Empire Furniture

You are viewing a gorgeous French Empire roll top desk Hand crafted from kingwood we date this to circa 1860 Top opens up to reveal leather writin...

A Musical Automaton Clock Depicting Napoleon at Fontainebleau Based on the original work of Horace Vernet "Goodbyes at Fontainebleau," the pai...

Gorgeous pair of French Empire style gilt pedestal stands Perfect for displaying decorative pieces such as vases and urns Round marble tops are smooth and chip free Bought from a dea...

This handsome settee is in rare original condition retaining all the original timber and horsehair stuffings. The form is bold and fluid and the carved ornament very well executed. T...

A fine gilt bronze mounted mahogany Empire library bookcase.

19th century french empire revival mahogany armchair, circa 1860. Single french armchair made in mahogany. Shaped back linking to the padded armrests and scrolled arms. Front scroll...

Edwardian Brass & Mahogany inlaid 3 tier Etagere 3 Mahogany & Satinwood banded inlaid shelves, Supported by brass Column frame with Finials at top, ...

19th century Swedish birch lyre shaped occasional table circa 1890. Rectangular top with canted corners.  Hinged lid opens to reveal a fitted interior of compartments arranged aroun...

Large Neoclassical style gilt bronze and malachite fireplace French, 20th century Measures: Height 124cm, width 218cm, depth 58cm Crafted from the timeless combination of malachite ...

France, c. 1820 An early 19th century Empire mahogany commode with finely chased ormolu mounts, retaining the original marble top. Height 88.50cm Width 130.00cm Depth 57.00cm

An exquisite length of fine quality French Burgundy Red Silk Damask Dating from circa 1820 Woven with large Medici design featuring lovely Pomegranates gorgeous colour of deep ric...

A large and impressive pair of Empire style gilt-bronze and burr, Amboyna Mirrors, By Maison Krieger. Each mirror is over 328 cm high (129 inches) and ...

19th century directoire influenced mahogany tall chest of drawers, circa 1890. Fine quality tall chest in the directoire style. Fitted with 6 drawers of equal proportions and detail...

French Empire Ormolu mantel clock resting on four turned feet supporting an oval base with raised garland and zig-zag rope decoration...

Empire period ormolu and mahogany swans' heads stool French, Early 19th Century Height 68cm, width 77cm, depth 39cm This beautiful antique stool is a class...

An Empire style gilt-bronze mounted marquetry buffet cabinet, by François Linke, Paris. This handsome buffet or side cabinet has its original Swedish green marble top. The veneers are of the finest figured acajou flammé. The frieze is fitted with a long drawer with citronnier and ebonised marquetry panel depicting a Etruscan chariot...

An excellent quality pair of 19th century mahogany library armchairs, in the French empire taste, having swept back and moulded scrolling arms with C-scroll supports raised on elegant moulded sabre legs (A relative typical design in the early to mid-19th century these chairs are in the French Empire taste which was most popular at the time, with the added benefit of being much more sturdy and practical than the English Regency Chaise...

Antiques of London We are delighted to offer for sale this Stunning Pair Of French Empire-style bedside Nightstands. They exude opulence and sophistication. Crafted from beautif...

Stunning birch root escritoire circa 1855. We are pleased to offer this piece for sale.  Profusely using birch root veneers on every surface. Matched birch veneers used which span ...

A Striking Pair of French Style Side Tables with Black Lacquer Finish and Floral Decoration Lovely Detail Dated C20th

An Empire Revival gilt-bronze and cut-glass pendant chandelier. French, circa 1910. Of globular form this fine chandelier has a central gilt-bronze band cast with vases issuin...

Good quality danish 2 part tall mahogany cabinet circa 1860. Top section with scrolled cornice and applied swags, double doors with shaped panels open to reveal 3 adjustable pine sh...

Very decorative early 19th century empire style overmantle miror French circa 1840’ s with original backboards and mirror plate Height 157 cms or 62 inches Width 115.5 cms or ...

19th Century Swedish Empire desk. With one single drawer and two doors opening to use full storage. Dry scraped to secondary paint. Knee hole size: 58cm high drawer to floor 43cm wide

Large Impressive Cushion Finest quality Venetian silk velvet panel Circa 1900 Edged with 18th century metallic tassel fringe Backed with antique Mohair velvet Good antique condi...

A good quality 19th Century French mahogany marble topped Gueridon, having three circular tapering column supports, each with gilded ormolu capitals and classical ormolu motifs to th...

Constructed in bronze, patinated and gilt; the rectangular form case supported on engraved oblate spherical feet, the frieze dressed with a row of female masks capping pillars, linke...

This is a beautiful vintage French Empire style painted gilded and ormolu mounted console table, Mid 20th century in date. The rectangular faux marble top with an ormolu plaque to t...

Swedish empire revival mahogany 3 piece lounge suite circa 1900. We are pleased to offer this empire revival suite from Sweden. Set consists of 2 armchairs with matching table.  Th...

A good sized Gilt Empire antique mirror with applied decorative motif gilt work on a rectangular frame, lambs tongue design inner slip. Mirror in good condition. Original boarded bac...

Pair of 19th century gothenburg gilt armchairs circa 1870. Fine quality pair of swedish gothenburg gilt armchairs circa 1870. Slipper like shaped backs, the shaped arms supported by...

Large early 19th gilded over mantle , great decorative mirror French circa 1830’s with original mirror and back boards Some minor damage to the plaster work and some foxing to th...

7 piece 19th century french empire mahogany salon suite circa 1880. Rare 7-piece salon suite made in rich mahogany. Set comprises of a 2-seat sofa, 2 armchairs and 4 open armchairs....

A truly breathtaking and sumptuous antique basket chandelier, resplendent in hand cut, multi-faceted Bohemian lead crystal, with 8 lamp holders in bronze with embossed decorative flo...

A fine Empire Period gilt bronze clock depicting Diana the huntress. The dial signed 'Thomas a Paris'. The white enamel dial with Roman numerals and Breguet hands, the case sur...

Empire Cistern Barometer by Gabriel Of rectangular form, with the case waisted, veneered in burr elm with mounts in the manner of Percier and Fontaine, of cistern type, with bronze ...

A fine Empire style gilt-bronze mounted mahogany centre table with a Vert de Mer marble top, in the manner of Jacob-Desmalter. The rectangular Verde Antico marble top sits above ...

Antique French Empire style glass and gilt bronze chandelier French, Late 19th Century Height 32, diameter 42cm This French 19th century chandelier is crafted in the Empire style. ...

19th century inlaid burr birch oval occasional table circa 1870. Good quality swedish burr birch center table that could be used for multiple purposes around the home.  Oval shape w...

French gilt bronze and malachite centre table French, 20th Century Height 79cm, diameter 69cm This very elegant 20th century French...

Empire Revival Gondola Dining Chair Finished With An Ebonised Frame, Grey Damask Upholstery & Red Velour Piping. Quality and luxurious designed chairs, elegant but robust with rich ...

19th century French empire mahogany cabinet buffet circa 1880. Original white and grey marble top. Large double doors open to reveal 2 fitted drawers with a single large shelf below...

A gilt-bronze and malachite Empire-style 'Aux Caryatides' centre table after Desmalter French, 20th Century Height: 82cm, diameter: 109cm This ma...

Wonderful pair of 1920's French Empire style wall lights, in giltwood and gilt iron, each light with three small screw in (e14) lap holders. Fully rewired and tested and ready to use...

Antique late 19th Century French rare and important Empire style pair of solid silver dishes, each of circular form with very fine acanthus leaves borders and chased with a frieze of...

Mid 19th century birch root occasional table circa 1860. Good quality Swedish birch root table, solid burr birch circular top, standing on shaped stem and scrolled legs. Rich golde...

A striking antique cast iron urn, planter or jardiniere dating from the late 19th century. Originating from France, this 150-year-old, gilded urn is a showstopping piece with its bold black paint and gold colour contrasts. The design brings a sense of grandeur to any setting, detailed with masks among foliage and scrolls to both the front and the back and a pair of handles with stylised winged lion heads. This French urn makes an impressive display piece, the vibrant colours certain to draw any eye. Additional Information Base 8.66 x 8.66 inch (22 x 22 cm) Blue plinth...

French Empire-style gilt bronze mounted malachite coffee table French, Early 20th Century Height 52cm, width 123cm, depth 63cm Exemplifying all that is grand and regal about the fan...

Mid 19th century birch empire stool circa 1850. Scandinavian empire period stool made in birch.  Shaped support handles which flow through to the 4 splayed legs.  Original floral ta...

Antique French Empire style mahogany and gilt bronze couch French, late 19th century Dimensions: Height 107cm, width 192cm, depth 72cm This beautiful canapé style couch...

We delight to offer for sale this beautiful French Empire design gilt metal mounted oak twin pedestal desk, rectangular top with inset tooled writing surface above three frieze, thre...

An extremely rare mantel clock with a figured mahogany-veneered case by A-L Breguet Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823), who was of Swiss origin, is undoubtedly the most celebrated clockmaker of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in France. He is responsible for the invention of the self-winding watch, the tourbillon and the sympathetic watch ( a watch that is placed in a cradle of a special clock. It is then linked by means of a pin fixed behind the clock dial. Built into the motion work which, when released by the clock, automatically sets the hands to the clock's time as well as correcting the watch's regulator necessitated by any degree of inaccuracy registered at the moment of synchronisation) and many other horological improvements and developments. Around the year 1807 Breguet brought in his son, Antoine-Louis (born 1776), as a business partner, and from this point, the firm became known as Breguet et Fils. Breguet had previously sent his son to London to study with the great English chronometer maker John Arnold...

A remarkable and highly important pair of Empire gilt-bronze and cut-crystal six-light candelabra attributed to Escalier De Cristal De Paris. French, circa 1819. This exceptional pair of candelabra can almost certainly be attributed to the workshops of l'Escalier de Cristal de Paris. They relate in particular to a dressing table and chair, now in the collection of the Louvre, which formed part of a toilette suite that was exhibited by L'Escalier de Cristal at the 1819 Paris exhibition of the Produits de l'industrie. The present candelabra may very likely have been made as part of this suite. In 'Baccarat: La Legende du Cristal', it states: "A l'Exposition des produits de l'industrie française de 1819, Mme Désarnaud présente une toilette, une cheminée, deux grands candélabres, deux tables, une grande pendule et plusieurs vases, en cristal et bronze...

A Highly Important Empire Period Rosso Antico Chimneypiece Inset with Specimen Marble Portrait Reliefs of Roman Emperors The carved and veneered surround comprising a moulded shelf supported by a bold dentil cornice, above an inverted breakfront frieze carved with a central triglyph panel, flanked by a pair of rosettes carved in shallow relief, the frieze mounted with six carved hardstone profile portrait medallions of Roman Emperors, the stop-fluted jambs raised on moulded footblocks; in excellent condition with small restorations commensurate with age and use; the pale inclusions in the stone naturally formed. This spectacular neoclassical marble chimneypiece is carved from Rosso antico, the frieze inset with six portrait reliefs of Roman Emperors, each carved in marmo giallo on a bardiglio background, five variously incised: VESPASIANUS, TIBERIVS, OTHO, JULIUS CAESAR, TITUS. Rosso antico (marmor taenarium) is first recorded as being quarried in 1700 BC at Akra Tainaron (Cape Matapan), Greece.¹ The majority of this stone, however, was extracted throughout the Roman period, when it was one of the most coveted materials for carving due to its rich red colouring and association with highly prized Egyptian ‘Imperial’ Porphyry.² Rosso antico was chosen in antiquity for portrait busts, notably depicting Bacchic subjects such as Dionysus and satyrs due to its rich red wine colour which symbolised conviviality whilst conveying the education and cultivated taste of the owner.³ In the Renaissance, Rosso antico was also used for architectural detail on important buildings, such as the steps leading up to the choir in the medieval church of S. Prassede, and the large columns at the entrance to the Camera dell'Aurora.⁴ In 121 AD, G. Suetonius Tranquillus, secretary to Emperor Hadrian, wrote a biographical history of the first twelve emperors of Rome entitled De vita Caesarum (The Twelve Caesars). A Renaissance edition of Tranquillus’ work was published in 1470, followed by further reprints and translations into all the main European languages. Many of these were illustrated with prints of emperors taken from coins and statues, or imagined by the artist based on Tranquillus’ accounts. These interpretations were copied, in turn, by Renaissance designers for medals, Limoges enamels, and busts, as well as paintings such as the Eleven Caesars, a series of eleven half-length portraits of Roman emperors made by Titian in 1536–40 for Federico II, Duke of Mantua.⁵ These paintings were later given to King Charles I, before being passed in the Commonwealth to the Kings of Spain. Unfortunately, the series was destroyed in the catastrophic fire of 1734 at the Royal Alcazar of Madrid, and is now only known through copies and engravings.⁶ From the middle of the 17th century until the end of the 18th century, there was an insatiable demand for marble carvings, often sold as Roman or assembled from ancient fragments, thus perpetuating the reverence for antiquity that was the quintessence of the Grand Tour. Rosso antico was in extremely short supply, even after the ancient quarries at Skutari were rediscovered in 1830, and remained one of the most highly valued of all stones. Described in 1776 as ‘dark red; scarce and dear’, it was mostly used for small objects such as Grand Tour desk ornaments, inevitably using material re-cut from classical fragments, due to its rarity, as was the case with porphyry.⁷ The portrait roundels on this chimneypiece are typical of those produced in Rome and Florence in hardstones, semi-precious stones, gold, silver, bronze, and mother-of-pearl, which, being easily transportable, would be taken home from the Grand Tour to be mounted within wooden, gilded or brass frames, as fashion dictated.⁸ A group of gold portraits of Caesars, dating from around 1660, are in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence. Images of Roman emperors were not limited to Italy, England and France, however, as examples executed in Deshima for the Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie) show. Medallions depicting Roman emperors, invariably made of black and gold Japanese hiramakie or takamakie lacquer on copper, were produced for the Dutch market at the end of the 18th century. Examples can be found in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.⁹ There are two possible sources for the Imperial profiles on the chimneypiece: the engravings of The Twelve Caesars by Marcantonio Raimondi, or the Imperatorum Imagines by Hubert Golz.¹⁰ The portrait medallions also bear remarkable resemblance to a set of eighteen carved portrait reliefs of Roman Emperors, also of marmo giallo, almost certainly bought by David Ker (1742–1811) of Portavo, Co. Down, on his Grand Tour between 1792–4 in either Florence or Rome. Ker’s diary entry for 17th October 1793 is interesting as it reveals that he was offering his brother a choice of chimneypiece designs, which further supports a Roman origin for the offered example.¹¹ Indeed, fire surrounds incorporating antique fragments had been promoted from the late 1760s by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–78), encouraged by Rome-trained architects including Robert Adam (d.1792). One such example, inset with mythological tablets carved from Rosso antico, was acquired by the 9th Earl of Exeter from Piranesi himself for Burghley House.¹² Another can be found at Islington House, Dorset.¹³ A third, inset with giallo antico and Rosso antico, follows Piranesi’s engraved design dated 1769 for a fire surround mounted with three marble portrait reliefs.¹⁴ It should be re-emphasised that Rosso antico was so precious that it was only ever used for small tablets or details rather than an entire chimneypiece, as with the offered example; likewise, while portrait reliefs are occasionally seen on the jambs of Italian surrounds, it is exceptionally rare to see the frieze mounted with a group, especially of this scale: the combination indicates an architectural commission by an extremely wealthy patron. The sophisticated lines of this chimneypiece epitomise the French Empire influence on the Italian states at the turn of the 18th century. This idiosyncratic ‘Roman’ taste is encapsulated by that of Napoleon, who identified with Rome’s Imperial past. Napoleon’s desire to establish a visual link between himself and Roman emperors is demonstrated by the portraits of his court painter, Jacques-Louis David, inspired by portraits of Emperor Augustus. This Imperial taste extended to architecture, furniture and porcelain, the latter two of which are combined in a group of magnificent ormolu-mounted guéridons commissioned in Sèvres between 1803–11, made to immortalise Napoleon’s reign.¹⁵ The second guéridon in the series, the Table des Grands Capitaines (Table of the Great Commanders of Antiquity), commissioned in 1806, is made almost entirely of hard-paste Sèvres porcelain. The top, painted in imitation of sardonyx, is centred by a portrait cameo of Alexander the Great, surrounded by twelve smaller heads of commanders and philosophers from antiquity: Pericles, Scipio Africanus, Pompey, Augustus, Septimus Severus, Constantine, Trajan, Caesar, Mithridates, Hannibal, Themistocles and Miltiades.¹⁶ Louis XVIII presented the table to the Prince Regent (later King George IV) in 1817 as a token of appreciation for Napoleon’s defeat two years earlier, and George IV treasured it so highly that it became part of the ceremonial backdrop for all his state portraits. The table remains in the Royal Collection.¹⁷ This chimneypiece remained, until recently, in the possession of a noble Dutch family, who acquired it from the owners of a bombed Knightsbridge house in the 1940s; unfortunately, its provenance prior to this has been lost. The use of Rosso antico on this scale, inset with these splendid Imperial profile medallions, appears unparalleled. 1. J. B. Grossman, 'Looking at Greek and Roman Sculpture in Stone' (Los Angeles, 2003). Grossman states that this material was ‘...quarried in three places during antiquity: on Cape Tainaron present day Matapan on the Peloponnese of Greece; on Crete; and at the site of Iasos in Asia Minor. 2. L. Lazzarini, ‘Rosso antico and other red marbles used in antiquity: a characterization study’, Marble, Art Historical and Scientific Perspectives on Ancient Sculpture’ (1990), 237–252. C. Gorgoni, L. Lazzarini, P. Pallante, ‘New archaeometric data on Rosso antico and other red marbles used in antiquity, ASMOSIA VI, Interdisciplinary Studies on Ancient Stone’ (2002), pp. 199–206. J. Deér, trans. G.A. Gilhoff, The Dynastic Porphyry Tombs of the Norman Period in Sicily (Cambridge, 1959), p. 144. R. Gnoli, Marmora Romana (Rome, 1988), pp. 187–191. 3. A notable example is a satyr from the Emperor Hadrian's villa at Tivoli, now in the Capitoline Museum, Rome. Another is the head of a satyr in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, accession no. 2006.110. See T. Opper, Hadrian. Empire and Conflict (London, 2008), p. 165, fig. 149. 4. De Luca, Marmi antichi (Rome, 1998), p. 126. Faustino Corsi, Catalogo ragionato d’una collezione di pietre di decorazione (Rome, 1833), p. 93. 5. For related Limoges medallions, see set of ten circular Limoges enamel medallions depicting Roman emperors, en grisaille with gilding, from the workshop of Jacques I Laudin, sold Christie’s London, Fine Renaissance Bronzes and Works of Art, 19 December, 1977, lot 95. 6. See set of drawings sold Sotheby’s London, Of Royal and Noble Descent, 24 February, 2015, lot 184. 7. J. J. Ferber, Raspe’s Travels through Italy in the Years 1771–1772 (London, 1776), p. 218. 8. See Sotheby’s London, Pelham, the Public and the Private, 8 March 2016, lot 75: ‘A set of twelve mother-of-pearl cameos of Roman Emperors, Southern Italian, early 19th century’ 9. Oliver Impey, Christiaan J.A. Jörg, Cynthia Viallé, Japanese Export Lacquer 1580–1850 (Amsterdam, 2005) pp. 48–57, no. 56 & 57. 10. For a further reference, see the candlesticks by Jacques I Laudin in the Waters Art Gallery, illustrated in P. Verdier, Catalogue of the Painted Enamels of the Renaissance (Baltimore, 1967), p. 389, nos. 207 & 208. 11. John Ingamells, A Dictionary of British and Irish travellers in Italy 1701–1800 (London, 1997), pp. 572–3. 12. Oliver Impey, Four Centuries of Decorative Arts from Burghley House (Virginia, 1998), p. 53, fig. 23. 13. Country Life, 12 June, 1997, p. 162, figs. 9–11. 14. A. González-Palacios, Il Tempio del Gusto, Roma e il Regno delle due Sicilie, Vol. II (Milan, 1984), pp. 592–93, p. 260. 15. S. Grandjean, 'Napoleonic Tables...

A 19th Century Swedish bench from the Empire period, the back panel decorated with a classical scene of a pair of griffon. New seat cushion in plain linen.

A large very well cast and gilt bronze chandelier or plafonnier from the late 19th to early 20th century. The large acanthus leafed ceiling rose suspending five rope twist bars, whic...

A Regency design circular marble topped painted and decorated centre/lamp table with elongated turned feet. Bespoke sizing, design adaptations and finishing available. We are c...

Impressive 19th century Flame mahogany commode. This piece stands well, the three large drawers are decorated with flame mahogany with its original quality brass handles and ivory e...

This is a French antique bonheur du jour by Jean-Baptiste Gamichon dating to circa 1810. A piece for the connoisseur, rare and sought after,...

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...