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.
to
63
362
2,678
2,037
326
35
1
16,151
2,613
1,570
1,117
713
654
376
362
355
325
291
207
204
104
99
62
51
24
11
217
98
36
12
31
5
2
6
12
4
9
4
4
221
167
128
103
75
321
169
71
21
17
362
362
362
4
2
1
1
1
Item Ships From: Germany
Style: Empire
Museum Court Empire Armchair circa 1830, Mahogany
Located in Berlin, DE
Museum court Empire armchair circa 1830, mahogany
Solid mahogany body. Empire beginning of the 19th century. Armrests, curved volute-shaped, ending in carved dolphins. Rectangular b...
Category
Early 19th Century German Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Brass
$7,089 Sale Price
20% Off
antique empire chandelier
Located in Kiel, SH
high decorative antique bronze candelier from the empire.
I guess the chandelier was electrified later .
Category
1850s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Metal, Bronze
Empire Chest of Drawers with Granite Top, France, early 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Empire chest of drawers in cherry with lateral pilasters with blackened caryatids on lion's paw feet. The black granite top complements the ebony carved details beautifully. The fitt...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Granite, Brass
Pair of French Early 19th Century Empire Gilt-Bronze Candlesticks, circa 1820
Located in Berlin, DE
Pair of French early 19th century Empire gilt-bronze candlesticks, circa 1820
Pair of Empire gilt bronze candlesticks, each with a fluted stem, highlighted on top by a finely chas...
Category
1820s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Pair of Empire Sideboards, early 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Pair of trumeau sideboards with flanking carved caryatids in the Retour d'Egypte style. The sideboards are fitted with two doors and a wide drawer. The carved figures are blackened a...
Category
Early 19th Century European Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
$19,985 / set
Pair of French Empire Candlesticks Bronze 1800
Located in Münster, DE
Pair of candlesticks, Empire, around 1810, patinated and fire-gilt bronze
Height 29 cm, diameter base 12.5 cm
Empire candelabra: works of art
French Empire candelabra and Empire c...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
$2,355 / set
Pair of Tall Italian Torchères, Likely Naples, Early 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
A refined pair of Italian torchères made from mahogany, dating to the early 19th century and likely originating from Naples. The torchères rest on tripod bases with elegantly curved ...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble
Antique Empire Gilt Carved Painted Beech Wood Swedish Trumeau Wall Mirror
Located in Munich, DE
This beautiful beechwood trumeau features fine carvings of two columns and a basquet filled with fruit and flowers. The high relief woodwork is partially guilt and has retained it's ...
Category
1810s Swedish Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Beech
20th Century Empire Style Wall Girdle/Wall Light after Antoine-André Ravrio
By André-Antoine Ravrio
Located in Berlin, DE
Imperial Empire wall girdle to Antoine-André Ravrio 1759-1814.
Bronze, gilded or partly dark patinated. From acanthus of fullplastic herme / Amor adult with, holding a vase as a car...
Category
20th Century Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Empire Psyche, France around 1810
Located in Greding, DE
Large standing mirror with rotating mirror in an arched frame. The mirror is held by lateral columns which end in fire-gilded bronze urns. The bases are also fire-gilt. The psyche st...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Very Large Mahogany Library with Bronze Corinthian Columns, France 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Large library with an overall height of 290 cm. The three-part architectural front is three-quarters glazed and features Corinthian bronze capitals with solid columns. Measures: Heig...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Monumental Candelabra in Empire Style
Located in Berlin, DE
Bronze, finely engraved and silvered. Chanelled columns with
black patination, as holder for four sweeping candelabra arms.
Measures:
Diameter 33cm,
height 62cm.
Category
20th Century French Empire Furniture
Materials
Brass
Pair of Wall Mirrors, Early 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Pair of pillar mirrors in gold-patinated and stuccoed frame with profiled molding. The mirror panes are divided in the upper third. Patination is rubbe...
Category
Early 19th Century European Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Giltwood
$13,918 / set
Empire Frame, Italy, Early 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Wood stuccoed and gilded.
Rectangular frame with cymatium frieze and pearl strip, alternating shell and dolphin decorations in relief.
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Wood
French Early 19th Century Empire Crystal-Cut and Gilt-Bronze Basket Chandelier
Located in Berlin, DE
French Early 19th Century Empire Crystal-Cut and Gilt-Bronze Basket Chandelier
A finely proportioned Empire gilt bronze and crystal-cut nine light tent and bag Chandelier. With an a...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Crystal, Bronze
Patent Secretaire, France, 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Patent secretaire with mahogany veneered frame and columns with bronze capitals and bases.
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
19th Century Berlin Oval Plate Table on Carved Foot Dining Table Mahogany German
Located in Epfach, DE
19th Century Berlin Oval Plate Table on Carved Foot
A magnificent and rare 19th-century dining table, crafted in Berlin, featuring a solid mahogany oval tabletop supported by a rema...
Category
Early 19th Century German Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Antique Empire Sewing Table, Paris, circa 1810
Located in Berlin, DE
Solid oak, Cuba mahogany veneer. Fire-gilt fittings. Hinged cover plate with intermediate compartments. Slip-in drawer on four full columns with four fire-gilded capitals and bases.
Category
1810s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Brass
$7,984 Sale Price
20% Off
19th Century Table Centrepiece (Surtout De Table) Paris 1825–1830 Fire-Gilded
Located in Epfach, DE
Table centrepiece (surtout de table), Paris, c. 1825–1830
This extraordinary centrepiece was created in Paris around 1825/1830, at a time when French table culture was experiencing ...
Category
1820s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
19th Century Swedish Gilded Wall Clock with Dolphins, Signed Ericsson Stockholm
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
Fine and decorative Swedish Cartel clock. Very elaborately carved wooden case flanked by two sculptural dolphins. The dial signed P. Ericsson Stoc...
Category
19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Giltwood
$10,706 Sale Price
51% Off
19th Century Impressionist Oil Painting, Original Frame, Eugene Delacroix, 1830s
By Eugène Delacroix
Located in Berlin, DE
Oil painting (framed)
Artist: Unknown (style of Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863).
Date: 19th century Title: French lieutenant on horseback leading a Bedouin cavalry.
Medium: Oil on...
Category
1830s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Canvas, Wood
Empire Style Gilded Tole Toleware Mirror Vintage, Italy, 1950s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Stunning Empire style toleware mirror. The gilded resin or plastic frame surrounds a glass mirror. Made in Italy, circa 1950s. Beautiful mirror for any room or your hall entry. Nice ...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Empire Furniture
Materials
Mirror, Resin
Pair of Empire girandoles, France, early 19th century
Located in Greding, DE
A pair of French girandoles made of burnished and partly fire-gilt bronze, on a red marble base over spherical decoration. The candelabra figures, designed as Apollo and Diana, carry...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
French 1810s Empire Console Table in Mahogany with Marble Top
Located in Ulm, DE
This refined French Empire console table, crafted circa 1810, showcases the sculptural clarity and symmetry typical of early 19th-century design. Built from beautifully grained mahog...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Empire Acajou Mouchete Mahogany Mounted Commode, Attributed to Bernard Molitor
By Bernard Molitor
Located in Berlin, DE
A fine Empire acajou mouchete mahogany commode in the manner of Bernard Molitor (1755-1833). A rectangular oak corpus veneered with acajou mouchete mah...
Category
Early 1800s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Pair of Viennese Empire Beds, early 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
A pair of Viennese Empire beds in walnut veneer. The beds have been expertly restored and polished by hand.
Category
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Walnut
$5,937 / set
Original Empire Set of a Sofa 2 Armchairs and 1 Table Mahogany with Bronze Figur
Located in Berlin, DE
Original Empire sofa circa 1860-1870 from an Empire room.
Massive mahogany cast with Empire caryadites bronze.
The armchairs are made of a different fabric than the sofa and should b...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Large Basket Chandelier, 1st Third 19th century
Located in Greding, DE
Large ceiling chandelier with six brass candle holders. The hanging of glass prisms, drops and beads is guided over two hoops and ends in a basket with hanging drops.
Category
Early 19th Century German Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Brass
20th Century Empire Style Table Decoration after J.B. Claude Odiot
Located in Berlin, DE
Bronze, engraved and silvered. Three columns shafts with full-plastic, finely engraved swans. Funnel-shaped insert.
Category
20th Century Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
$428 Sale Price
20% Off
Empire Settee, France 1810, Manner of Jacob Desmalter (1770-1841)
Located in Leimen, DE
Empire Settee, France 1810
Step back in time to the opulent era of 19th-century France with the exquisite Elegant Empire Settee, crafted in 1810. This resplendent sofa is a testament...
Category
Early 1800s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
$2,755 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Empire Chairs from Around 1810-1815
Located in Berlin, DE
Antique Empire chairs from around 1900
Solid wood mahogany. Seat upholstered and covered with black fabric. Very stable and robust built. Hind...
Category
19th Century German Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
$1,532 Sale Price
20% Off
Empire Column with fire-gilt Appliqués, 2nd Half 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Fluted column in mahogany veneer, with a white marble top and fire-gilt appliqués in the fluting. The chest of drawers stands on a round, multi-profiled base over gilded paw feet. Th...
Category
Mid-19th Century Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble
French Early 19th Century Empire Gilt Bronze Mantel Clock by Claude Galle
By Claude Galle
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
Claude Galle, (1759–1815, master in 1786) is one of the most renowned bronziers active during the Napoleonic period, such as Pierre-Philippe Thomire, André-Antoine Ravrio and Louis-S...
Category
Early 1800s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Empire Bronze Crystal Chandelier, with Fire-Gilded Swans, 19th Century
Located in Berlin, DE
Extremely decorative, heavy and high quality Empire chandelier,
19th century.
No replica. Staffed with five magnificent, fire-gilded bronze swans.
This chandelier impresses with its uniqueness.
The swan is the symbol animal of the Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais...
Category
19th Century Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Crystal, Bronze
$142,750 Sale Price
33% Off
Exceptional armchair, Empire around 1800/10 Walnut
Located in Münster, DE
Exceptional armchair, Empire around 1800/10, solid walnut, carved armrests with dolphin-shaped finials, new upholstery with black fabric cover
Height: 81 cm, width: 60 cm, depth: 56...
Category
1810s German Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Nutwood
Antique Empire Console /Sideboard, around 1810
Located in Berlin, DE
Solid wood with veneer, partly gilded. Rectangular cover plate with an inconspicuous frame and S-shaped curly supports on carved claws, which are held in gold. The base is arched. Pa...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
19th Century Pair of Empire Style Gilt Bronze Figural Three-Light Candleholders
Located in Frankfurt am Main, DE
A pair of gilt bronze three-light candelabra with kneeling putto holding the candleholders raised on richly elaborate base, France, late 19th century.
Measures:
Height 12.50 in / 3...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
$1,216 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Rare French, Early 19th Century Napoleonic Medal Cabinet
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
Rare French early 19th century Napoleonic medal cabinet on four gilt bronze pawfeet, a hinged door to the top and front opening to reveal four drawers containing 184 very fine bronzed plaster medals...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Plaster, Wood, Paper
Original antique Empire Armchair circa 1860-1880 Massive Mahogany bronze
Located in Berlin, DE
Original Empire armchair circa 1860-1880 massive mahogany 2 beautiful armchairs from an Empire room.
Each 2 figures provided cast bronze.
The chairs have a nice curve, in a top...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Jean-Joseph Chapuis Rare Pair of Empire parcel-gilt japanned Fauteuils
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
Despite his long life, very little is known about the general production of menuisier (chairmaker) Jean-Joseph Chapuis and even less about his use of bent laminates, which must be viewed as the most advanced of its kind until the appearance of Michael Thonet’s work of the 1830s.
The profound reverence for the classical world in enlightened circles in early nine-teenth-century Europe and the United States often resulted in the archaeological resurrection of the art, architecture, and design of ancient Greece and Rome. No chair employing the innovative technique of bending wood more boldly expresses this allegiance to the past than this armchair painted in le style antique and based on the ancient Roman sella curulis (folding stool); With a curved toprail decorated with putti supporting a medaillion and flanked by scrolling acanthus, the arms with ball finials, above a caned seat, on curved supports terminating in foliate gilt-metal sabots. This merger of technological innovation with fashionable aesthetics parallels the work of the American Samuel Gragg...
Category
Early 19th Century Belgian Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bentwood
20th Century Empire Style Lion Armchair
Located in Berlin, DE
20th century Empire style lion armchair
Imperial stylish lion armchair in Empire style.
Finely detailed carving work on solid ebonized beechwood....
Category
20th Century Empire Furniture
Materials
Fabric, Wood, Beech
Vanity Table in Mahogany, Probably Denmark, circa 1830
Located in Greding, DE
Danish Biedermeier dressing table with adjustable mirror with an architectural layout and fire-gilded fittings. The dressing table is equipp...
Category
1830s Danish Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Antique half-round Empire chest of drawers, mahogany, around 1810
Located in Berlin, DE
Antique half-round Empire chest of drawers, mahogany, around 1810
Semi-circular body, one door in the middle flanked by full columns and one drawer each above and below. An extremel...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Wood, Mahogany
20th Century Biedermeier Style Napoleon Secretaire
Located in Berlin, DE
Bird’s-eye maple root veneer on solid pinewood. Gilded chimeras. Finely engraved bronze fixtures.
(L-Sam-252).
Category
20th Century Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
20th Century, French Desk or Bureau Plat with Lions in the Antique Empire Style
Located in Berlin, DE
Bird's-eye maple wood on massive beech wood, partially carved and framed. The pedestal is arched on profile shaped washers.
Above the four large winged, polygonal standing heads. Three-bar frame, brass-framed, protruding rectangular worktop with historically three-section, gold-embossed leather plate...
Category
20th Century French Empire Furniture
Materials
Wood
20th Century antique Empire Style Lion canapé Sofa beech bronze
Located in Berlin, DE
Imperial stylish lion Kanapee in Empire style. Finely detailed carving work on solid ebonized beechwood. Gilded. Winged, protruding lions heads in bronze.
Category
20th Century French Empire Furniture
Materials
Beech
Putti Empire Chandelier Crystal Gold Basket Antique Brass Classic
Located in Berlin, DE
Elegant Vintage Chandelier with Charming Putti – Lovingly Restored in Berlin
This stunning chandelier is a true masterpiece, combining timeless elegance with delightful details. Fea...
Category
1940s European Vintage Empire Furniture
Materials
Crystal, Brass, Wire
20th Century Magnificent, Classical Swedish Ceiling Crown, Chandelier
Located in Berlin, DE
Magnificent, classical Swedish ceiling crown, chandelier
Polished brass. Curved, star shaped body with teardrop-shaped, faceted glass hangings, starti...
Category
20th Century Swedish Empire Furniture
Materials
Crystal, Brass
Empire Salon Suite, France 1810, Manner of Jacob Desmalter (1770-1841)
Located in Leimen, DE
Empire Salon Suite, France 1810
Step back in time to the opulent era of 19th-century France with the exquisite Elegant Empire Salon Suite, crafted i...
Category
Early 1800s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Around 1800 Baltic States 4 Dining Chairs Mohagony Brasswire Decor
Located in Epfach, DE
4 chairs for a dining room, around 1800, provenance probably from a noble household in the Baltic States
Mahogany, backrests and seat frames decorated with brass wire, designed in s...
Category
1810s Baltic Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
20th Century Empire Style Lion Kanapee Sofa
Located in Berlin, DE
Imperial stylish lion Kanapee in Empire style.
Finely detailed carving work on solid ebonized beechwood. Gilded. Winged, protruding lions heads in bronze.
(B-Sam-60).
Category
20th Century Empire Furniture
Materials
Wood, Beech
19th Century Original French Empire Sofa and Armchair Set Made from Mahogany
Located in Berlin, DE
Massive mahogany partly carved. Cambered frame on curly legs. Supports bracing supports for slightly rising armrests in rolled-up volute. High-awned, slightly curved backrest frame w...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Set of Three Antique French Empire Wall Light Sconces 2 Lights torch, France
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A nice set of three sconces with 2 light sources, made of bronze in torch styles. Each fixture requires two European E14 candelabra bulbs, each up to 40 watts. The wall lights have a...
Category
1930s French Vintage Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
20th Century Antique Classizim Style Empire Swan Chaise Lounge Birdseye Maple
Located in Berlin, DE
Maple roots on solid beechwood, partially ebonized and gilded.
Finely carved swans, feet carved with paws.
Very high quality fabric.
Category
20th Century English Empire Furniture
Materials
Wood
Impressive Royal Early 19th Century German Empire Mirror
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
A rare early 19th century German Empire giltwood trumeau mirror. The large rectangular plate surmounted by a scrolled pediment enriched with wines leaves and a central medallion encl...
Category
Early 19th Century German Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Giltwood
Large Pair of Spanish Empire Style 7-Light Crystal-Cut Chandeliers
Located in Berlin, DE
Large Pair of Spanish Empire Style 7-Light Crystal-Cut Chandeliers, in the Style of the Spanish Royal Factory of Glass and Crystal of La Granja
A large pair of Empire style 7-light ...
Category
Late 19th Century Spanish Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Crystal, Metal
French 19th Century Empire Gilt Bronze and Cut Crystal Glass Amphora Vase
Located in Berlin, DE
French 19th century empire gilt bronze and cut crystal glass amphora vase
A slender ovoid crystal glass vase standing on a round gilt bronze foot with a rectangular plinth which i...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century Empire Style a Russian Armchair
Located in Berlin, DE
Solid mahogany. Straight frame on saber-shaped legs with laid sheet. Strongly curved supports for slightly rising armrests. High-profile, contoured backrest frame with a wide finish....
Category
19th Century Russian Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Large Empire Style Painted Gilt Wood Wall Mirror
Located in Berlin, DE
Late 19th century large empire style painted gilt wood wall mirror or trumeau
Large rectangular mirror with architectural structure: the central field, consisting of a lower mirro...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mirror, Wood
$4,420 Sale Price
35% Off
Stunning 16-Light Murano Crystal Chandelier, circa 1920s
Located in Wiesbaden, Hessen
A wonderful very large sixteen light Murano glass and cut crystal silvered chandelier, Italy, circa 1920s.
This beautiful handcrafted fixture is made of silvered brass elements, Mur...
Category
1920s Italian Vintage Empire Furniture
Materials
Crystal
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.
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Iron Cross
Japanese Step
Indian Painted Wood
Inlaid Wood Frame
Irish Gold
Japan Antiques Collectables
Large Wood Columns
Large Copper Plate
Italian Mid Century Textiles
Italian Glass Fish
Italian Mid Century Vanity
Irish Carved Furniture
Latin American Furniture
Green Vanity
Imperial Mid
Hand Woven Mat
Large Tassels
Hand Painted Hand Fans