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.
$3,500Sale Price|43% Off
Table Swedish Mahogany Floral 19th Century Sweden
Located in New York, NY
Table Swedish Mahogany Floral 19th Century Sweden. A Swedish mahogany Tray Table with floral painted top. 4 smaller trays for candlelight holder.
Mahogany
Tray Table with Candle Slides. Swedish Empire
Located in Kastrup, DK
Elegant Swedish Empire tray table with pull-out candle holders, crafted in birch with diamond inlays in maple and light satinwood stringing along the aprons and corners. The legs are...
Metal
19th Century French Adjustable Table Desk
Located in Winter Park, FL
An early 19th century French Empire mahogany adjustable height tabletop desk, made for writing or reading in bed. Beautifully crafted desktop has a green leather writing surface, wit...
Brass
Early 19th Century Mahogany Tricoteuse Occasional Table
Located in Bedfordshire, GB
An Extremely Elegant Early 19th Century, French Empire Period, Mahogany Tricoteuse Type Occasional Table, Having Extremely Well Figured Rectangular Galleried Top, Over One Drawer To ...
Mahogany
Empire Oval Red Tole Tray Table with Parcel Gilt
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Empire red tole tray with gold leaf decorations on modern stand.
Metal
19th Century Small Empire Desk, France
Located in Stahnsdorf, DE
Small Empire Desk, France, 1840 A simple yet elegant Empire-style desk, crafted in 1840. Made of solid oak and veneered with beautiful pyramidal mahogany, it reflects the classic ch...
Mahogany
$895Sale Price|22% Off
H 18 in W 24.5 in D 17.5 in
Wonderful Bamboo Oval Handpainted Tole Coffee Cocktail Side Tray Table
Located in Roslyn, NY
A Wonderful Bamboo Form Base Oval Handpainted Tole White With Gold Coffee / Cocktail / End / Removable Tray Table
Metal
19th Century Mahogany Serving Tray
Located in San Francisco, CA
19th century mahogany serving tray Hand made serving tray from solid mahogany with brass hardware. The oval tray has four handles along four drop-down sides. The tray sits a...
Mahogany
$1,595
H 22.25 in W 25 in D 19 in
Early 20th Century French Hand Painted Tole Tray Table With Removable Trays
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This early twentieth century French tole tray table is painted yellow with black detailing. Its two removable trays feature central lyre motifs and are detailed with a leaf motif. Ea...
Tin
Continental oval tole tea tray with gilt armorial, 1825-50
Located in Kenilworth, IL
Oval tole tea tray centering on a gilt armorial on a burgundy colored ground framed with a black rim with gilt banding. Continental, probably Italian, second quarter 19th century.
Paint, Paper
$1,560Sale Price|20% Off
H 29.38 in W 34.88 in D 18.5 in
French Marquetry Inlaid 19th Century Writing Table Desk
Located in Shippensburg, PA
WRITING STAND IN ROGNON (KIDNEY) FORM French, late 19th century 34 7/8” W x 18 1/2” D (at feet) x 29 3/8” H A refined late 19th-century French writing stand, designed in a graceful...
Brass
$750
H 24.75 in W 30.25 in D 22.5 in
20th Century Italian Chinoiserie Style Lacquered and Gilt Tole Tray Table
Located in Doylestown, PA
Italian Chinoiserie style black lacquered tole tray table with folding ebonized wood base. It features a delightful, intricately hand-painted design with butterflies and flowers in g...
Metal
$1,875Sale Price|25% Off
H 28.5 in W 34.5 in D 23 in
19th Century French Provincial Fruitwood Writing Table Desk
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Diminutive size 19th century French provincial writing table or desk. The table is constructed from fruitwood with a warm patina and lovely wood grain patterns. Fronted by a single s...
Fruitwood
Swedish 19th century inlaid birch games table
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Scandinavian 19th century inlaid birch games table circa 1880. Fine quality games table ideal for chess. Scalloped shaped top with inlaid playing area in walnut and birch. Playing a...
Birch
English Chinoiserie Tole Tray Table
Located in Pasadena, CA
This is a very good example of an English Victorian Tole Tray decorated with a Chinoiserie theme. The tray is in overall very good condition with n...
Metal
$10,400
H 28.75 in W 34 in D 21.25 in
Antique Swedish Gustavian Tray Top Table, Handcrafted Pine, Circa 1790
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A light-green, antique Swedish Gustavian freestanding tray top table made of hand crafted painted Pinewood, designed by an unknown master, carpenter in ...
Pine
19th Century Mahogany Faux Bamboo Butler Tray Table
Located in Germantown, MD
A 19th Century George III style Mahogany butler Tray Table. This can may be used as two separate pieces as the base may be used as a stand alone table. Tray is 27.5" in width, 17" in...
Mahogany
Tray Table with Brass Top. French Empire
Located in Kastrup, DK
Elegant French Empire tray table, circa 1810, in black-painted wood with a removable tray inset with a brass plate and framed by finely carved details. The table is preserved in its ...
Brass
19th century Swedish birch empire revival tray table
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
19th century Swedish birch empire revival tray table circa 1880. Beautiful empire revival Swedish table made from birch. Unusual table with removable circular hand hammered top, wh...
Metal
Mahogany Butler's Tray Table
Located in Kastrup, DK
Early 19th century regency style mahogany butler's tray on X folding stand. Tray gallery adorned with fan decoration painted in yellow and green shades. Di...
Mahogany
Sold
H 19.69 in W 33.08 in D 22.84 in
Danish Empire Yellow Metal Tray Table, Denmark Early 19th Century
Located in Kastrup, DK
Large Danish empire tray table. Tray in yellow-painted metal with silver-plated carrying handles. On later mahogany base with tapered legs ending in brass feet and casters. Orig...
Metal, Brass