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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
Pair of Sèvres porcelain vases mounted in gilt bronze painted by J. Machereau
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
This beautiful pair of covered vases made of porcelain originally comes from the Manufacture of Sèvres where the white pieces were bought in 1869, decorated then mounted in gilt bron...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Bronze

SÈVRES Manufacture, Pair of Chameleon Vases of the Persian Bottle Model
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
The “Persian bottle vase” model, created at the Sèvres manufactory in 1874 based on a Persian metal prototype, exists in several versions that vary in c...
Category

1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Baccarat opaline wine bottle - Napoleon III period circa 1860
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
A fine Baccarat opaline wine decanter or bottle gilt with fine gold fleur-de-lys patterns, Napoléon III period circa 1860. Gilt has been outstandingly preserved after over 150 years,...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Opaline Glass

Napoléon III Gilt-Bronze Mounted Mahogany Buffet by Maison Grohé, circa 1860
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A large and impressive Napoléon III gilt-bronze mounted mahogany buffet with a rouge marble top, by Maison Grohé. French, circa 1860. Stamped twice...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Bronze

19th Century Pair of Wrought Iron and Bronze Railing Feet
Located in Marseille, FR
19th century pair of foot of banister of staircase in wrought iron, the pines were in silvered bronze unfortunately they were patinated in green, on the other hand can easily find th...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Wrought Iron

Antique French 'Bacchante' Firedogs or Andirons, 19th Century
Located in Amerongen, Amerongen
19th century French Napoleon III Bacchante firedogs made of cast iron. Bacchante is the priestess of Bacchus, god of wine and vivid social gatherings. The andirons have a natural bro...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Iron

French 19th Century Napoleon III Period Ebony & Tortoiseshell Étagère Bookcase
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An exceptional French 19th century Napoleon III period Ebony, stained Pine, brass, ormolu and Tortoiseshell étagère bookcase. The bookcase is raised by a straight base with a beautif...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Brass, Ormolu

Late 19th Century Italian Napoleon III Side Table in Walnut with Marble Top
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
We offer you this splendid and sophisticated coffee table, made in Italy around the end of the 19th century during the Napoleon III period. Made of elegant walnut wood, the upper su...
Category

Late 19th Century Italian Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Marble

19th Century Ebonized Mirror
Located in Houston, TX
19th century ebonized mirror, circa 1860-1889, France. Two available, but sold individually priced $4,950 each.
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Mirror, Wood, Paint

A French 19th Century Giltwood Eagle
Located in London, GB
A finely carved C19th French Napoleonic giltwood eagle, modelled with outstretched wings, sitting on a carved circular painted base.
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Giltwood

Pair of Napoléon III Brass & Wrought Iron Cherubs Andirons, France, c 1890
Located in Labrit, Landes
Pair of andirons of the period Napoleon III Wrought iron and brass. These andirons, created at the end of the 19th century, reflect the aesthetic style of the Louis XIV era, when the...
Category

Late 19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Brass, Wrought Iron

Pill box enamel “pastoral”miniature on sterling silver gold plated Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Rectangular pill box with 2 slightly rounded sides, in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with a miniature hand-painted by the painter Romano Buccioni depicting a “pastoral” scene ...
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel

Salins-lès-Bains Rare French Art Majolica Ceramic Asparagus Set, Late 19th C.
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
French Art Majolica Ceramic Asparagus Set by Salins-lès-Bains, France, Late 19th Century. This exquisite and rare French art majolica asparagus set, crafted by Salins-lès-Bains in t...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Rare Napoleon III Boulle Desk 1860 France André-Charles Boulle
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Rare Napoleon III Boulle desk of very high quality, 1860 France
Category

1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Brass

Maison Gagneau, Pair of Louis XVI Style Lamps, circa 1880
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Maison Gagneau, signed. Pair of baluster shape Louis XVI style lamps in guilloche brown brass. Chiselled and gilt bronze mount. High of the mount with...
Category

1880s European Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Brass

French Napoleon III 'Train' Fireback / Backsplash, 20th Century
Located in Amerongen, Amerongen
20th century French Napoleon III fireback with a train. The fireback is made of cast iron. The patina is natural brown. Upon request it can be made black / pewter at no extra costs....
Category

20th Century French Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Iron

French Ormolu and Porcelain Mantel Clock by Wilson & Gander, London
By Wilson & Gandar
Located in Norwich, GB
French gilded ormolu mantel clock with blue hand painted floral porcelain panels (the panels all separately signed ‘Creilliet Montereai, Medaillon D’or, ...
Category

1850s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

Napoleon III Slipper Chair In Brique Ton Sur Ton Jacquard Velvet. Sweden 1940s
Located in Silvolde, Gelderland
Beautiful ( Scandinavian ) Napoleon lll chair. This chair is totally reupholstered with the brique ton sur ton jacquard velvet in the 70s. Webbing and springs are all in good conditi...
Category

Early 20th Century Norwegian Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Velvet, Beech

19th Century French Boulle Tea Caddy
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Very fine. Early 19th century Napoleon tea caddy. Brass inlay. Crystal vessel (not original).
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Crystal, Brass

Pair of Napoleon III Gilt Bronze Ewers
Located in Paris, FR
Important pair of Napoleon III ewers in chased gilt bronze with rich decoration in relief of stylized foliage, friezes of palmettes, and vine branches framing a frieze of putti reali...
Category

1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Bronze

charming large shelf in lacquered wood, and inlaid with different flowers
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
charming large shelf in lacquered wood, and inlaid with different flowers small old restorations Dutch work from the 19th century
Category

Late 19th Century Dutch Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Beech, Cherry

Pair of Antique Bohemian Double Overlay Cut-Glass Vases
Located in New York, NY
A fine pair of antique Bohemian, white over ruby red hand diamond cut, double overlay glass vases. Further beautifully decorated with 24-karat gold. Eac...
Category

19th Century German Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Crystal

Goldsmith Cardeilhac - Table Top 3 Cups In Sterling Silver And Crystal Nineteent
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Table set formed by three cups in solid silver and cut crystal. The rockery-style tripod base with acanthus leaves and arabesque decoration supports a cut crystal cup. on each side a...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Sterling Silver

Antique French Napoleon III Fire Screen, 19th Century
Located in Amerongen, Amerongen
19th century French Napoleon III 3-panel fireplace screen. The screen is made of brass, iron and iron mesh. It is in a good condition and is fit for use in front of the fireplace.
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Iron, Brass

19th Century Napoleon III Style Mahogany Veneered Large Console
Located in Marseille, FR
Superb and large 19th century Napoleon III console in mahogany veneer richly carved with bird’s decoration. Note that the tip of a bird's beak is missing but will be replaced by our ...
Category

1880s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Marble

Antique Mid-19th Century Ebonised Wood, Gilt Bronze and Pietra Dura Desk
Located in London, GB
Antique Mid-19th century ebonised wood, gilt bronze and Pietra Dura desk, French, c. 1860s Dimensions: Height 77cm, width 134cm, depth 78cm This ...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Stone, Ormolu

Maison Millet, Pair of Cassolettes, France, circa 1870
Located in PARIS, FR
Pair of Louis XVI-inspired curved shape cassolettes with godrons, in green granite and chiseled and gilded bronze, in the Rocaille style, attributed to Maison Millet. The lid is topp...
Category

1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Granite, Bronze

Bonheur du Jour, litterally "Happiness of the Day" Desk in Boulle Marquetry
Located in Marcq-en-Barœul, Hauts-de-France
This beautiful Bonheur du Jour, litterally "Happiness of the day" desk is made of a Boulle marquetry. Tiered upper part, opening with two medallion doors and two small drawers. Lower...
Category

1880s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Brass

Beautiful rectangular Napoleon III Writing Desk early century black and gold
Located in Milano, IT
Beautiful rectangular 1920 Napoleon III writing desk, walnut structure, walnut, leather top with gold workings and brass fixtures. measure cm...
Category

Early 20th Century Italian Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Brass

Garonne Primo Chaise Lounge by Bourgeois Boheme Atelier 'Silver Cast Bronze Leg'
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This version of our classic Garonne chaise lounge has 5 white bronze legs and white velvet upholstery. From every angle, you see its distinctive elegant curved lines. The bronze legs...
Category

2010s American Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Bronze

19th - 20th Century French 'The Cobbler and the Financier' Fireback / Backsplash
Located in Amerongen, Amerongen
Late 19th or early 20th Century French Napoleon III period fireback. The fable of the cobbler and the financier (Jean de la Fontaine 1621-1695). A financier's troubled rest is inte...
Category

Early 20th Century French Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Iron

Pair of 19th Century French Ebonised Boulle Cabinets
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
For sale is a good pair of 19th century Victorian ebonized Boulle cabinets. Each cabinet has a brass gallery to the top, with a single glazed door below. Each door is surrounded by i...
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Brass

19th Napoleon III Salon Table Giltwood
Located in Berlin, DE
Solid wood carved and poliment sheet-gilded. Figurine carving in the form of chimera and satyr masks. Probably from a South German castle. Museal. (A-130).
Category

Mid-19th Century German Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Gold Plate

Second Empire Period Patinated and Gilt Bronze Three-Piece Clock Set
Located in London, GB
This three-piece mantel clock set contains a clock and two candelabra. The set was produced circa 1860, during the Napoleon III period, and demonstrates the eclecticism typical to de...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Ormolu, Bronze

19th Century French Aubusson Rug, Napoleon III
Located in Vero Beach, FL
French Aubusson rug, 19th century Napoleon III Characteristic French Aubusson rug of the late Baroque style. Distinguished by an ivory background, a floral medallion, defined by sinuous Rococo scrolls with elegant ornamentation of flowers, floats majestically on this classical French Aubusson. handwoven by great tapestry artists...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Wool

19th Century Ornate Rococo Mirror, Solid Wood Gilded in 1870, Paris
Located in Berlin, DE
Ornate rococo mirror, solid wood gilded in 1870, Paris Ornate and gold leaf mirror, Paris, circa 1870 Rocaille body framed with rich rococo carving. Rocaille-shaped mirror frame wi...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Mirror, Wood

Lot of 9 original opaline vases from the Napoleon III period, height from 11.42"
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Lot of 9 original opaline vases from the Napoleon III period, height from 11.42" to 13" (29 to 33 cm)
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Opaline Glass

Napoleon III Mantel Clock or Console 180s Black Marble and Solid Brass Sculpture
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Napoleon III Mantel Clock or Console 180s Black Marble and Solid Brass Sculpture
Category

1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Marble, Brass

French Napoleon III Period Fireback / Backsplash, 19th C.
Located in Amerongen, Amerongen
19th century French Napoleon III period fireback depicting a woman. The fireback is made of cast iron and has a natural brown patina. Upon request it can be made black / pewter. The...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Iron

19th Century Rosewood Small Mirrored Cabinet
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
19th Century Rosewood Small Mirrored Cabinet A superb quality piece, made in rosewood with pierced and moulded carving infilled with glass si...
Category

Mid-20th Century Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Rosewood

19th Century French Walnut Writing Table
Located in Woodbury, CT
French walnut writing table. Within the frieze are two drawers with moulded decoration and silvered handles. The turned, tapering reeded legs are joined by a carved stretcher with ...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Original Antique Alexandre Cabanel Museum Quality Portrait Oil Painting
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
Antique Spanish Colonial rustic wood floor lamp. It is carved from solid wood and has been rewired. Additional information: Materials: Wood...
Category

19th Century Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Canvas

Set of Four Baccarat Chrysoprase 'Uranium' Covered Cups on stands
Located in Montreal, QC
A set of four French Baccarat chrysoprase (uranium) green opaline art glass covered cups, each with matching stands. The beautiful green body of t...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Glass

Napoleon III Woven Gilt Bronze Handled Basket, Weave Table Box
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Napoleon III woven gilt bronze handled basket -weave table box France, circa 1875 A whimsical, yet intricately woven of a handled basket weave table ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Bronze

French Signed Sevres Bronze Mounted Covered Vase with Floral Decoration
Located in San Francisco, CA
A finely rendered Sevres porcelain covered urn with bronze mounts, decorated overall in a colorful floral design with gilded details, the lid wi...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

" The Cook scaling a fish", Antoine Richard, 1822-1891
Located in PARIS, FR
"The cook scaling a fish", signed Antoine Richard, 1822-1891". A painting on wood panel showing a young woman scaling a fish in an interior, probably a kitchen. These genre scenes...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Wood

Theodore Alexander Bar Stools Napoleon III Mahogany Scoop Back Brown Leather
Located in W Allenhurst, NJ
Theodore Alexander bar stools Inspired by Napoleon III and Louis XV styling. Features a hand carved mahogany scoop back, a padded brown/co...
Category

20th Century Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Leather, Mahogany

Napoleon III French Marble and Bronze Astronomical Sciences Clock
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
Napoleon III figural astronomical sciences clock. The patinated bronze winged putto stands beside the ‘blued’ bronze globe of the world housing the movement; he holds scientific inst...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Pair of Antique French Double Overlay "Tulip" Form Opaline Glass Lusters
Located in New York, NY
A very fine and quite unusual pair of Antique French double overlay, white over apple green opaline glass cut and faceted Lusters, each further adorned ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Pair of gilded bronze candelabra in the style of Napoleon III XXth Century
Located in Cantù, IT
Pair of gilded bronze candelabra in the style of Napoleon III XXth Century
Category

20th Century Italian Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Bronze

French Napoleon III Bronze Bacchus Putto Clock, 1870s
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
French Napoleon III Bronze Bacchus Putti Clock, Circa 1870s. A charming French Napoleon III bronze clock featuring a Bacchus putto motif, dating back to the 1870s. This exquisite tim...
Category

1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Cardeilhac - 19th Century Solid Silver Fruit Basket
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Large multi-lobed fruit basket in solid silver decorated with foliage and clasps. The body is openwork and pierced with canework decorated with a seedling of flowers, flanked on each...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Silver

French Skeleton Mantel Clock
Located in Norwich, GB
French Skeleton clock with Gothic style brass frame standing on a marquetry inlaid rosewood base with bun feet. Cherubs head pendulum bob, enamel dia...
Category

1850s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Brass

Pride in Profile, 19th C. Bronze Lion & Lioness Reliefs after Barye
Located in New York, NY
Antoine-Louis Barye (1796–1875), Pair of Green-Patinated Bronze Bas-Reliefs: Lion and Lioness, French Each finely cast plaque presents a proud male lion and a sleek lioness in profil...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Bronze

19th Century French Pair of Tall Silver Plated Ewers with Pink Glass
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
A most elegant pair of Napoleon III period decorative mantle ewers, exquisitely crafted from silver-plated metal with globe-shaped reservoirs of cranberry-coloured glass. These delig...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Silver Plate

Pair of 19th century tray tables with lacquer trays
Located in Leimen, DE
Pair of beautiful Napoleon III tray tables from the second part of the 19th century, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship and historical charm. These tables feature a Louis XVI style walnut base, providing a classic and refined aesthetic. The tops of the tables are adorned with metal lacquer decor trays...
Category

1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Walnut, Lacquer

Mobilier Louis-Philippe Napoleon III by Colette Lehmann, First Edition
Located in valatie, NY
Mobilier Louis-Philippe Napoleon III by Colette Lehmann. Paris: Èditions Ch. Massin, 1976, French text. Hardcover with dust jackets. 81 pp. Illustrates the beds, seating, tables, cas...
Category

Late 20th Century French Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Paper

Hand colored etching : view of Paris, ND de Lorette inside - Napoléon III period
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
A fine hand-colored etching showing church Notre Dame de Lorette inside in 1860 : a picturesque depiction of this church in the mid-19th century, with many characters. It also shows ...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Paper

Napoleon III Secretaire Desk by Diehl
Located in Lymington, Hampshire
An unusual amboyna Napoleon III secretaire desk by Diehl, the rectangular top above a single long frieze drawer which opens to reveal a leather-inset secretaire with a pigeonhole fla...
Category

1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Amboyna

19th Century French Napoleon III Period Fireback / Backsplash
Located in Amerongen, Amerongen
19th Century French Napoleon III Period Fireback / Backsplash depicting a woman with groceries and poultry. The fireback is made of cast iron and has a natural brown patina. Upon re...
Category

19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture

Materials

Iron

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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