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
760
2,677
2,048
4,690
109
106
199,852
113,739
43,286
33,333
16,312
12,206
10,770
10,745
9,952
9,020
7,295
6,782
6,425
6,397
6,164
5,821
4,905
3,786
255
2,992
1,443
215
498
343
224
109
16
89
52
45
51
68
49
59
26
2,632
2,012
1,459
1,002
820
4,002
2,772
397
280
266
4,905
4,862
4,884
31
22
18
13
13
Style: Empire
French Restauration Antique Mahogany Cylinder Roll-Top Desk circa 1830
Located in Shippensburg, PA
FINE RESTAURATION PERIOD ORMOLU-MOUNTED FLAMED MAHOGANY BUREAU À CYLINDER
France, circa 1830
Item # 403ZGP18C
An exceedingly fine bureau à cylinder from the Restauration period in F...
Category
19th Century English Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble, Brass, Ormolu
Petit Danish Late Empire Antique Chest of Drawers
Located in Kastrup, DK
Small 19th century Danish Late Empire chest of drawers in flamed birch. French polished.
The façade showcases an arrangement of four drawers (a smaller drawer over 3 larger drawers)...
Category
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Beech
Maitland Smith French Empire Green Greek Key Sunburst Round Dining Center Table
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Maitland Smith attributed French Empire Style Green Lacquer Greek Key Sunburst Round Dining/Center Table. Item features thick round glass, green paint lacquered top with sunburst center and Greek Key border, dark brown and gold pedestal...
Category
Late 20th Century Empire Furniture
Materials
Glass, Wood, Lacquer
Circa 1920 Antique Kilim Pillow
Located in Los Angeles, US
Ca. 1920 Antique Kilim Pillow
Category
1920s Unknown Vintage Empire Furniture
Materials
Wool, Cotton
Circa 1860 Antique French Aubusson Tapestry Pillow
Located in Los Angeles, US
Ca. 1860 Antique French Aubusson Tapestry Pillow
Category
1860s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Wool, Cotton
Circa 1920 Antique Kilim Pillow
Located in Los Angeles, US
Ca. 1920 Antique Kilim Pillow
Category
1920s Unknown Vintage Empire Furniture
Materials
Wool, Cotton
Antique 19th Century French Tapestry Pillow 24'' X 26''
Located in Los Angeles, US
Antique French tapestry pillow. 19th century. 24'' X 26''
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Wool, Cotton
Late 19th Century French Empire Arrow Sconces
Located in New York, NY
A pair of circa 1900's Empire style sconces with two Roman warriors on black backplate.
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
$5,800 / set
Circa 1900 Antique Susani Embroidery Pillow
Located in Los Angeles, US
Ca. 1900 Antique Susani Embroidery Pillow
Category
Early 1900s Unknown Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Wool, Cotton
French Empire Bronze Swan Table Lamp
Located in Queens, NY
French Empire style 20th century bronze doré 2 swan arm round base bouillotte table lamp with oval green tole shade.
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Leather Armchairs Empire Style Midcentury
Located in Lake Worth, FL
For FULL item description click on CONTINUE READING at the bottom of this page.
Offering One Of Our Recent Palm Beach Estate Fine Furniture Acquisitions Of A
Pair of Mid Century ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Empire Furniture
Materials
Leather, Wood, Giltwood
$3,996 Sale Price
20% Off
Very Handsome Pair of French Empire Period Gilt Brass Candlesticks, Circa 1820
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
A very handsome & tall pair of early 19th century French Empire gilt brass candlesticks.
Both showing reeded columns rising up from circular bases decorated by hand with finely chiseled motifs, to similarly addressed urn-shaped nozzles with detachable bobeches.
Constructed in three sections, with the nozzle and column firmly attached to the base by means of a full length threaded metal post...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Brass
Italian Walnut Mirror
Located in New York, NY
Italian walnut mirror. Antique provincial bleached walnut mirror with later antiqued plate with clean modern classic lines. Italy, circa 1820.
...
Category
1820s Italian Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mirror, Walnut
$1,150
Mid 20th century frame Italian bisque Taglio
Located in Allentown, PA
This is a mid 20th century Italian frame bisque Taglio. This Greco Roman style bisque porcelain medallion is framed in a gold leaf shadowbox frame with pink interior and gold details...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Empire Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Distinctive pair of 19th century Empire Style gilt metal candelabras
Located in Leesburg, VA
Anonymous
19th century; European
Gilt bronze and metal
Approximate size: 17.75 (h) x 9.75 (w) x 3.5 (d) inches
The present pair of distinctive antique gilt metal candlesticks are i...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Brass
French Empire style leather top mahogany writing desk, C 1890
Located in Philadelphia, PA
French Empire style leather top mahogany writing desk having bronze mounts, claw feet and resting on slabs of green marble (optional) C 1890.
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Weiman Heirloom Italian Regency Empire Mahogany Side Table w/ Black Columns
By Weiman
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage Weiman Heirloom Italian Regency/Empire Style Flamed Mahogany Side Table with Black Columns, Satinwood Inlay, and Dovetailed Drawer. Circa Mid 20th Century. Measurements: 24" ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Unknown Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Table Cigar Box two-tone stripes enamel Sterling Silver Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
This superb Table Cigar Box two-tone stripes enamel is in 925/1000 sterling silver.
it has a rectangular shape with rounded sides Table Cigar Box has hand engraving, with orange and ...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Empire Furniture
Materials
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
French Empire Style Painted & Gilded Mirror
Located in Dallas, TX
French Empire Style Painted & Gilded Mirror is the perfect size for the dressing room, bath, or any cozy niche. The design also lends itself to either horizontal or vertical hanging...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Empire Furniture
Materials
Mirror, Wood, Paint
Empire Secretaire, Ebonized, Maple, Ink Painting, Brass, Gold, Vienna circa 1815
Located in Regensburg, DE
Fine neoclassical Empire or early Biedermeier Secretaire / Drop Front Desk from Vienna, Austria around 1810-15.
Ebonized veneer on oak.
Classicist gable cornice with surrounding gol...
Category
1810s Austrian Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Brass, Iron, Gold Leaf
Ancient Majapahit Temple Stone Block from Java, Indonesia
Located in Jimbaran, Bali
Worn by time and whispering centuries of forgotten devotion, this weathered block of stone once stood proudly as part of a sacred Majapahit temple in the heart of Java. Carved in the...
Category
16th Century Indonesian Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Stone
Empire Style Heraldic Coat of Arms Carved Mahogany Double Eagle Bench
Located in Germantown, MD
An early 20th Century Empire Style Heraldic coat of arms Intricately Carved Mahogany Double Eagle Bench with loose seat cushion. Measures 36.5" in width, 25" in depth and stands 37.5...
Category
Early 20th Century American Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
$3,746 Sale Price
25% Off
Ancient Majapahit Temple Stone Block from Java, Indonesia
Located in Jimbaran, Bali
Worn by time and whispering centuries of forgotten devotion, this weathered block of stone once stood proudly as part of a sacred Majapahit temple in the heart of Java. Carved in the...
Category
16th Century Indonesian Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Stone
Pair of Empire Birch and Mahogany Armchairs with Inlays and Ivory Linen Upholste
Located in Kastrup, DK
A Pair of Elegant Empire Armchairs with Beautifully Preserved Patina.
This pair of Empire armchairs is crafted from solid birch, featuring rectangular inlays in darker mahogany on t...
Category
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Fabric, Birch, Mahogany
19th Century Swedish Empire Centre Console Table
Located in Allerum, SE
Fine and unusual 19th century Swedish Empire centre console table with Italian pink Calacatta marble top, Ca 1830.
Category
19th Century European Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble
French Empire Figural Bronze Gueridon/side table w/ Pietra Dore Top
Located in New York, NY
A 19th Century French Empire-Style Pietra Dura Top Table/Gueridon with Gilt Bronze Maiden Base. This table features a gilt bronze caryatid support and an octagonal pietra dura top. ...
Category
1890s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Set of 6 American Empire Style Carved Wood Gondola Dining Chairs
Located in Queens, NY
Set of 6 American Empire wood dining chairs in mahogany veneer with sloped gondola backs with an openwork, urn-form center topped by a carved foliate neoclassical crown...
Category
20th Century Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
French Empire Vanity Mirror with Original Reverse Etched Glass Panels circa 1800
Located in valatie, NY
French Empire vanity mirror with original reverse etched glass panels, circa 1800, of classical figures. It has original gilded classical mounts. ...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Wood, Mirror
Early 19th Century French Empire Carved Walnut Four-Drawer Commode
Located in Dallas, TX
This elegant fruitwood chest of drawers was crafted in France, circa 1830. The traditional antique commode sits on thick square feet over rounded columns decorated with bronze ring m...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze, Brass
Early 19th Century Italian Empire Walnut Antique Wall Mirror
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
Beautiful elegant antique Empire wall mirror, 1800s walnut wood hand carved with finely decorations. Elegant carved and gilded decorations. On the sides two columns with gilded corin...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mercury Glass, Walnut
$4,775 Sale Price
20% Off
Pair of Napoleonic Empire Style Gondola Chairs with Dolphins
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Gorgeous pair of carved walnut gondola chairs featuring dolphins. Crafted in the grand Napoleonic French empire taste with a curved crestrail and intricately carved splat centered by...
Category
20th Century French Empire Furniture
Materials
Fabric, Walnut
20th Century Burl Wood Marble Top Italian Empire Style Commode, 1970s
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
Italian chest of drawers from the second half of the 20th century. Empire style furniture veneered in burl and ebonized wood of beautiful lines and pleasant furnishings. Commode with...
Category
1970s Italian Vintage Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble
Miniature Antique Empire chest of drawers
Located in Ballard, CA
exquisite exemple of a miniature sample of an empire chest made by a "Compagnon" most likely this was for the mentor to judge the ability of his pupi...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Pair of Wall Sconces Bronze Empire Style, France, Early 20th Century
Located in Mombuey, Zamora
Solid brass or brass wall lamp Empire style with two arms.
This wall sconces Empire style white rigid appearance, solid and basic geometric shapes. Decorated with acanthus leaves ...
Category
Early 20th Century French Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
$1,098 Sale Price / set
20% Off
French Empire Style Marble Top table with bronze mounts
Located in Houston, TX
Elegant tall side table made of mahogany with black marble top. It
Is well made with exceptional bronze dore gilt mounts in the empire
Style with a tapered leg ending in bronze dore ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble
French Empire Style Chandelier with Frosted Glass Flame
Located in Pembroke, MA
French Empire style chandelier with gilt bronze arms, neoclassical mounts, ornate chain and canopy. The central body is dark green painted wood, surmounted with a frosted glass flame...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Ormolu
$5,200 Sale Price
20% Off
Monumental Marble and Bronze Dore’ Clock Adorned with Psyche and Amor Figures
Located in Houston, TX
Amazing clock depicting the tale of Amor and Psyche which
Is about the god of love in Greek mythology. Large bronze
Dore figures adorn the pediment standing on a rectangular
Marble b...
Category
1870s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Late Empire French Walnut Chest of Drawers with Bronze Handles
Located in Prato, Tuscany
We kindly suggest you read the whole description, because with it we try to give you detailed technical and historical information to guarantee the authenticity of our objects.
Frenc...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Austro-Hungarian Empire 1880 Budapest Vesta Tinder Box In .900 Sterling Silver
Located in Miami, FL
An Austro-Hungarian mechanical vesta tinder case.
Beautiful antique fusee vesta tinder case, created in Budapest Hungary around the 1880. It was crafted during the Austro-Hungarian ...
Category
1880s Hungarian Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Silver, Sterling Silver
$945 Sale Price
30% Off
Antique Empire Russia St. Petersburg Mahogany Games Console Table Brass Banding
Located in Munich, DE
This elegant Russian games and console table was made in st Petersburg circa 1810. It has ben crafted out of mahogany and is decorated with fine brass banding.The table is convertibl...
Category
1810s Russian Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Brass
Napoleonic Empire Cushion French Silk Thread Cannetille Green Cream Throw Pillow
Located in Wommelgem, VAN
Napoleonic Empire cushion silk, cannetille and metallic gold thread embroidered
Cushion with a rich and luxurious appaerance.
Made of genuine silk satin and 19th century embroidered ...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Satin, Silk, Down
French Empire Gilt Bronze Clock
Located in London, GB
French Empire gilt bronze clock
French, early 19th century
Measures: Height 38cm, width 27cm, depth 10cm
This fine gilt bronze man...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Ormolu, Bronze
Classic French 18th Century Empire Walnut Kneehole Writing Desk
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Found near Paris, France, we purchased this museum quality 18th century Empire style desk for its impeccable quality and style. Made predominantly from walnut and featuring Empiric s...
Category
18th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Walnut
Superb & Rare Empire Mahogany and Brass Inlaid Chair
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Superbly elegant and unusual late 19th century Empire style chair having curved back adorned with small gorgeous Medusa head, inlaid in perfect places including the reeded legs with ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Brass
Pair of Carved X Base Benches With Cushions
Located in Locust Valley, NY
Pair of carved and stained wood X form benches in Empire style with striped fabric upholstered cushions
Category
20th Century Empire Furniture
Materials
Fabric, Wood
$1,920 / set
French Empire Style Beige Painted Trumeau Mirror with Carved Gilt Décor
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Empire style beige painted trumeau mirror from the 20th century with gilded décor. This exquisite French Empire style trumeau mirror from the 20th century is a testament to ...
Category
20th Century French Empire Furniture
Materials
Wood, Giltwood
19th Century Old Paris Porcelain Reticulated Cherub Compote
Located in Houston, TX
19th Century Old Paris Porcelain: a reticulated gilt glazed compote featuring a kneeling cherub .
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Empire Period patinated Wood and Giltwood armchairs
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A handsome and most decorative pair of French early 19th century Empire Period patinated Wood and Giltwood armchairs. Each wonderful armchair are raised by two front circular tapered...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Giltwood
$22,800 / set
19thc French Empire Green Art Glass Lantern Intricately Patterned
Located in Opa Locka, FL
19thc French Empire Intricately Patterned Green Art Glass Lantern with Bronze Element. Lovely antique lantern which will arrive newly electrified and with 15 inches of chain and ceil...
Category
1880s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Art Glass
$976 Sale Price
20% Off
Pair of Empire Gilt Chinoiserie Vases
Located in New York, NY
Pair of Empire gilt chinoiserie vases. Pair hand-painted and gilt French vases of the Empire period with mask handles and gilt surrounds centering on ...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
$3,600 / set
Egg on Tripod with folding frame for 6 photos Sterling Silver Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Egg on tripod with folding photo frame for 6 photos, inside, in 925/1000 sterling Silver gold plated, with translucent fired enamels on guillochè. ...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Empire Furniture
Materials
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Egg Purple Red enamel with tripod Sterling Silver Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Egg Purple Red enamel is in 925/1000 sterling silver.
Egg Purple Red enamel has fired enamels on guilloché has fired enamels on guilloché and design engraved by hand.
Egg Purple Red...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Empire Furniture
Materials
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Pair of bronze and black stone candlesticks in Empire style, France ca. 1870
Located in Meulebeke, BE
France / 1870 / 2 candlesticks / bronze, stone / Antique / Empire
A set of two French Empire candlesticks in bronze with feet and body of black natural stone.
The striking contrast...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Stone, Bronze
Antique French Empire Burl Wood Bibliotheque Bookcase Cabinet, Circa 1880s
Located in South Bend, IN
A beautiful antique French Empire knockdown bibliotheque bookcase cabinet
In the manner of Louis Majorelle
France, Circa 1880s
Gorgeous burl wood, with bronze mounts and trim.
Me...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Patinated Metal and Brass French Empire Period 8-Arm Chandelier, ca. 1810
Located in Atlanta, GA
skillfully cast in brass with the center section a dark (nearly black) patinated metal with original canopy of acanthus leaves, original chains and a circular body with brass finial ...
Category
1810s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Metal, Brass
French 19th Century Empire Bouillotte Table Lamp
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A French Empire style, 19th century oval bouillotte table lamp with its original painted tole shade surrounding a line of four candles. Bouillotte is a card game popular in France du...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Metal, Brass
French Empire Flame Mahogany Drop Front Secretaire Abattant Secretary Desk
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique French Empire Flame Mahogany Drop Front Secretaire Abattant Secretary Desk. Item features 2 part construction, beautiful tapered capitol, brass hardware, mother of pearl keyh...
Category
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Bing & Grøndahl Empire Sauce Bowl in Hand-Painted Porcelain
Located in København, Copenhagen
Bing & Grøndahl empire sauce bowl in hand-painted porcelain modelled with seahorses.
Early 20th century.
Measures: 23.5 x 15 x 11 cm.
In excellent condition.
Stamped.
2nd facto...
Category
Early 20th Century Danish Empire Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Pair of 19th C. French Ormolu & Patinated Bronze Torchieres/floor lamps
Located in New York, NY
An Incredible and Large Pair of 19th Century Empire Period French Ormolu and Patinated Bronze Mounted Torchieres. The patinated bronze base is decorated with hand-chassed and hand-c...
Category
1820s French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Bronze
$28,400 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Pair of Small French Empire Giltwood Busts, Circa 1815
Located in Dallas, TX
During the period of French history known as the Empire style, design reflected Napoleon’s belief that ancient civilizations (such as Greece, Rome, and Egypt) were the only societies...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Furniture
Materials
Wood, Giltwood
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