 19th Century Height 68cm, width 77cm, depth 39cm This beautiful antique stool is a class...
Category

Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Ormolu

Armchairs Pair of Swedish Mahogany Brown Gilded Details Green and White Seat
Located in New York, NY
A pair of armchairs made in Sweden during the Karl Johan period 1810-1840. Frame made in mahogany with gilded details. Upholstered in a durable outdoor Rogers and Goffigon stripe.  
Category

Early 19th Century Swedish Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany

Vintage Henry P. Urban Chairs With Carved Frames & Faux Paint
Located in Santa Barbara, CA
Highly decorative Pair of Empire Style Faux Painted and Parcel-Gilt Armchairs by Henry P. Urban. Chairs painted with faux paint Both in good condition with very minor nicks and scu...
Category

1980s American Empire Vintage Seating

Materials

Hardwood, Giltwood, Paint

19th Century French Empire Style Canapé
Located in Mt Kisco, NY
An elegant carved wood upholstered canapé.
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Upholstery, Wood

Antique French Empire Mahogany and Gilt Bronze Mounted Armchairs - Pair
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique French Empire Mahogany and Gilt Bronze Mounted Armchair in Blue Patterned Stripped Silk Blent - Pair This Antique French Empire armchair...
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Silk, Upholstery, Mahogany

Pair of French Empire Style Campaign Chairs
Located in New York, NY
A pair of French Empire style Campaign chairs. The pliant metal frame with brass lion's paw feet mounts and saber form legs designed to fold and accommodate fabric upholstery over th...
Category

1920s French Empire Vintage Seating

Materials

Brass

Pair of 19th Century English Regency Carved Mahogany and Upholstered Side Chairs
Located in Germantown, MD
A Pair of English Regency mahogany frame dining chairs, early 19th century. Features exquisite carved back-splats in conjunction with further foliate carvings to the top crest, strip...
Category

19th Century Unknown Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Mahogany, Upholstery, Giltwood

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

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

Set early Empire solid mahogany wood and sheepskin armchairs, France 1820s
Located in Meulebeke, BE
France / 1820 / 2 armchairs / mahogany, sheep skin / Romantic / Antique / Empire Set of two early Empire armchairs constructed of solid mahogany wood and with sheepskin upholstery. ...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Sheepskin, Mahogany

French, Empire Provencal Armchair
Located in Montreal, Quebec
A rare, beautiful, early-19th century Napoleon I, First Empire provencal armchair, a period piece, newly upholstered in the traditional laurel-leaf ...
Category

Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Wood

Vintage Italian Empire Style Gold Giltwood Swedish Gout Stool Footstool Ottoman
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage Italian Empire Style Gold Giltwood Swedish Gout Stool Footstool Ottoman. Item features bun feet, solid wood construction, gold gilt distressed finish, nicely carved details, ...
Category

Late 20th Century Unknown Empire Seating

Materials

Fabric, Wood

Pair Of French 19th Century Empire St. Patinated Wood And Giltwood Armchairs
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A striking pair of French 19th century Empire style Patinated wood and Giltwood armchairs. The pair of throne chairs are raised on impressive front quiver like circular tapered legs ...
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Wood, Giltwood

French 19th Century Empire Style Mahogany and Ormolu Armchairs
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A most handsome French mid-19th century Empire style mahogany and ormolu mounted pair of armchairs. The pair are raised by front square tapered legs that have pawed ormolu feet and e...
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Ormolu

Unique Empire Three-Piece Suite from Czechia 'Bohemia', 1810s, Fully Restored
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Czech lack Empire three-piece suite. Made of paer wood. Completely restored, new professional upholstery included. Surface was done by high gloss polish. Dimensions: Sofa Hei...
Category

1810s Czech Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Fabric, Upholstery, Pearwood, Lacquer

Pair of Antique French Empire Style Mahogany and Gilt Bronze Chairs
Located in London, GB
Pair of antique French Empire style mahogany and gilt bronze chairs French, 19th century Dimensions: Height 93cm, width 51cm depth 48cm This pai...
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Ormolu

1810s Bergere Armchair
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
An impressive 'Bergère' armchair in solid wood, dating from the First Empire period (early 19th century) and generously upholstered throughout in alternating stripes of deep pink and...
Category

Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Seating

Materials

Fruitwood

21st Century Empire-Style Bed Bench with Plated Fabric by Modenese Interiors
Located in PADOVA, Italy
This lovely pleated bench by Modenese Gastone Interiors will make a classy statement at the foot of a bed or as part of the decor in any living or night ...
Category

2010s Italian Empire Seating

Materials

Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf

Set of Four French Empire Fauteuil Armchairs in the Manner of Jacob Frères
Located in Long Island City, NY
These four early 19th-century Empire fauteuil armchairs, in the manner of the Jacob Frères cabinetmaking firm of the late 18th century, each feature a distinctive pediment-shaped cre...
Category

1810s French Empire Antique Seating

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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