Empire Furniture
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. 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.
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Style: Empire
19th Century French Mahogany Vanity Table with Swan's Heads in Empire Style
Located in Sofia, BG
French hand carved mahogany vanity table with black marble top. There is an original crystal oval mirror on the top part surrounded by two asymme...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble
21st Century Italian Sterling Silver Gianmaria Buccellati Caviar Bowl
Located in VALENZA, IT
Important bowl for caviar by Gianmaria Buccellati. The body was made in two parts, cup and base. The welded edge with small leaves characterizes the Classic Empire style.
A wire circ...
Category
Early 2000s Italian Empire Furniture
Materials
Sterling Silver
19th Century French Toile De Jouy Red and White Textile, Monuments of Paris
Located in Stamford, CT
Pretty amazing large piece of French Toile. 19th century, possibly dating from the Empire period. With Napoleon Bonaparte on top of the bronze column in the Place Vendome. Also showi...
Category
1820s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Textile
Antique Bronze Catchall by Max Le Verrier, Art Deco, Horse and Palm Tree - 1Y163
Located in Bordeaux, FR
This antique catchall, crafted in patinated bronze, showcases an Art Deco design featuring a horse's head and a palm tree.
Style: Art Deco
Material: Patinated bronze
Design: Horse's...
Category
1930s French Vintage Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Antique Round Brass and Enameled Ceramic Box - 1Y111
Located in Bordeaux, FR
This antique round box, crafted from brass, is adorned with blue enameled ceramic cabochons. Dating back to the early 20th century, this charming pie...
Category
Early 20th Century French Empire Furniture
Materials
Brass
Danish 19th Century Antique Klismos Chair
Located in Store Heddinge, DK
A beautiful 19th-century oak Klismos chair, crafted in Denmark in the around 1860s. The design, featuring a wide, curved backrest and sabre legs, harkens back to Ancient Greece (5th ...
Category
19th Century Danish Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Faux Leather, Beech, Oak
Pair of French Empire Period Giltwood Eagle Sconces, Circa 1815
Located in Dallas, TX
This pair of giltwood sconces dates to circa 1815, at the end of the period of French history when Napoleon was the emperor, known as the Empire Style. As Napoleon envisioned himself...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Wood, Giltwood
Pair 19th Century French Empire Period Gilt Bronze and Marble Vases
Located in New York, NY
Pair of antique French Empire period gilt bronze campana form vases, each 13 3/4 by 6 7/8 inches, circa 1810, with flared neck with gadrooned bronze rim, decorated with Bacchic putti...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Empire side table with drawers, Westphalia, c. 1780/90, walnut, maple, rosewood
Located in Münster, DE
Side table, Westphalia around 1780/90, walnut, maple, rosewood and other precious woods veneered and marquetry, original fittings, shellac-wax polish
Height 75 cm, width 49.5 cm, de...
Category
Late 18th Century German Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Fruitwood, Maple, Rosewood
Pair of tall Paris porcelain polychromatic and gilt vases, Empire period c. 1810
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
Antique pair of Paris porcelain vases, early 19th century high-end French production circa 1810 - 1815 (Empire period).
Spectacular, fully decorated model, a polychromatic hand-paint...
Category
1810s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
French Empire Troubadour Mantel Clock
By Le Roy
Located in New Orleans, LA
This resplendent French Empire gilt bronze mantel clock features an extraordinarily detailed scene of a singing troubadour with his lyre along a rocky river bank. Accompanied by a wi...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Pair of French Empire Style Malachite and Gilt Bronze Pedestals
Located in London, GB
Pair of French Empire style malachite and gilt bronze pedestals
French, 20th Century
Height 115cm, width 35cm, depth 35cm
This pair of 20th century French pedestals is crafted fro...
Category
20th Century French Empire Furniture
Materials
Malachite, Ormolu
Swedish 19th C. Empire Style Butler's Chest w/Nice Architectural Details
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Swedish Empire style chest with secretary from the 19th century. This antique case piece from Sweden has been designed in Swedish Empire style with a wonderful architectural appear...
Category
19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Wood
Early-19th Century Antique Uzbek Samarkand Rug-7'5'' X 4'6''
Located in Los Angeles, US
Early-19th Century Antique Uzbek Samarkand Rug from Uzbekistan
Category
Early 1900s Uzbek Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Wool, Cotton
IMPORTANT EMPIRE TABLE CLOCK 19th Century Émile Gallé
By Émile Gallé
Located in Madrid, ES
IMPORTANT EMPIRE TABLE CLOCK 19th Century Émile Gallé
19th century French.
in gilded bronze, surmounted by birds.
Profusely enamelled circular dial with Roman numerals.
Relief d...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Very Large Empire Style Console, 20th Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Large and beautiful Empire style console, in wood marquetry with rich bronze ornamentation: winged lions, flowers...
The top is in green marble, and the back in mirror
Good general ...
Category
20th Century European Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Antique Marble Paperweight with Figural Bronze Bird of Prey 19th century
Located in Sweden, SE
Late 19th century nice quality bronze and dark green marble work. The finely detailed plumage of the bird with its fierce gaze demonstrates the handiwork of the craftsman. In a world...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Antique Empire Style Rosewood Cabinet
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Antique Empire style rosewood cabinet, 19th century. With a nicely figured rectangular rosewood top, two frieze drawers, two doors each with arched tops and lozenge shaped grill work...
Category
19th Century European Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Brass
French 19th Century Empire Trumeau Mirror
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
Fabulous Empire trumeau mirror with Greco-Roman deity occupying the central frame. Bathed in gold gilt, she is carved with great reverence for beauty and projects off the frame in ¾ ...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mirror, Wood
Antique English 19th Century Walnut Two Door Glazed Cabinet C.1850
Located in London, GB
Antique English 19th Century Walnut Two Door Glazed Cabinet C.1850
A walnut cabinet, mid-19th century, in the French style, with applied gilt brass mounts, on a shaped plinth base.
...
Category
Mid-19th Century English Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Glass, Walnut
French 19th Century Empire Mirror
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
This French Empire mantle mirror (c. 1800) exhibits calculated restraint in the surface decoration, the gold gilt molding is largely plain and smooth, with feather and foliate carvin...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mirror, Giltwood
French 19th Century Empire Mirror
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
This French Empire mantle mirror (c. 1800) shows very careful surface decoration, the gold gilt molding is largely plain and smooth, with tight feather and foliate carvings placed at...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mirror, Wood, Giltwood
Side table with secret compartments, Westphalia, c. 1800, plum, maple, rosewood
Located in Münster, DE
Rare side table with secret compartments, Westphalia, c. 1800, plum wood, maple and rosewood veneered on softwood, table top with floral banding and vase motif, ingenious mechanism w...
Category
Early 1800s German Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Fruitwood, Maple, Rosewood
Early 19th Century Danish Empire Chest in Mahogany with Marquetry Inlay
Located in Kastrup, DK
This elegant Empire chest, crafted in Cuban mahogany, showcases a stunning wood grain pattern. The piece features a curved front with four drawers, beautifully adorned with intricate...
Category
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
.950 vermeil (gilt sterling silver) oil and vinegar set, early 19th century
By Ambroise Mignerot
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
Vermeil (sterling silver covered with fine gold) oil and vinegar set, early 19th century French Empire production in the style of famous Ambroise Mignerot work.
Refined and unusual m...
Category
Early 1800s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Vermeil, Sterling Silver
Empire Style Black Lacquer Eglomise Glass Top Round Foyer Or Center Table
Located in Southampton, NJ
Maitland Smith Empire style pedestal base single drawer foyer or center table with Eglomise glass top. Highly detailed craftsmanship having hand carved base black lacquered with gold...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Empire Furniture
Materials
Brass
Empire portrait of a vestal virgin, 19th French century school, oil on canvas
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
Early 19th century French school, fine Empire portrait featuring a young woman dressed in the antique manner as a vestal virgin (Empress Josephine's fashion), oil on canvas circa 180...
Category
Early 1800s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Gold Leaf
Maitland Smith Jewelry Box Burl Walnut Baby Grand Piano Form with Brass Paw Feet
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Small ding to edge. Original label came off. Very good pre-owned condition being structurally sound with age appropriate signs of normal use as pictured. Overall very nice.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Empire Furniture
Materials
Brass
19th Century French mahogany veneered Empire cabinet.
Located in Stahnsdorf, DE
19th Century French mahogany veneered Cabinet
1820, France
Mahogany
Mahogany, veneered on oak. Straight, vertically rectangular body, flanked by set caryatids on a narrow frame and ...
Category
1820s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Porcelain Tea Service 19th Century, Empire Style
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Porcelain tea service with Napoleon decorations, Sèvres Imperial Manufactory, 19th century, Empire style.
A Sèvres porcelain tea service with Napoleon decorations, Empire style, 19...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Estate French Empire Gold Bronze and Steel Chandelier, Circa 1950's.
Located in New Orleans, LA
Estate French Empire Gold Bronze and Steel Chandelier, Circa 1950's.
Category
Mid-20th Century French Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze, Steel
19th century French School after F. Gerard : mythological scene picturing Homere
By François Pascal Simon Gérard
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
Early 19th century French school featuring poet Homer and Glaucus' daughter after Francois Gerard's work, oil on canvas circa 1815 - 1820.
The painting depicts the time when Homer ha...
Category
1810s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Gold Leaf
Mirror With Sculpted Coper And Ebony Wood Decoration - Early 19th Century
Located in Brussels, Brussels
Elegant ebony and embossed copper pareclose mirror from the beginning of the 19th century
Very beautiful mirror which has a beautiful proportion decorated with embossed and fire-gil...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Copper
Empire ormolu allegoric clock, 19th century circa 1815
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
French Empire ormolu (mercury gilt bronze) mantel clock showing allegory of spring, early 19th century fine work circa 1815 - 1820 (Restauration period).
Beautiful, finely chiseled m...
Category
1810s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Ormolu, Bronze, Enamel
Empire ormolu clock signed Ravrio, 19th century circa 1805
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
Patinated bronze and mercury gilt bronze mantel clock featuring a vestal virgin dressed in the antique manner leaning her elbows on the Love altar. The enameled dial is signed by Rav...
Category
Early 1800s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Ormolu, Bronze
Antique Alabaster Marble Empire Style Carved Column Pedestal Plant Stand
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique Alabaster Marble Empire Style Carved Column Pedestal Plant Stand. Item features a revolving top, nice slender form, good antique item. Circa Early 20th Century. Measurements:...
Category
Early 20th Century Empire Furniture
Materials
Alabaster
Antique Clawfoot Empire Sofa With Red Velveteen
By Duncan Phyfe
Located in Trenton, NJ
Discover the timeless elegance of traditional American 19th century seating with this stunning Duncan Phyfe style Empire sofa, a perfect blend of style, comfort, and history. Crafted...
Category
19th Century Unknown Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Velvet, Wood
Empire Stellar Dining Table
Located in Westwood, NJ
Empire style round dining table with beech and quartered walnut veneer and a stellar parquetry inlaid top with a molded edge on a tapered octagonal column base and quatrefoil concave...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Empire Furniture
Materials
Wood
French bamboo-style chest of drawers with white marble top
Located in Labrit, Landes
French bamboo chest of drawers in pitchpin and marble from the 19th century.
four drawers plus one in the lower belt (see photo)
drawer sides and runners have been restored to work...
Category
1870s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble
A French Gold Gilt Oval Convex Eagle Crested Mirror
Located in London, GB
An Empire style late 19th c oval convex eagle crested giltwod mirror. A well formed eagle with spread wings perched on laurels atop an oval conex mirror with plain frame with eboniz...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Giltwood
1800's Antique Empire Style, Ormolu-Mounted, Mahogany, Chaise Lounge!
Located in Austin, TX
Charming 1800's Antique Empire Style, Ormolu-Mounted, Mahogany, Chaise Lounge!
Antique Chaise Lounge, Empire Style, Ormolu-Mounted, Mahogany, Ormolu, 1800s, 19th Century!
This anti...
Category
19th Century Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Fabric, Mahogany
French Walnut Glass Top Brass Empire Biedermeier Style Gueridon Table 22"
Located in Dayton, OH
Late 20th century French Empire / Biedermeier / Somno / Bouillotte style gueridon / occasional two tier table. Round form with inset glass top and brass band around the edge, support...
Category
Late 20th Century Empire Furniture
Materials
Glass, Walnut
Early 19th Century French Empire Armchair, Fauteuil, Paris, circa 1815
Located in Greven, DE
Empire Armchair
France
Mahogany
early 19th century
Dimensions: H x W x D: 77 x 64 x 50 cm, seat height: 44 cm
Description:
Square legs, slightly sabre-shaped at the front and back...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Antique pair of Empire silver-plated candelabras - 2 x 4 lights
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
Pair of tall silver-plated Empire style candelabras, late 19th century or early 20th century fine work. They are made of a traditional candlestick on which a 4-lights candelabra can ...
Category
Early 1900s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Silver Plate, Bronze
Monumental French Bronze and Alabaster Empire Style Chandelier
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Alabaster. Bronze. 53" h x 40" diameter.
Condition
Scratches. Oxidation. Crack in top globe. No shades. Some light fixtures broken. We recommend all lighting be rewired.
Category
1980s French Vintage Empire Furniture
Materials
Alabaster, Bronze
Antique early 20th century small oval gold leaf and paint gilt French mirror
Located in Casteren, NL
This is a beautiful small oval mirror that was crafted in France in the early 20th century, around 1910. The mirror features a frame made of lime wood and is adorned with plaster mol...
Category
Early 20th Century French Empire Furniture
Materials
Gold Leaf
Swedish 1830s Empire Style Painted and Upholstered Stool with Spindle Arms
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Swedish Empire style painted wooden Curule stool from the mid-19th century, with spindle arms, X-form base and new upholstery. Created in Sweden during the first half of the 19th c...
Category
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Upholstery, Wood
French Empire Style Gilt Bronze and Enamel Chandelier by Gherardo Degli Albizzi
Located in Florence, Tuscany
French Empire style gilt bronze and enamel chandelier by Gherardo Degli Albizzi has got twelve lights.
This chandelier is charact...
Category
2010s Italian Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze, Enamel
Vintage Boho Stone Top Burl Chest of Drawers
Located in west palm beach, FL
Elevate your space with this vintage boho dresser, featuring a stunning stone top and rich burl wood finish. The intricate burl wood grain adds warmth and character, while the sleek ...
Category
Early 20th Century American Empire Furniture
Materials
Stone
Early 20th century empire revival birch bookcase cabinet
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Beautiful rich birch open bookcase, circa 1910.
Four adjustable shelves with a central partition, below a central panel with carved applied swag, flanked either side a single door c...
Category
Early 20th Century Swedish Empire Furniture
Materials
Birch
French Empire Crystal and Bronze Chandelier
Located in Fairfax, VA
Elegant twelve arm eighteen light French empire style bronze and crystal chandelier.
This chandelier professionally cleaned, rewired and ready for installation.
Measurment: 31" width...
Category
1920s French Vintage Empire Furniture
Materials
Crystal, Bronze
Pair of Fine Bronze Mounted Empire Beds
Located in Bridgeport, CT
An outstanding pair of period Empire bronze-mounted beds in overall very good condition. The figural end column forms feature well cast busts and feet, and there are wreaths, Angels,...
Category
Early 19th Century American Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Vintage Sconces Two Wall Lights Gold Bronze Crystal Drops Beads, France, 1950s
Located in Bastogne, BE
Vintage sconces bronze with gilding, crystal from France, mid-20th century, each with two lamps, very beautiful and festive!
The crystal droplets are stunning, different shapes and...
Category
1940s French Vintage Empire Furniture
Materials
Crystal, Bronze
Pair of Cast Lead Rams Heads
Located in Doylestown, PA
A rare pair of cast-lead architectural ram’s head decorations from the personal collection of the founders of Pierre Deux, circa early 19th century, now mounted with interior hooks f...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Lead
Le Creusot - antique French crystal liquor set - 6 bottles - 19th century - 1815
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
Antique French Empire liquor set, beautiful early 19th century production circa 1815 composed of 6 crystal bottles (Le Creusot manufacture) set into their original burr wood veneered...
Category
1810s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Crystal
Odiot Belle Epoque Empire Silver Gilt Centerpiece Bowl
By Odiot
Located in New York, NY
Empire silver gilt centerpiece. Made by Odiot in France, ca 1910. Classical kylix bowl on 3 cast caryatid supports in form of bare-bosomed maidens with outstretched wings terminating...
Category
Early 20th Century French Empire Furniture
Materials
Silver
Antique French Bedside Chests Empire Kidney Bean Nightstands 1930
Located in Potters Bar, GB
You are viewing a pair of French bedside chests of kidney bean form
Very cute and dainty pair with two drawers each and a brass gallery
Original ormolu fixtures and features intricat...
Category
1930s Vintage Empire Furniture
Materials
Brass
French Empire Cabinet on Stands 1870
Located in Potters Bar, GB
Gorgeous French Empire side cabinet on stand
This Pretty Cabinet Stands Upon Typical Shaped French Legs.
Circa 1870
The Single Door Features an Inlaid Panel.
The Cabinet is Adorned W...
Category
1870s Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Wood
Empire furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Empire furniture for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage furniture created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include lighting, decorative objects, tables and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Empire furniture 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 furniture, popular names associated with this style include Modenese Gastone, Europa Antiques, Baker Furniture Company, and Gherardo Degli Albizzi. 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 furniture differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $56 and tops out at $955,603 while the average work can sell for $4,296.
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