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Empire Tables

EMPIRE STYLE

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.

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Style: Empire
Tavolo tondo Impero Lucca 1810 da centro stanza piano in breccia antica
Located in Lucca, IT
Tavolo Tripode 1810 Periodo dell'impero Lucca Tavolo tondo antico autentico da centro piano in marmo breccia antica , spessore del marmo cm 2 . Il tavolo è in noce ,tutto original...
Category

1810s Italian Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Breccia Marble

20th Century, French Desk or Bureau Plat with Lions in the Antique Empire Style
Located in Berlin, DE
Bird's-eye maple wood on massive beech wood, partially carved and framed. The pedestal is arched on profile shaped washers. Above the four large winged, polygonal standing heads. Three-bar frame, brass-framed, protruding rectangular worktop with historically three-section, gold-embossed leather plate...
Category

20th Century French Empire Tables

Materials

Wood

French Marble-Top Gueridon Table or Guéridon in the Empire Style
Located in Austin, TX
A handsome French round gueridon table or gue´ridon (17" diameter), in the Empire style featuring a circular top of figured black marble set upon a tripod column support of mahogany ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Marble, Metal, Brass

19th Century Italian Empire Game Table
Located in Atlanta, GA
19th Century excellent quality Italian Empire rent or games table of mahogany having a beautifully grained top with beveled edge. The table’s frieze holds four working drawers separa...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Mahogany, Giltwood

Empire style thread table, Western Europe, circa 1860.
Located in Chorzów, PL
A thread table from the mid-19th century, Western Europe. The furniture is in very good condition. Dimensions: height 79 cm / width 38 cm / depth 31 cm
Category

1860s French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Walnut

Antique Pair French Empire Mahogany Bedside Cabinets 19th Century
Located in London, GB
A thoroughly delightful pair of antique French Empire brass inlaid flame mahogany bedside cabinets, circa 1830 in date. They are freestanding and finished on all four sides. They ea...
Category

1830s French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Mahogany

Second Empire Tisch mit Messingapplikationen (vermutlich Frankreich, um 1830)
Located in Wien, AT
Objekt: Schreibtisch / Kleintisch Entwurf: unbekannt, Frankreich zwischen 1804 - 1840 Modell-Nummer: - Ausführung: unbekannte Kunstmöbeltischlerei, Frankreich zwischen 1804 - 1840 Ma...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Brass

An Empire style round center library table, late 19th Century
Located in Philadelphia, PA
An Empire style round center library table, with faux marble painted top with ebonized legs and carved gilt-wood lion heads. Table has 3 drawers around circumference. Late 19th C
Category

Late 19th Century Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Wood

Early 19th Century French Empire Rotating Center Table with Black Leather Top
Located in Atlanta, GA
Early 19th Century French Empire Rotating Center Table with Black Leather Top & Ebonized Paw Feet
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Leather, Wood

ebonized 19th Century Mahogany Round Center Empire Table with Marble Top
Located in Troy, MI
Found in France, this circa 1840s mahogany empire center table has a new, professionally applied ebonised finish. Gray and white streaked round marble top with a brass trimmed trefoi...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Marble, Brass

Early 19th Century French Empire Large Neoclassical Walnut Console Table
Located in Berlin, DE
Early 19th century French Empire Large Neoclassical Walnut Console Table An elegant Empire period console table with a with marble top above a frieze d...
Category

1810s French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Carrara Marble, Bronze

Antique French Empire Style Ebonized Mahogany Round Table with Marble Top
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique French Empire or Egyptian Revival small solid mahogany side table, wine table or end table with lion paw feet, that was recently restored with an old school ebonized finish. ...
Category

1890s French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Marble, Bronze

French Mahogany Desk, circa 1850
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The rectangular top inset with a beige tooled leather writing surface and slide outs on both ends. Above five drawers, the reverse side with dummy drawers raised on columnar legs wit...
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Brass

Pair of French Empire Demilune Flip-Top Consoles by Ira Yeager
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Opulent pair of 19th century French empire demi-lune console tables or round dining tables with a flip top that has been faux-marble lacquered on top by artist Ira Yeager (American 1...
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Brass

Antique French Empire Marble & Ormolu Occasional Table 19th Century
Located in London, GB
This is a beautiful antique French Empire circular centre table with ornate ormolu decoration typical of the Empire period and a beautiful inset white "Marmo di Carrara" marble top, ...
Category

1830s French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Marble, Ormolu

Console Tables with mirror
Located in IT
Empire console in mahogany, mirror and original gilded bronzes. Conservative restoration of the wooden part. Size 60x137 xh90 cm
Category

Early 19th Century European Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Marble

19th Century Empire Style Bronze Table
Located in Fairfax, VA
19th century bronze empire style side table with three ram's heads holding the marble top tray.
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Swedish Empire Mahogany Console Table
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A Scandinavian mahogany early 19th Century Empire table or console. This antique Swedish Biedermeier piece has a drawer with its original wor...
Category

1820s Swedish Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Mahogany

19th Century Berlin Oval Plate Table on Carved Foot Dining Table
Located in Epfach, DE
Solid mahogany panel on a mounted, three-legged base, formed from three naturalistic snake legs, held together in the middle by a cloth drapery, the heads of which rest on a gilded b...
Category

Early 19th Century German Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Mahogany

Antique Decorative Swedish Cast Iron Garden Table
Located in Kastrup, DK
Decorative Swedish cast iron garden table. C 1860-1880 Painted leg formed as griffins. Made in decorative style and high quality. "The griffin is a ...
Category

19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Iron

19th Century French Empire Style Console in Wood
Located in Marbella, ES
19th century French Empire style console in wood.
Category

Mid-20th Century French Empire Tables

Materials

Wood

Antique Empire Side Table, Gray Marble Top, C 1810
Located in Kastrup, DK
Elegant Danish Empire side table in mahogany. Table top in Belgian gray marble. Elegant inlay of dark hardwood on legs. Copenhagen approx. 1810.
Category

Early 19th Century Danish Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Marble

Empire Side Table, France, 1810
Located in Belmont, MA
Empire side table, France 1810, mahogany veneer. Beautiful side table with an exquisitely designed base. The table is in good original condition.
Category

1810s French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Mahogany

French Empire Console Table of Mahogany with Marble Top
Located in Austin, TX
A period French Empire console table of mahogany of fine proportions, featuring a rectangular figured marble top set upon a frieze with one long drawer, the drawer with brass escutch...
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Marble, Metal, Brass

Corner Console Table, France 1800, Mahogany
Located in Belmont, MA
This elegant little Empire corner console table is embellished with mahogany veneer and pretty brass decorations. It is in very good, professio...
Category

Early 1800s French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Brass

French 19th Century Empire-Style Dressing Table
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
This exceptional mahogany dressing table is complete with its original mercury glass pivoting mirror and white marble top. The mirror has foxing and is framed with beautiful mahogany...
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Mahogany

French 19th Century Empire Round Top Side Table with Bronze Mounts and Low Shelf
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Empire side table from the 19th century, with bronze accents and lower shelf. Created in France during the politically dynamic 19th century, this Empire side table features ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Bronze

Scandinavian Veneered Biedermeier Writing Desk with Lyres
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A small mahogany and walnut veneered table or writing desk with brass holders in the lyres formed sides. The top is provided with inlaid green leather; the drawers have divided small...
Category

Early 1800s Scandinavian Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Brass

Empire Style Console Table
Located in WEST PALM BEACH, FL
This is a very sophisticated Empire style console table, the ebonized plank top, over an ebonized wall centered with a carved parcel gilt la...
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Ebony, Satinwood

Swedish Empire Octagonal Drop-Leaf Light Blue Painted Table
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Swedish Empire octagonal blue painted tilt-top pedestal end table with claw and ball feet with rotating table top. Please note that this table is located in Halmstad, Sweden.  
Category

Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Mahogany

19th Century French Mahogany Vanity Table with Swan's Heads in Empire Style
Located in Sofia, BG
French hand carved mahogany vanity table with black marble top. There is an original crystal oval mirror on the top part surrounded by two asymme...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Marble

Swedish Empire Center Table
Located in Essex, MA
Circular top with wood edge surrounding a geometric mosaic of hard stones raised on a triangular tapered column and tripartite base with gilded scroll feet. From the estate of Willia...
Category

1820s Swedish Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Marble

1840s French Empire Mahogany Vanity Table with Arched Mirror & Bronze Accents
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Discover the timeless elegance of our petite French 19th-century Empire vanity table, a piece that blends history with exquisite craftsmanship. Painstakingly restored by our expert c...
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Bronze

Small Restored Empire Era Table, Made in 1810s Austria, Ash
Located in Horomerice, CZ
Austrian Empire small table Period: 1810-1819 Material: Ash.
Category

1810s Austrian Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Mahogany, Lacquer

Custom-Made Columned Solid Mahogany Library or Dining Table in Any Dimension
Located in Chicago, IL
Chunky and substantial describe this ebonized solid mahogany trestle table pretty well. Fashioned as a library table, this table could just as easily work as a foyer, homework, or di...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Empire Tables

Materials

Mahogany

Antique Empire Sewing Table, Paris, circa 1810
Located in Berlin, DE
Solid oak, Cuba mahogany veneer. Fire-gilt fittings. Hinged cover plate with intermediate compartments. Slip-in drawer on four full columns with four fire-gilded capitals and bases. ...
Category

1810s French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Brass

French Empire Mahogany Writing Desk
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
Mahogany construction with rectangular leather writing surface with gilt brass medallion pulls. Back has gilt metal chariot and horse plaque. Top sits on ...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Brass

Neoclassical Empire Style Ormolu and Lapis Lazuli Table
Located in London, GB
Neoclassical Empire style ormolu and lapis lazuli table with patinated bronze mounts, French, 20th century Dimensions: Height 74cm, diameter 100cm Finely wrought in the French N...
Category

20th Century French Empire Tables

Materials

Lapis Lazuli, Bronze, Ormolu

19th Century Swedish Mahogany Empire Center Table
Located in Mjöhult, SE
Fine 19th century Swedish mahogany Empire center table with one-drawer and brass details, circa 1830.
Category

19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Mahogany

19th C. Napoleonic Royal Vienna Giltwood Side Table w/ Inlaid Porcelain Plaques
Located in New York, NY
A fabulous 19th century Louis XVI style giltwood napoleonic side table with hand-painted inlaid Royal Vienna Porcelain plaques. Gorgeously finished in 24K, this exquisite side table ...
Category

19th Century Austrian Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Porcelain, Wood

Spectacular Temple Guardian Antique Empire Style Table Birdseye Maple Veneer
Located in Berlin, DE
Spectacular Temple Guardian Empire style table Root on solid beechwood. A classical table with three monumental, fully ...
Category

20th Century French Empire Tables

Materials

Birdseye Maple

Ebonised French Gueridon
Located in Houston, TX
Ebonised French Gueridon with Fossil marble top on 3 oblong bun feet. Metal detail on each of the three columns along the top and the bottom.
Category

Early 20th Century European Empire Tables

Materials

Marble

Fine Pair of Diminutive Empire Period Mahogany Console / Pier Tables, Circa 1820
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
A very fine & diminutive pair of early 19th century French Empire period mahogany console / pier tables, showing later grey marble tops (one repaired) surmounting a flattened frieze ...
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Marble

Custom Columned Solid Mahogany Library Table or Dining Table Made to Order
Located in Chicago, IL
Chunky and substantial describe this solid mahogany Trestle Table pretty well. Fashioned as an Ebonized Library Table, this Table could just as easily work as a foyer, homework, or D...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Empire Tables

Materials

Mahogany

Elegant and Decorative French Empire Mahogany Center Table
Located in Kastrup, DK
Elegant and decorative empire salon / center table. Mahogany with original gilded bronze mounting. Legs ornamented with gilt leaves on animal-paw feet. Gray marble top with profile. ...
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Brass

Empire Early 19th Century Amboyna Center Table by Jean-Joseph Chapuis
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
A rare and very elegant early 19th century Empire Gueridon, stamped seven times by the Belgium cabinetmaker Jean-Joseph Chapuis (1765-1864). Very Fine and decorative amboyna veneer, ...
Category

Early 19th Century Belgian Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Palatial French 19th Century Empire Style Giltwood Carved Eagles Center Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Very Fine and Palatial French 19th Century Empire Style Giltwood Carved Figural Center Table with Figures of Winged Eagles and Wreaths, the center medallion with a figure of a bull and and raised on lion paws over a sphere, fitted with a veined verde d'alps marble top (Marble top is recent and not the original - Gilding restored with 23.5 cart...
Category

1880s French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Marble

Empire Style Table, 19th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Auxiliary table Empire style, with structure in wood in its color, ornamental applications in bronze and onyx bronze. Of circular plan, it rises on four legs in the form of a column,...
Category

19th Century European Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Bronze

Patinated and Dore Bronze Empire/Neo-Grec French Side Table, Att. F. Barbedienne
Located in New York, NY
A Beautifully Designed Small Patinated and Dore Bronze French Side Table, Attributed to F. Barbedienne, the Magnificent French Metalworker and Manufacturer. This beautifully cast an...
Category

1880s French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Oval American Empire Table with Claw Feet
Located in Asheville, NC
Beautiful Mahogany Empire table with claw feet and its original casters. Pillar legs. Brass hardware on drawers with dovetail detail inside.
Category

Early 19th Century North American Antique Empire Tables

French Empire Bronze and Mahogany Vanity
Located in New York, NY
French Empire (19th Century) mahogany vanity / dressing table with gilt bronze trim and swan supports on legs with a rectangular form mirror attached by a Pair of 3 arm candelabra.
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Ormolu

19th Century French Empire Figural Flame Mahogany One Drawer Console Hall Table
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Beautiful Antique 19th C. Single Drawer French Empire Console Table. Item features beautiful woodgrain with attractive mounts including human form feet, rear back splash, and maiden ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Metal

French Empire Walnut Tray Top Table with Drawers, Doric Columns and Bottom Shelf
Located in Atlanta, GA
This French Empire walnut side table features a rectangular tray top over two thin drawers, one in the front and one in the back. To maintain a harmonious symmetry, the artist has in...
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Brass, Bronze

19th Century Italian Table of Mahogany and Painted Architectural Scenes of Rome
Located in London, GB
Constructed in a good flame-veneer mahogany, with gilt metal mounts; rising from a tripartite incurved base mounted on castors, issuing three entasis form cylindrical columns, gilt m...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Mahogany, Watercolor

French 19th Century Mahogany Empire Console
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A classic and resolute French Empire console. Topped in Belgian granite, this beautiful table is finished in sensational bookmatched mahogany that is in wonderful antique condition. ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Marble, Brass

Period Italian Carved and Gilded Empire Gueridon
Located in New Orleans, LA
Fantastic Italian gueridon with giltwood carved decoration.
Category

Late 18th Century Italian Antique Empire Tables

Materials

Marble

Empire tables for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Empire tables for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 19th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage tables created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include tables and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with marble, stone and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Empire tables made in a specific country, there are Europe, Scandinavia, and Denmark pieces for sale on 1stDibs. 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 tables differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,299 and tops out at $57,850 while the average work can sell for $4,993.

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