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.
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Leather, Walnut, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
1810s Russian Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
1790s German Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Gesso, Pine
19th Century Danish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Satin, Mahogany, Satinwood
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
19th Century Danish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
20th Century Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Mahogany
Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Bronze
20th Century American Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
Early 1900s French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Bronze
1820s Austrian Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood, Lacquer
Early 19th Century Dutch Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze, Brass
Early 1800s Swedish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Birch
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Ormolu
1820s Danish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Late 18th Century American Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany, Mirror
Early 1800s French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Pine
1820s French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
1950s Unknown Vintage Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble
Early 19th Century German Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Ash
Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Leather, Mahogany, Giltwood
1810s Swedish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany, Satinwood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
1810s Danish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany, Satinwood
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Brass
19th Century Swiss Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood, Mahogany, Softwood
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mirror
1810s French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Stone, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
1810s Unknown Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Leather, Wood
19th Century Danish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
19th Century Northern Irish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
19th Century Italian Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble
19th Century Austrian Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mirror, Giltwood, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Pine
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Ebony, Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
1840s Irish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Early 1800s Italian Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
Early 19th Century American Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
Engraved on back "Renov...
19th Century Danish Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany, Birch, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Marble
20th Century Dutch Empire Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze