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
Enamel
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Leather, Fabric, Wicker, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bentwood
Late 17th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
1880s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze, Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Giltwood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Kingwood, Tulipwood
1890s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Carrara Marble
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble
1840s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
1980s Italian Vintage Napoleon III Furniture
Sterling Silver, Enamel
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze, Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
Early 20th Century European Napoleon III Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Linen, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Tapestry, Giltwood, Paint
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Limestone
19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Napoleon III Furniture
Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Opal, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century British Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mirror
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mirror, Stucco
Mid-19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood, Amboyna
1850s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Opaline Glass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Fruitwood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Opaline Glass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Metal, Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Canvas
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Tin
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Amboyna
1960s Italian Vintage Napoleon III Furniture
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble, Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
1980s Italian Vintage Napoleon III Furniture
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mirror, Giltwood
1850s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Mid-19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Porcelain, Faience