Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
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. Ormolu — or elaborate bronze gilding — was essential to French design in the 18th and 19th centuries as a cornerstone of the neoclassical and Empire styles.
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.
1890s French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
Early 19th Century European Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Bronze
1990s American Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Brass
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Ormolu
Late 19th Century American Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Mahogany
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Brass
1870s French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Ormolu
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
1980s American Vintage Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Early 20th Century French Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Brass
1820s Belgian Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
1810s French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany, Giltwood, Lacquer
Early 19th Century European Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass, Tôle
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Ormolu
1980s Vintage Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass
1840s Danish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Elm
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
Mid-20th Century European Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
1860s Danish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mirror, Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Brass
1930s American Vintage Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Leather, Mahogany
1860s English Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
19th Century Dutch Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
20th Century Dutch Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble
1810s French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Brass, Bronze
19th Century Dutch Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Early 19th Century Belgian Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
19th Century European Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Bronze
Early 1900s American Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Ormolu
Early 20th Century French Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
Early 19th Century Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Belgian Black Marble, Brass
1810s Austrian Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass, Ormolu
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Bronze
Mid-19th Century American Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Brass
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Brass
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
1810s Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood, Rosewood
1830s Danish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Opaline Glass, Mahogany
1810s French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble
Early 19th Century European Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut