Empire Dressers
EMPIRE STYLE
From 1804–15, Napoléon I reigned as the emperor of France, bringing the country into a new era of opulence after the fall of the monarchy and the tumultuous years of the French Revolution. He declared, “We must have very solid things, made to last 100 years.” Empire-style furniture followed suit, with imposing pieces constructed from mahogany and adorned with gilded ornaments. Expanding on the neoclassicism popularized in the previous century — such as in Louis XVI style — Empire style borrowed from the great civilizations of antiquity, from Egypt to Greece and Rome, to connect this nascent empire to the power of the past.
Napoléon I believed the production of fine furniture would reflect the stature of the republic, with his official architects Charles Percier and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine leading the way with their work on his residences.
Luxurious materials, symmetrical shapes and bold colors characterize antique Empire-style bedroom furniture, armchairs, cabinets and other structures, with frequent motifs including mythological creatures, geometric designs, acanthus leaves, eagles, bees (the imperial emblem) and swans, a favorite of Empress Joséphine. Flat surfaces, like marble tabletops, were accented with decadent details, such as the bronze furniture mounts made by sculptor Pierre-Philippe Thomire for the French palaces. Martin-Guillaume Biennais, who worked as the imperial goldsmith, crafted intricate luxury objects that mixed wood, fine metal, mother-of-pearl and ivory.
The style became popular abroad, influencing the American Empire style. Stately pieces carved with sprigs of olives by cabinetmaker Pierre-Antoine Bellange were acquired by American President James Monroe for the White House in 1817.
Find a collection of antique Empire tables, lighting, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
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Style: Empire
Empire Chest of Drawers, France 1810-1820, Cherry
Located in Belmont, MA
Empire chest of drawers, France 1810-1820. This early 19th century elegant Empire chest of drawers has a cherry veneer and is decorated with original brass...
Category
1810s French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Cherry
19th Century French Walnut Empire Style Chest of Drawers, circa 1820
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
A beautiful Empire dresser from the early 19th century, with three main drawers and a fourth drawer just below the tray in veneered walnut feathers. Note how the flame is drawn on th...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Bronze
Antique American Empire Crotch Mahogany Chest Drawers Step Back Dresser Paw Feet
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique American Empire Crotch Mahogany Chest Drawers Step Back Dresser with Paw Feet. Item features column supports, lift off upper small 3 drawer sect...
Category
Early 19th Century Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Mahogany
French Period Empire Marble Top Four Drawer Commode W/Brass Accents
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Empire period painted commode, with marble top and brass accents, from the early 19th century. This antique chest from France features a rectangular-shaped marble top which ...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Marble, Brass
French Empire Artisan-Painted Commode, 19th Century
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Empire commode, with an artisan hand-painted finish, from the 19th century. This antique chest from France has a rectangular-shaped top, which is slightly recessed upon a lo...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Wood
French Empire Period Commode w/Black Marble Top, Revival Accents, & Paw Feet
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Empire period wooden commode, with marble top and revival accents, from the early 19th century. This antique commode from France features a rectangular-shaped black marble t...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Wood
BALKWILL & PATCH Antique 19th Century Empire Style Rosewood Dresser with Mirror
Located in Charlotte, NC
An antique Empire style dresser with attached mirror by Balkwill & Patch Furniture Co. Rosewood with classic Empire styling, upper gallery...
Category
Late 19th Century American Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Mirror, Rosewood
Antique Pine Highboy Chest of Five Drawers from Denmark, circa 1800s
Located in Round Top, TX
Tall empire pine chest of five drawers with half column accents that rests on separate base with four turned feet.
Four larger drawers have two brass pulls; upper narrow drawer has ...
Category
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Wood, Pine
French Empire Commode with Beautiful Inlay & Bookmatched Veneer, Early 19th C.
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Empire commode with beautiful inlay and book-match veneers, from the early 19th century. This antique chest from France features a rectangular-shaped, book-match veneer top,...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Wood
Pair of Empire Mahogany Commodes, circa 1820
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Rectangular top above three graduated recessed drawers flanked by three quarter rounded ebonized columns raised on plinth block feet.
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Mahogany
19th Century French Empire Marble Commode
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Experience the grandeur of 19th-century French design with this extraordinary Empire Commode. Meticulously hand-crafted from mahogany, brass, and marble, this elegant chest of drawer...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Marble, Brass, Bronze
19th Century Spanish Regency / Isabelina Mallorquín Commode, Marquetry Inlay
Located in Madrid, ES
Often referred to as "Mallorquín" or "Catalana" style, this type of commode evolved in the early to mid 19th century in the Spanish province of Catalonia, taking design influences from various European...
Category
19th Century Spanish Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Marble
French Empire Style Commode or Dresser with Marble Top & Bronze Lion Head Pulls
Located in Plainview, NY
An exquisite French Empire style commode or dresser offering three drawers. The commode or dresser is painted in antiqued beige tone and features lion head bronze pulls. The dresser or commode is raised by finely carved tole metal bottom showing scrolls and a large shell design in the middle. The piece is study and is finely carved while having a marble top in black , gray adding style and elegance to this timeless dresser.
The French Empire style dresser...
Category
20th Century Empire Dressers
Materials
Marble, Bronze
French Empire Style Flame Mahogany Bronze Mounted Marble Top Chest, Dresser
Located in Plainview, NY
A spectacular French Empire style flame mahogany chest or dresser. Featuring 7 drawers, the tall chest is crafted of flame mahogany showing beautiful textures and grains. The front o...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Empire Chest of Drawers with Four Drawers of Mahogany, 1840s
Located in Lejre, DK
Empire chest of drawers with four drawers of mahogany, in great antique condition from the 1840s.
Category
1840s Danish Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Mahogany
Baker Furniture French Empire Cherry Wood Highboy Dresser, Newly Refinished
Located in South Bend, IN
An outstanding French Empire style six-drawer highboy dresser chest
By Baker Furniture
USA, circa 1960s
Gorgeous book-matched cherry wood, with original brass hardware.
M...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Empire Dressers
Materials
Brass
Birdseye Maple Chest of Drawers
Located in Copake Falls, NY
An antique Empire style two over three chest of drawers, decorated in front with birdseye maple veneers. Hand dovetailed drawers open with two round knob handles. The frame is made o...
Category
Mid-19th Century Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Birdseye Maple, Maple
French Empire Style Mahogany Bow Front Chest Dresser with Bronze Paw Feet
Located in Philadelphia, PA
French Empire style mahogany bow front chest dresser with bronze paw feet. Item features cast bronze metal paw feet, bowed front, lion head pulls, solid wo...
Category
Late 20th Century Empire Dressers
Materials
Bronze
Villa Garnelo Crotch Mahogany Empire Style 4 Drawer Commode Dresser
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Villa Garnelo Crotch mahogany Empire style 4 drawer commode dresser. Item features beautiful column supports, bun feet, gold and ebonized accents, original label, 4 dovetailed drawer...
Category
Late 20th Century Spanish Empire Dressers
Materials
Mahogany
Russian Empire Dressing Table with Mahogany Carvings and Gilt Bronzes
By Andrey Voronikhin
Located in Vienna, AT
The desk body is made of pine and oak with a Karelian birch veneer and the mirrored base is supported by four curved feet, embellished by an entwined patinated bronze snake with a gilt head and tail. The pad feet are supported by ebonized mahogany floor plates.
The middle portion consists of five small drawers and a large desk drawer and within a manufactured mahogany interior with seven compartments and eight secret compartments as well as two movable elements, one of which is covered with velvet. The lower drawers have gilt gooseneck fittings.
The mirror attachment includes a mechanism for taking the mirror plate vertically out and up to 180 degrees, which can, in turn, be fixed in almost any position. This mirror is flanked by two carved mahogany phoenixes with gilt heads and feet, and on the reverse side there are two more secret compartments in the lower area of the right as well as the left foot of the base.
The Poudreuse Secretary is an exceptional example of Russian furniture of the first quarter of the nineteenth century. The depiction and symbolic arrangement of the remarkable bronze snakes and the carved phoenix is typical of the style of the important Russian architect Andrey Voronikhin (1759-1814). As well, this Poudreuse Secretary Desk has as well a similar structure to a dressing table made by the celebrated cabinetmaker (ebéniste) Heinrich Gambs...
Category
Early 19th Century Russian Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Bronze
19th Century Spanish Fernandino Bombe Commode & Mirror
Located in Forney, TX
A rare and magnificently decorative antique Spanish Fernandino style mahogany chest of drawers commode and mirror.
Hand-crafted in Spain in the late 19th century, surmounted by the monumental dresser mirror with finely hand carved giltwood bird crest, atop flat mirror plates, framed by ornate scrolling foliates.
Mounted over a mahogany bombe shaped chest accented with contrasting string banded inlay, gilded birds perched on stylized scrolled foliate, flanking four drawers. The solid wooden case fitted with a projecting frieze drawer, over three larger drawers, rising on sculptural patinated gilt wood ancient Egyptian Sphinx form front feet.
Bold, dramatic and luxurious yet with an elegant warmth, and visually striking sophistication, the two piece set can be used a variety of different ways, including in the bedroom as a dresser / commode, in the dining room as a sideboard server, credenza console, or placed in the foyer as a stunning entry statement piece!
Dimensions: (approx)
Overall: 86.25" High, 43" Wide, 22" Deep
Commode: 32.25" High, 43" Wide, 21.25" Deep
Mirror: 54" High, 36.5" Wide
History:
Fernandino style is called the one developed in the decorative arts - especially furniture - in Spain during the reign of Fernando VII...
Category
Late 19th Century Spanish Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Mirror, Mahogany, Giltwood
Empire Style Dresser
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An extraordinary antique empire dresser in great condition is hand-crafted out of mahogany wood and has been completely restored and refinished ...
Category
Early 1900s American Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Brass
Empire Commode, Walnut Veneered with Caryatids, Austria, Vienna circa 1810/15
Located in Regensburg, DE
Very fine original Empire commode or chest of three drawers, walnut veneered with Caryatid pilaster columns, from Austria/Vienna about 1810-15.
Lovely book-matched Walnut Veneer on softwood. Excellent french polished surface.
Exceptional carved caryatid pilasters depicting of temple guards...
Category
1810s Austrian Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Gold Leaf, Iron
Furniture in Rosewood and Violet Plated 19th Century
By France"
Located in Madrid, ES
Called at the time -demicommode- this furniture is a medal after: Jean-François Leleu (1729 - September 3, 1807) convenient that was delivered to the bedroom of the Duchess of Bourbo...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Wood
Antique French Empire Mahogany Commode with Lion Paw Feet, Marble Top, Restored
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique French Empire style Commode or some may describe our Lion Paw Foot Commode as from the Restauration period, which was predominantly Neoclassicism. Our Old Plank restoration department completely rebuilt the drawers and the entire frame, but restrained from refinishing the mahogany. We of course enhanced the Original French Lion Paw Commodes...
Category
1860s French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Marble, Brass
Empire Period Hairdresser, circa 1810
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Empire period hairdresser, circa 1810, 19th century.
Grey marble top st-Anne curved.
One drawer on the front; veneered with burr elm.
Measures: Width 77 cm, height 140 cm, depth 4...
Category
1810s French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Wood
A Superb 18th Century French Empire Walnut Dresser
Located in Basingstoke, Hampshire
A superb late 18th century French Provincial walnut dresser demonstrating a three shelf plate rack with an elegant canopy displaying carved acorn like finials.
The base features unique Empire style columns flanking the two-door cupboard.
Displaying three drawers, with the central drawer housing its original lock and old replacement key.
Raised on block feet united by a shaped apron.
This dresser displays a rich patination and warm grain throughout.
Previously purchased...
Category
18th Century French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Walnut
Neoclassical Empire Armoire, Walnut Veneer, Brass, Austria/Vienna, circa 1810-15
Located in Regensburg, DE
Elegant neoclasical Empire / early Biedermeier armoire with original brass hardware and wonderful walnut veneer grain.
The armoire has two ebonized full-columns with original corinthian brass...
Category
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Brass
French Empire Mahogany Small Chest
Located in New York, NY
French Empire style late 19th century mahogany small chest with 4 drawers and bronze trim with a black marble top.
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Mahogany
Empire Chest of Drawers
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Empire fruit wood chest of drawers with gilt bronze hardware and ebonized columns, 19th century. No keys.
Category
19th Century European Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Bronze
Antique French Empire Mahogany Commode with Lion Paw Feet, French Polished
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique French Commode with wonderful lion paw feet, in the Empire style, although we have seen this style referred to as restoration as well. Old plank has a history of purchasing anything with animal related feet and especially the lion paw style. Just take a peek at our lion paw sofa...
Category
1890s French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Mahogany
Empire Commode, Denmark 1810
Located in Belmont, MA
Elegant Empire commode, Denmark 1810-20, mahogany veneer. In very good refinished condition, French polished. The commode will be shipped from Germany, shipping costs to Boston are i...
Category
1810s Danish Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Mahogany
American Empire Gothic Mahogany Dressing Table
Located in New York, NY
American Empire Gothic design mahogany dressing table on carved pedestal base with mirror and drawers.
Category
20th Century American Empire Dressers
Materials
Mahogany
19th Century French Mahogany Chest of Drawers with a Dark Gray Stone Top
Located in Dallas, TX
An early 19th century French Empire mahogany commode with bronze mounts and a dark gray stone top. The chest of drawers is very handsome and functional and is in very good condition...
Category
1810s French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Stone, Bronze
French Empire Style Mahogany Chest with Green Marble Top
Located in New York, NY
French Empire style (20th Century) mahogany chest with 4 drawers and green marble top with gilt bronze handles and trim
Category
20th Century Empire Dressers
Materials
Marble
Italian Empire Perspective Marquetry Commode, Circle of Giuseppe Maffezzoli
By Giovanni Battista Maffezzoli
Located in Troy, NY
The Commode of Rare Classical Neoclassical Form, with a beautiful warm color is a wonderful example of perspective marquetry, in the tradition of Giuseppe Maggiolini and his pupil Giovanni Maffezzoli; most likely made by Tommaso Pezzoni (who learned his trade in the workshop of Maffezzoli) in the early 19th century.
Inlaid top with a center-roundel showing a youth reclining on a chaise in front of a classical temple, above four drawers, the fronts forming an architectural, perspective scene showing buildings and ruins, fountains, sculptures and a boy resting on a toppled column accompanied by a playing dog, flanked by caryatids topped with gilt bronze classical heads and ending in gilt bronze feet. The sides featuring medallions with urns. Intricate inlaid borders framing each scene. Square inlaid block feet.
Constructed of solid walnut and inlaid with various exotic woods (including olive wood, boxwood, amaranth, palm wood).
For a very similar commode see: Enrico Colle, "Italian Empire Furniture...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Walnut
Empire Style Chest of Drawers with Painted Trompe L'Oeil, France, 19th Century
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Tall French Empire-style commode. The pine wood is painted in a faux-bois trompe l'oeil imitating mahogany. Wood columns on either side are painted a darker color.
The chest is in ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Dressers
Antique Empire Chest of Drawers in Cuban Mahogany with Interior Writing Surface
Located in Miami, FL
A very fine Empire chest or commode with bowed front offering four drawers on tapered feet in the finest book-matched Cuban (West Indies) mahogany. Satinwood inlays depicting two sph...
Category
1810s Danish Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Mahogany, Satinwood
Period Danish Empire Chest of Drawers
Located in Atlanta, GA
Danish Empire - or what we would refer to as "Biedermeier" - chest of drawers. Beautifully inlaid with walnut and golden birch. Key included.
Engraved on back "Renov...
Engraved on back "Renov...
Category
19th Century Danish Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Birch, Walnut, Mahogany
A Pair of Danish Empire Style Mahogany 3-Drawer Marble Topped Bow-Front
Located in San Francisco, CA
A handsome pair of Danish empire style mahogany 3-drawer marble-topped bow-front chests with brass inlay and bronze mounts; each with thick Napoleon machete mable top above a bowed c...
Category
19th Century Danish Antique Empire Dressers
French 19th Century Empire Commode
Located in Stockbridge, GA
Beautiful French Empire period commode made of a magnificent flamed walnut.
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Walnut
19th Century French Empire Walnut Veneer, Bronze and Mirror Dressing Table
Located in LEGNY, FR
Beautiful early 19th century French Empire period dressing table with a rounded mirror that can be removed from the table.
Large drawer with bronze lyre decoration.
Nice quality ...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Bronze
Early 19th Century Empire Solid Walnut Antique Chest of Drawers
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
Important antique Italian chest of drawers 1800s in solid walnut wood. The commode is very refined linear and elegant. On the front two large de...
Category
Early 1800s Italian Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Walnut
Empire Chest of Drawers, France 1810
Located in Belmont, MA
This elegant Empire chest of drawers comes from France and dates back to 1810. The three drawer commode has a very pretty walnut veneer and a marble top. The original ebonized wooden...
Category
1810s French Antique Empire Dressers
Materials
Marble
Empire dressers for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Empire dressers for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Late 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage dressers 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, mahogany and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Empire dressers made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and Denmark pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original dressers, popular names associated with this style include Baker Furniture Company, Coduri of Lyon, France, and Villa Garnelo Internacional. 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 dressers differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,079 and tops out at $95,000 while the average work can sell for $6,060.
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