Empire Gueridon
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.
Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble, Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Metal, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble
19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble
19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble
Early 20th Century French Empire Gueridon
Bronze
1880s French Antique Empire Gueridon
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble
Late 20th Century Empire Gueridon
Glass, Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Stone, Marble, Metal, Brass
1880s French Antique Empire Gueridon
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble, Brass
19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble
20th Century French Empire Gueridon
Malachite, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble
1850s French Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble
1870s French Antique Empire Gueridon
Brass
Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble, Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Empire Gueridon
Wood, Walnut
1960s French Vintage Empire Gueridon
Bronze
Early 19th Century Antique Empire Gueridon
Boxwood, Nutwood
1980s Italian Vintage Empire Gueridon
Beech
19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble, Brass
Mid-20th Century French Empire Gueridon
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble, Brass
19th Century Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble, Bronze
1890s Italian Antique Empire Gueridon
Mahogany, Spruce
Early 20th Century Italian Empire Gueridon
Carrara Marble
Late 20th Century Italian Empire Gueridon
Marble, Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Empire Gueridon
Marble
19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble, Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Bronze
20th Century French Empire Gueridon
Composition, Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Empire Gueridon
Alabaster
19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Porphyry
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble
20th Century French Empire Gueridon
Malachite, Ormolu
1990s Philippine Empire Gueridon
Brass
Early 20th Century European Empire Gueridon
Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Walnut, Giltwood, Glass, Wood
Early 20th Century French Empire Gueridon
Wood, Satinwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century European Antique Empire Gueridon
Wood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Gueridon
Walnut, Giltwood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Malachite, Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century French Empire Gueridon
Bronze, Ormolu
1880s French Antique Empire Gueridon
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble, Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble
19th Century French Antique Empire Gueridon
Marble
20th Century French Empire Gueridon
Marble, Bronze
Mid-19th Century Russian Antique Empire Gueridon
Granite, Bronze