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Napoleon III Furniture

NAPOLEON III STYLE

Under Napoleon III’s rule, Paris underwent a great rebuilding overseen by Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann, which created grand avenues and lavish landmarks like the Paris Opera. Antique Napoleon III–style furniture was flamboyant and eclectic. It was also known as Second Empire style since it followed and referenced the Empire style of his uncle Napoleon I.

Developing from 1852–70, Napoleon III furniture was plush and ornate, matching the fashion for masked balls and socializing in salons. It borrowed freely from earlier French styles including Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI as well as aesthetics from around the world, from antiquity to Asian art. As writer Gustave Claudin remarked in 1867, the country’s architects worked in “a style which one would be tempted to call neo-Greco-Gothico-Pompadour-Pompeian.”

Napoleon III chairs were completely covered with velvet and lined with tassels; pouf footstools invited people to put up their feet. Sofas were upholstered with tapestries, and beds were adorned with gilt bronze and theatrical canopies. The addition of conservatories to homes led to new indoor-outdoor furniture, while the spirit of hygiene promoted by Baron Haussmann inspired bright, floral motifs.

Although the most ostentatious designs were for the elite, as seen in the Napoleon III apartments preserved in the Louvre, where red velvet, gilding and chandeliers create a cacophony of luxury, these trends influenced homes across classes as manufacturing made design increasingly accessible. Papier-mâché furniture allowed for elaborate shapes that would have been difficult to carve in wood. The malleable material was painted with chinoiserie patterns and decorative designs. It was mass-produced by factories such as Jennens and Bettridge with varnishing and mother-of-pearl inlays creating an effect reminiscent of Asian lacquer. (Surfaces that had been “japanned” — a specialty of Jennens and Bettridge — were intended to resemble lacquer work that was created in East Asia.)

Find a collection of antique Napoleon III decorative objects, tables, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Style: Napoleon III
Creator: Henri Picard
19th Century Henri Picard Children Gilt Bronze Sculpture
By Henri Picard
Located in CABA, AR
Henri Picard, a master of artistic metalwork during the opulent Second Empire period in France, remains a figure of enduring fascination and admiration in the realms of antique art a...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Bronze

19th Century Henri Picard Children Gilt Bronze Sculpture
19th Century Henri Picard Children Gilt Bronze Sculpture

19th Century Henri Picard Children Gilt Bronze Sculpture

French 19th c. Napoleon III Period Ormolu, Patinated Bronze, & Tole Centerpiece
By Henri Picard
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An elegant and large scale French 19th century Napoleon III Period Ormolu, patinated Bronze, and tole centerpiece, signed by Henri Picard. This beautiful jardiniere centerpiece is ra...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Metal, Bronze, Ormolu

French 19th c. Napoleon III Period Ormolu, Patinated Bronze, & Tole Centerpiece
French 19th c. Napoleon III Period Ormolu, Patinated Bronze, & Tole Centerpiece

French 19th c. Napoleon III Period Ormolu, Patinated Bronze, & Tole Centerpiece

Henri Picard, Louis XV Style Chest Of Drawers in Marquetry Bronze, Napoleon III
By Henri Picard
Located in NONANCOURT, FR
Chest of drawers between two opening by two drawers without curved crosspiece. It is in marquetry of kingwood on a rosewood background, decorated with intertwined foliage and shells ...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Henri Picard, Louis XV Style Chest Of Drawers in Marquetry Bronze, Napoleon III
Henri Picard, Louis XV Style Chest Of Drawers in Marquetry Bronze, Napoleon III

Henri Picard, Louis XV Style Chest Of Drawers in Marquetry Bronze, Napoleon III

A Pair Napoleon III Gilt-Bronze Vases, Mounted as Table Lamps, By Henri Picard
By Henri Picard
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Pair of Fine Napoleon III Period Gilt-Bronze Vases, Mounted as Table Lamps, By Henri Picard. These vases exhibit finely detailed bronze work with superb matte and burnished gildi...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

A Pair Napoleon III Gilt-Bronze Vases, Mounted as Table Lamps, By Henri Picard
A Pair Napoleon III Gilt-Bronze Vases, Mounted as Table Lamps, By Henri Picard

A Pair Napoleon III Gilt-Bronze Vases, Mounted as Table Lamps, By Henri Picard

Pair of Napoleon III Gilt-Bronze Three-Light Candelabra by Henri Picard
By Henri Picard
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Pair of Napoleon III Neo-Etruscan Style Gilt-Bronze three-light candelabra by Henri Picard. Stamped to the underside of one foot 'H. PICARD'. Each candelabrum having a finely cast amphora-shaped body with angular supports,oval portrait masks of a maiden, and a baluster stem issuing three candle arms with circular drip trays and sconces embellished with suspended chains, surmounted by playful amorini and raised on tripod bases terminating in hoof feet. French, Circa 1870. Henri Picard The important fondeur and doreur Henri Picard worked in Paris from 1831 to 1884, most notably for the Emperor Napoléon III. He was based in Paris at 6 rue Jarente from 1831 to 1839, before moving to 10 rue de la Perle...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Pair of Napoleon III Gilt-Bronze Three-Light Candelabra by Henri Picard
Pair of Napoleon III Gilt-Bronze Three-Light Candelabra by Henri Picard

Pair of Napoleon III Gilt-Bronze Three-Light Candelabra by Henri Picard

Napoleon III Period Neoclassical Malachite and Gilt Bronze Clock Set by Picard
By Henri Picard
Located in London, GB
Napoleon III period neoclassical malachite and gilt bronze clock set by Picard French, late 19th century Measures: Clock: Height 72cm, width 46cm, depth 27cm Candelabra: Height 78...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Malachite, Ormolu

Napoleon III Period Neoclassical Malachite and Gilt Bronze Clock Set by Picard
Napoleon III Period Neoclassical Malachite and Gilt Bronze Clock Set by Picard

Napoleon III Period Neoclassical Malachite and Gilt Bronze Clock Set by Picard

Pair of 19th Century Ormolu-Mounted Mahogany Display Cabinets by Henri Picard
By Henri Picard
Located in London, GB
A remarkable pair of display cabinets By Henri Picard of Paris Constructed in mahogany, with extensive and superlative ormolu decoration. The cabinets of rectangular form, rising...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Ormolu, Bronze

Pair of 19th Century Ormolu-Mounted Mahogany Display Cabinets by Henri Picard
Pair of 19th Century Ormolu-Mounted Mahogany Display Cabinets by Henri Picard

Pair of 19th Century Ormolu-Mounted Mahogany Display Cabinets by Henri Picard

French Porcelain and Ormolu Mantel Clock Stamped in Bronze H. Picard
By Henri Picard
Located in London, GB
French Ormolu and porcelain mantel clock of Classical design dating from the mid-19th century stamped in the mint and original Ormolu H. Picard. Numbered in the bronze, 1297. The original ormolu is in quite pristine and totally original condition. The case inset with painted porcelain panels with fruit and floral decoration in the classical style. The clock surmounted by a Bacchanalian mask and two handled vase with grapes, standing on six vase shaped feet on a velvet plinth...
Category

1850s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

French Porcelain and Ormolu Mantel Clock Stamped in Bronze H. Picard
French Porcelain and Ormolu Mantel Clock Stamped in Bronze H. Picard

French Porcelain and Ormolu Mantel Clock Stamped in Bronze H. Picard

Gilt and Patinated Bronze Antique French Clock Set by Picard
By Henri Picard
Located in London, GB
Comprising a central clock and a pair of flanking candelabra, the central circular dial surrounded by a laurel wreath and bow ormolu mount, with plaques depicting biblical scenes in relief on either side, surmounted by a large patinated bronze group, the pair of ten light candelabra similarly decorated with patinated bronze male...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Gilt and Patinated Bronze Antique French Clock Set by Picard
Gilt and Patinated Bronze Antique French Clock Set by Picard

Gilt and Patinated Bronze Antique French Clock Set by Picard

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Previously Available Items
Henri Picard, Louis XV Style Chest Of Drawers in Marquetry Bronze, Napoleon III
By Henri Picard
Located in NONANCOURT, FR
Chest of drawers between two opening by two drawers without curved crosspiece. It is in marquetry of kingwood on a rosewood background, decorated with intertwined foliage and shells ...
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Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

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Bronze

Henri Picard, Louis XV Style Chest Of Drawers in Marquetry Bronze, Napoleon III
Henri Picard, Louis XV Style Chest Of Drawers in Marquetry Bronze, Napoleon III

Henri Picard, Louis XV Style Chest Of Drawers in Marquetry Bronze, Napoleon III

H 33.47 in W 31.5 in D 15.75 in
Henri Picard, Pair of Candelabra in Gilt and Silver Bronze, Napoleon III Period
By Henri Picard
Located in NONANCOURT, FR
Pair of gilt bronze and silver bronze candelabra decorated with cherubs at the top and resting on feet in the form of hooves. They are decorated with bas-reliefs representing masks o...
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Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

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Bronze

Henri Picard, Pair of Candelabra in Gilt and Silver Bronze, Napoleon III Period
Henri Picard, Pair of Candelabra in Gilt and Silver Bronze, Napoleon III Period

Henri Picard, Pair of Candelabra in Gilt and Silver Bronze, Napoleon III Period

H 24.81 in W 7.88 in D 7.88 in
Huge, Rare Napoleon III Boulle Table Clock France, 19th Century
By André-Charles Boulle, Henri Picard
Located in Paris, FR
Rare, monumental size Napoleon III cartel table clock in Boule Marquetry. This stunning piece is entirely covered with brass in Boulle Marquetry style on a red tortoiseshell backgro...
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1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

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Brass, Bronze

Huge, Rare Napoleon III Boulle Table Clock France, 19th Century
Huge, Rare Napoleon III Boulle Table Clock France, 19th Century

Huge, Rare Napoleon III Boulle Table Clock France, 19th Century

H 44.1 in W 22.45 in D 8.67 in
Pair of Large Gilt Bronze Candelabra by Henri Picard
By Henri Picard
Located in London, GB
These exceptional large candelabra have been designed to add splendour and Napoleon III-style opulence to a grand interior. They are the work of Henri Picard, an important bronze fou...
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Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Ormolu, Bronze

Pair of Large Gilt Bronze Candelabra by Henri Picard
Pair of Large Gilt Bronze Candelabra by Henri Picard

Pair of Large Gilt Bronze Candelabra by Henri Picard

H 36.62 in W 15.75 in D 14.57 in
19th Century Pair of Kingwood and Ormolu Cabinets of the Napoleon III Period
By Henri Picard
Located in London, GB
A Good Pair of Meuble d'Hauteurs d'Appui By Henri Picard of the Napoleon III Period Constructed using fine kingwood, thuyawood and amaranth veneers lai...
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Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

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Marble, Bronze, Ormolu

19th Century Pair of Kingwood and Ormolu Cabinets of the Napoleon III Period
19th Century Pair of Kingwood and Ormolu Cabinets of the Napoleon III Period

19th Century Pair of Kingwood and Ormolu Cabinets of the Napoleon III Period

H 52 in W 65 in D 19.5 in
Exceptional French Gilt Bronze Mantel Clock, Henri Picard, circa 1880
By Miroy Frères, Henri Picard
Located in Shippensburg, PA
In every way a work of exquisite craftsmanship, this magnificent work of art is a complex and wonderful timepiece. The case and figures are cast by the important and highly regarded bronzier Henri Picard, active in Paris 1839 through around 1884. His firm supplied extensive furnishings to Emperor Napoleon III and an important pair of candelabra are held in the collection of the Musée du Louvre. His work is always characterized by the finest chasing and doré. The present example depicts putto resting among flowers in the field holding a garland of florals between them while flanking an oversized urn draped with acanthus overflowing with flowers and leaves over an angular Neoclassical case. Eight individual hand painted porcelain panels are set in the case, each an entirely unique work of art featuring flowers and pairs of cherubs surrounded by gilt highlights over a bright blue background. The movement is a beautiful example of precise craftsmanship, the works in excellent condition and fully operating; the back of the movement is stamped “Etarliss Ement de Paris, Miroy Freres...
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1880s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Brass, Bronze

Exceptional French Gilt Bronze Mantel Clock, Henri Picard, circa 1880
Exceptional French Gilt Bronze Mantel Clock, Henri Picard, circa 1880

Exceptional French Gilt Bronze Mantel Clock, Henri Picard, circa 1880

H 18.38 in W 25.5 in D 7.25 in
A French Antique Napoleon III Gilt Bronze Mantel Clock by Henry Picard
By Henri Picard
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A French Antique Napoleon III Gilt Bronze Mantel Clock by Henry Picard The blue and white enamel dial signed: MONBRO FILS AINE / JA...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Bronze, Enamel

A French Antique Napoleon III Gilt Bronze Mantel Clock by Henry Picard
A French Antique Napoleon III Gilt Bronze Mantel Clock by Henry Picard

A French Antique Napoleon III Gilt Bronze Mantel Clock by Henry Picard

H 21 in W 22.75 in D 7.5 in

Napoleon Iii furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Napoleon III 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 decorative objects, building and garden elements, case pieces and storage cabinets and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Napoleon III 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 Europa Antiques, Baccarat, Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, and Ferdinand Barbedienne. 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 $49 and tops out at $2,500,000 while the average work can sell for $3,313.

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