Napoleon III Furniture
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.
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Oak, Giltwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Oak, Paint
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mother-of-Pearl
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Carrara Marble, Iron, Wrought Iron
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Hardwood, Mahogany, Porcelain, Mother-of-Pearl
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Iron
1810s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Napoleon III Furniture
Mirror, Giltwood
Late 20th Century Napoleon III Furniture
Marble, Brass
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
1850s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century French Napoleon III Furniture
Tôle
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Tin
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Ceramic
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Iron
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Iron, Wrought Iron
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Upholstery
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bone, Wood
1890s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Art Glass
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Tapestry, Wood
1830s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Metal, Enamel
Late 20th Century American Napoleon III Furniture
Velvet, Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood, Giltwood
1880s American Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Fabric, Wood
20th Century French Napoleon III Furniture
Linen
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Fabric, Wood
19th Century Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mahogany
Late 20th Century Napoleon III Furniture
Stone
Late 19th Century Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Felt, Wood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Metal
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
1890s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Canvas, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
19th Century Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Linen, Oak
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Metal, Brass
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Glass, Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Napoleon III Furniture
Brass, Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Tapestry
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Rosewood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Canvas, Giltwood, Paint
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Metal, Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Upholstery
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Giltwood, Paint
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Ceramic