Napoleon III Buffets
NAPOLEON III STYLE
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.
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Style: Napoleon III
19th Century Carved Oak Dessert Buffet From France
Located in High Point, NC
19th century oak dessert buffet from France. On the top there is a glorious hand carved backsplash and four hand carved crown finials. There are three shelves, all with carved front ...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Oak
19th Century French Burl Walnut Buffett
Located in Louisville, KY
Stunning 19th Century French Burl Walnut Buffett with two panel drawers each with intricately carved floral motifs within the center panels, each drawer has brass hardware with ornat...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Brass
19th Century Boulle-Style Buffet in Marquetry from the Napoleon III Period
Located in NICE, FR
This rare buffet 'd'appui', crafted in the exquisite Boulle marquetry style, dates back to the Napoleon III era in the 19th century. Executed with the same precision as Charles-André...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Carrara Marble, Brass, Bronze
19th Century Napoleon III 'Meuble d'Appui' Buffet in Black Lacquered Wood
Located in NICE, FR
We present to you this unique 'meuble d'appui' buffet piece crafted from black lacquered wood. It features two prominent cartouches of bouquets painted on its sinuous front, which, i...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Wood
High buffet In Marquetry, Napoleon III, 19th Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Beautiful sideboard at support height in marquetry of different types of diamond-shaped wood, with rich gilded bronze ornamentation and a Wedgewood p...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Marble, Bronze
19th Century Italian Bird’s-Eye Maple Chest of Drawers Commode
Located in Forney, TX
A stunning fine quality antique, circa 1860s/1870s Italian chest of drawers commode.
Hand-crafted in Italy in the third quarter of the 19th century, influenced by Napoleon III Se...
Category
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Carrara Marble, Brass
Paul Sormani - Marquetry cabinet, Gilt Bronze From Napoleon III Period, signed
By Paul Sormani
Located in NONANCOURT, FR
Cabinet in marquetry and gilt bronze by Paul Sormani. It opens with two doors and a drawer in the belt and has an ornamentation of chiseled and gilded bronzes. Aleppo breccia marble...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Bronze
19th Century Buffet D'Entre Deux by Paul Sormani
By Paul Sormani
Located in NICE, FR
This beautiful hallway buffet crafted by Paul Sormani at his famous Rue Charlot cabinetry shop in Paris boasts a gracefully curved design on its front and sides. It hails from the Na...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Oak Buffet
Located in High Point, NC
19th century oak buffet from France. The top is banded and has a beveled and hand carved decorated edge, following down to paneled sides, which...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Oak
19th Century French Dessert Buffet
Located in High Point, NC
19th century oak dessert buffet from France. The top is banded and has a beveled and hand carved decorated edge. The top then lifts to reveal a marble serving surface, which is hel...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Marble
Monbro - Important Meuble D'appui Napoleon III
Located in BARSAC, FR
Georges Alphonse Bonifacio Monbro (1807, 1884) known as MONBRO AINE
Exceptional harmoniously curved meuble d'appui with moving shapes opening two large doors with geometric marquetry...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Bronze
19th Century French Napoleon III "Meuble d'Appui" Buffet
Located in San Antonio, TX
This 19th-century French Napoleon III Meuble d'Appui is a stunning antique piece made of solid walnut and adorned with beautiful golden molds. With its e...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Walnut
19th Century French Napoleon III Period Walnut Vaisselier ~ Buffet
Located in Dallas, TX
19th century French Napoleon III Period Walnut Vaisselier ~ Buffet is a remarkable work of the cabinetmaker's art! Only select, blonde French walnut was used which creates a lovely w...
Category
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Walnut
Napoleon III French Boulle Style Buffet or Cabinet
Located in San Antonio, TX
Bring a touch of elegance to your home with this superb 19th-century French Boulle buffet or cabinet, hailing from the Napoleon III period. This rare an...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Marble, Brass, Bronze
French Napoleon III Buffet Cabinet with Its Original Marble Top, circa 1820
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Napoleon III buffet, with its original marble top, from the early 19th century. This antique console from France, circa 1820's, features its original marble top over a case which houses a single drawer at top, over a pair of doors (with right door fitted with a single wreath shaped brass escutcheon), and flanked within column form front side posts with decorative brass capitals. The doors open to reveal a single shelf within and plentiful storage. The skirt is clean and linear, with sides having a recessed panel design each. The cabinet is raised on thickly rounded front legs...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Marble
19th Century French Renaissance Revival Walnut Buffet
Located in Dallas, TX
19th century French Renaissance Revival Walnut Buffet is a masterpiece of the artisans around the environs of Paris who strove to follow the trends set by the court, in this instance...
Category
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Brass
Napoleon III French Marquetry Buffet
Located in San Antonio, TX
An elegant console or “meuble d'entre-deux” from the Napoleon III period. This console features brass and bronze ornaments on the upper and lower corners with beautiful marquetry wor...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Brass, Bronze
19th Century French Second Empire Period Marble Top Buffet
Located in Dallas, TX
19th Century French Second Empire Period marble top buffet is a timeless example of the magnificent furnishings that emanated from France during t...
Category
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Dessert Buffet
Located in High Point, NC
19th century oak dessert buffet from France with a lovely detailed hand carved and scalloped backsplash, over three shelves. The top is wonderfully grai...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Oak
19th Century French Dessert Buffet
Located in High Point, NC
19th century oak dessert buffet from France with a banded edge around the top , which also features a beveled and hand carved decorated edge. The top li...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Oak
Buffet at Support Height with Painted Polychrome Decoration, Napoleon III Period
Located in VERSAILLES, FR
Rare lacquer buffet on a black background decorated with splendid bouquets of flowers on the sides and garlands surrounding a bird on the front. These flowers are of a very precise q...
Category
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Commode Style Boulle of French 19th Century Napoleon III Period
Located in Warsaw, PL
A sensational and extremely high quality French 19th century Napoleon III Period ebony, brass and ormolu.
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Bronze
19th Century French Napoleon III Period Walnut Buffet with Carrara Marble
Located in Dallas, TX
19th Century French Napoleon III period walnut buffet with carrara marble reflects a fascinating period in French history when all the styles were revived, including the timeless neo...
Category
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Carrara Marble
Important Pair of Napoleon III Dressers with Hunting Decor
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Important pair of Napoleon III dressers with hunting decor.
Category
Mid-19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Wood, Amboyna
19th Century Tall French Dessert Buffet
Located in High Point, NC
19th century tall oak dessert buffet from France. The top is banded and has a beveled and carved edge around the top, following down to paneled sides and two paneled and hand carved ...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Oak
Delicate Porcelain Ormolu and Ebony Cabinet, Napoleon III
Located in Warsaw, PL
The cabinet is crafted in Napoleon III style, which is also known as Second empire style. The main material of the cabinet is ebony with dark varnish finish. The top of the cabinet iscovered with Carrara marble, which was a popular combination of that time period.
The large frizes atop and the small friezes on the bottom are sculpted with beautiful and delicate pearl-shaped motifs. The pearl motif dominates in this antique French cabinet, as it features also in the framing edge of the front panels of the door. It seems like the pearl motifs become an endless source of inspiration in this French gorgeous cabinet.
On either side of the front corner panels of the cabinet is an image of a man's head gilded with ormolu, built into the modillions, where flowers hang from them.The corners of a cabinet are ornated with square rosettes which are overhung by rococo curves and shells. The acanthus leaf pattern complements the decoration of the 4 front corners of the cabinet. In the central door panel there is a medallion with a painting of two women with a goat standing by a tree surrounded by forest. The porcelain picture depicts the poetic beauty of people and landscapes in the French countryside. The bright colors in the porcelain painting brings more life in to the dark stained cabinet...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Marble
French 19th Century Napoleon III Period Cabinet
Located in Warsaw, PL
French 19th century Napoleon III period cabinet. This cabinet is after very good quality renovation.
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Marble, Bronze
French 19th Century Napoleon III Period Cabinet
Located in Warsaw, PL
This cabinet is after very good quality renovation.
Category
1850s French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Bronze
French 19th Century Napoleon III Period Cabinet
Located in Warsaw, PL
A magnificent rectangular black 2-door cabinet in Napoleon III style. Large and small details are gilt, bringing antique and luxurious looks. Brass medallions are centrally mounted on each door and also adorn the upper facade of the cabinet. The inside of the cabinet is divided into three horizontal shelves. At the bottom of the cabinet, there is a figure of a woman's mask, decorated with floral motifs, notably acanthus leaves and it is completed on the side with a rich ornamentation of gilded bronzes caryatides. The borders running along the cabinet are all gilt and engraved with beautiful patterns. On the two cabinet doors, there are two big figures encased in an oval border, representing Apollo, the god of music, and Hermes, the messenger of the gods.
Both are the son of Zeus, and they are also frequently present in mythological tales about the other. When Hermes was just a toddler, he once left his cradle to steal the cattle of his half-brother Apollo. Apollo soon discovered that his flock was missing and began to search the surrounding area. Of course, Apollo was the god of prophecy, so he soon found out about the thief and furiously went to Mount Cyllene to find Hermes in his cave. He grabbed the infant and took him to Mount Olympus, to be judged by their master Zeus, the king of the gods. In front of Zeus, Hermes initially denied everything, but in the end, he had to confess. Zeus found the story quite amusing, so he did not punish Hermes, but only required him to return the flock. Hermes regretted what he had done and offered Apollo his lyre as a gift. The lyre was a musical instrument that Hermes had created all by himself from the shell of a turtle. To repay Hermes for his kindness, Apollo returned the gesture by giving Hermes a golden staff...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Bronze
French 19th Century Napoleon III Cabinet, Styl Boulle
Located in Warsaw, PL
French antique Boulle two doors cabinet.
Wood is decorated with inlaid brass and turtle, bronze details outside.
Inside the cabinet there are two shelves.
Cabinet top is white mar...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Bentwood
Cabinet 19th Century, Napoleon III Period, Style Boulle.
Located in Warsaw, PL
This Napoleon III Style cabinet is made of black polished wood, mounted with gilt bronze, inlaid with brass and resting on top is a plate of Belgian black marble. The Napoleon III st...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Bronze
Commode French 19th Century of Napoleon III Period
Located in Warsaw, PL
A sensational French 19th century Napoleon III period ebony, brass, ormolu, semi precious stone and marble cabinet. The cabinet is raised by mottled topie shaped feet with a fine wra...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Stone, Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Oak Dessert Buffet
Located in High Point, NC
19th century oak dessert buffet from France with a beveled and carved decorated edge around the top, over two drawers with hand carved decorated drawer fronts along with hand carved ...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Oak
19th C Napoleon III Rosewood Sideboard Buffet Credenza Cabinet w/ Brass Lattice
Located in Philadelphia, PA
19th century Napoleon III style rosewood sideboard buffet credenza cabinet with brass lattice. Item features shaped wooden top with faux marbleized finish, blue velvet interior, bron...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Brass
Napoléon III Gilt-Bronze Mounted Mahogany Buffet by Maison Grohé, circa 1860
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A large and impressive Napoléon III gilt-bronze mounted mahogany buffet with a rouge marble top, by Maison Grohé.
French, circa 1860.
Stamped twice...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Bronze
Near Pair of Mahogany Consoles Dessertes by Maison Grohé, French, circa 1860
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A near pair of mahogany consoles Dessertes with exceptional gilt bronze Ram’s Head Mounts, by Maison Grohé.
Stamped ‘GROHÉ / A PARIS’.
Grohé, Guill...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Bronze
French Oak Enfilade
Located in Woodbury, CT
French oak enfilade with three-plank top, breadboard ends and thumb moulded edge over three drawers and three paneled doors. Robust carved doors se...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Oak
French Two-Door Fruitwood Buffet
Located in Woodbury, CT
Two drawers over two shaped and recessed panel doors are the traditional arrangement for buffets and this one doesn’t disappoint. Even more delightful is the fact that the scalloped ...
Category
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Fruitwood
Napoleon III Style French Buffet Chest of drawers wood bronze black marble
Located in Valladolid, ES
Spectacular and one of a kind French Napoleon III style sideboard in exotic and precious woods such as rosewood. Counter top in black marble and bronze throughout its presentation.
I...
Category
1940s French Vintage Napoleon III Buffets
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Napoleon Iii buffets for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Napoleon III buffets for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 19th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage buffets created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include case pieces and storage cabinets and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Napoleon III buffets made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and Italy pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original buffets, popular names associated with this style include Paul Sormani, Antoine Krieger, and Diehl Manufacturing Co.. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for buffets differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,495 and tops out at $173,433 while the average work can sell for $7,463.
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