Empire Wall Decorations
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.
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.
68
1
to
8
35
24
69
68
69
6,382
6,226
1,672
783
665
635
589
496
373
284
223
206
186
168
152
143
107
69
4
56
8
1
7
1
1
1
Height
to
Width
to
26
21
14
13
12
58
35
11
8
8
1
1
1
1
1
Style: Empire
19 Century Italian Clock Landscape Painting
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
An early/mid-19th century Italian clock painting indistinctly signed on the lower right corner. The oil painting is set in a period Empire gilt frame and depicts a bucolic mountain s...
Category
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Canvas
Period Giltwood Italian Empire Style Frame
Located in Roma, IT
Wonderful Italian Empire original giltwood frame.
Internal measurements cm 28 x 25
Every item of our Gallery, upon request, is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issue...
Category
Early 1800s Italian Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood
Pair of Ormolu and Turquin Grey Marble Wall Mahogany Framed Armorial Plaques
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A pair of armorial Ormolu mounts and Turquin grey marble wall plaques presented in mahogany frames with gilded bronze mounts and banding.
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Marble, Ormolu
Selection of Black and White Abstract Prints
Located in Atlanta, GA
Selection of black and white abstract prints. From left to right, they are:
1) Abstract lithograph by Terry Haan, circa 1960s. Pencil signed and numbered by the artist, number 9 of a...
Category
1820s Austrian Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Alabaster, Bronze
White Plaster Relief with Royal Couple, France 19th Century
Located in Hamburg, DE
White plaster relief with royal couple, France 19th century plaques
A pair of white French plaster reliefs depicting (probably) a royal couple. The pair of reliefs has minor splint...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Plaster
Pair of Framed Zoological Prints, Fish of the Nile
Located in Los Angeles, CA
France 1805-1812, pair of rare original prints by Etienne Geoffroy de Sant-Hilaire (15 April 1772-19 June 1844) The French zoologist who accompanied Napoleon Bonaparte on his Egyptia...
Category
1810s French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Elm, Paper
French Empire Portrait of Boy, circa 1810
Located in Doylestown, PA
A fine, lifesize oil-on-canvas portrait of a young boy dressed in period attire, holding a book titled “Dictionaire de France” In a period appropriate giltwood frame. Empire period, ...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Paint
French 1st Empire Period Dore Bronze Grouping of Lovers, Att. Thomire A Paris
Located in New York, NY
An Exceptional Antique French 1st Empire Period Dore Bronze Grouping of Lovers, Attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire a Paris. Exceptionally cast, hand-chiseled and further burnished...
Category
Early 1800s French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Bronze
Imperial Crest Antique Shield Coat of Arm Wall Plaque Armorial LA Antique Dealer
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Beautiful Early 19th century heavy bronze imperial armorial armoirie coat of arms with scrolls and sand balls bezant and topped with a crown as an emblem of indisputable sovereignty ...
Category
Early 19th Century European Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Bronze
Pair of Naïve Allegorical Landscape Paintings Sign, Christian Georg v. Lind
Located in Nordhavn, DK
Pair of naïve allegorical landscape paintings.
Oil on canvas
Signed Lieutenant Christian Georg V. Lind , 1837 and 1838.
See text on the back.
In original gilded Damgaard frames....
Category
Mid-18th Century Danish Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Canvas
Portraits of Napoleon II & Imperatrice Marie Louise of Austria in Miniature
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Pair of hand painted miniature framed portraits of Napoleon II and his mother the Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria. Marie Louise was Napoleon's second wife and their son Napoléon ...
Category
Early 1900s European Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Glass, Paint, Wood
18th Century French Oil Painting Portrait of a Woman and Child Holding a Torch
Located in New York, NY
French (18th-19th century) large oil painting portrait of a woman holding flowers and a child bearing a torch in an ornate carved rectangular giltwood frame.
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Paint, Giltwood
Set of Seventeen Framed Giovanni Donegani Engravings
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
Newly framed set of 17 engraved plans of architecture, irrigation, daming, etc by Giovanni Donegani.
Category
19th Century Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Iron
Miniature Portrait of a French Gentleman Dated 1825
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A finely painted oval miniature portrait on porcelain of a wealthy/aristocratic gentleman from the second empire period in France. The portrait is in an oval gilt bronze frame set in...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Porcelain
Art wall panel relief Painting Scagliola Decoration and Oil Painting handmade
Located in Rimini, IT
Virtue by Virtue
Thorn for thorn
Making a comparison between a plant (the pomegranate) and a character (Livia Drusilla) is a rather daring and perhaps a little bizarre idea, however...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Scagliola, Wood, Paint
Large French Empire Gilt Bronze and Crystal Sconce Attributed to Thomire
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A highly unusual large scale single French Empire wall sconce, the bronze having the finest chasing and gilding ever produced. A winged cupid rides a large cornucopia from which a nu...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Bronze
19th Century Italian Six-Panel Painted Wood Folding Screen in Gilt Bronze Frame
Located in Firenze, IT
This one-of-a-kind museum quality Italian Empire Period (early 19th Century) room divider folding screen is made up of six rectangular solid wood panels, each richly painted and lacq...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Bronze, Ormolu
Antique 19th Century Gobelin Style Tapestry After Horace Vernet's "Lion Hunt"
By Gobelins Royal Manufactory
Located in Peabody, MA
Framed (behind glass) 19th century Gobelin style Belgian woolwork tapestry depicting French artist Horace Vernet’s “Lion Hunt in the Sahara Desert, 28 May, 1833” .
Category
1890s Belgian Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Wool
Preparatory Drawings Empire Antique Inspirations 19th Century
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Very nice sketches of characters. Representing different emotions, clothes and personalities. We have a portrait of a strong woman with arrows. Below this woman, there is a represent...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
Early 19th Century Pair of Reverse Glass Paintings by Lebelle
Located in Paris, FR
Pair of reverse glass paintings in gouache depicting two landscapes. One of them features a castle and a bath scene, the other one animals and various characters. The drawing is extr...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Giltwood, Paint
French Trompe L'oeil Drawing Circa 1800
Located in New York, NY
This trompe l'oeil drawing depicts the artist's tools -- a black and a red crayon, and a folding steel ruler that was painted with silver pigments, which have blackened with age. The...
Category
Early 1800s French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper, Paint
Oil on Canvas Russian School "Study of a Young Artist"
By Ilya Repin
Located in Lewiston, NY
Oil on canvas
Unsigned
12 1/4 x 9 1/2 in. (31.1 x 24.1 cm.), Framed: 15 1/2 x 12 1/2 in. (39.4 x 31.8 cm.)
Provenance: From the private collection of Alexander Sklarevski...
Category
Early 19th Century Russian Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Paint
Set of Nine Horse Breeds Lithographs by Italian Giarre 1822 Firenze
By Luigi Giarrè
Located in Milan, IT
Horse breeds known in Europe, Firenze 1822 a unique set of nine stone lithographs by the Italian painter, engraver and printmaker Luigi Giarrè (circa 1772-1844).
Italian publisher L...
Category
Early 19th Century European Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood, Paper
Period Giltwood Italian Empire SXtyle Frame
Located in Roma, IT
Wonderful Italian Empire original giltwood frame.
Early 19th Century
Internal measurements cm 13 x 10
Every item of our Gallery, upon request, is accompanied by a certifica...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood
19th Century French Hand Painted Wallpaper, Second Empire Era, E. Muller Style
Located in Sofia, BG
19th century roll of wallpaper, second Empire era, polychrome printing in the style of E. Muller enhanced with gold decorating cartridges with a floral cut of poppies and daisies.
M...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
Period Giltwood Large Italian Empire Frame
Located in Roma, IT
Wonderful Italian Empire original giltwood frame.
Early 19th century.
Internal measurements cm 37.5 x 45.5.
Every item of our Gallery, upon request, is accompanied by a certific...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood
Period Century Giltwood Italian Empire Style Frame
Located in Roma, IT
Wonderful Italian Empire original giltwood frame with two rows of carving
Early 19th century
Internal measurements cm 58.5 x 47
Every item of our Gallery, upon request, is accompan...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood
Period Century Giltwood Italian Empire Frame
Located in Roma, IT
Wonderful Italian Empire original giltwood frame.
Early 19th Century
Internal measurements cm 6 x 7.5 (oval)
Every item of our Gallery, upon request, is accompanied by a certifica...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood
19th Century Scenes from the Life of Napoleon Paintings Oil on Canvas
Located in Milan, IT
19th Century
Scenes from the life of Napoleon
(2) Oil on canvas, 65 x 55 cm - with frame 78 x 70 cm
The iconographic reconstruction of the paintings in question can take place t...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Canvas
18th Century French Giltwood Framed Oil Painting Portrait of a Woman
Located in New York, NY
French (18th century) oil painting portrait of a woman holding grapes sitting next to a dog in a rectangular carved giltwood frame.
Category
Mid-18th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Giltwood, Paint
Pair of Wall Decoration 'En Grisaille' by Dufour, Paris, France, 19th Century
Located in Rome, IT
A fine pair of Papiers peints 'En Grisaille' from the psyche´ series manufactured by Dufour, Paris, after designs by Merry-Joseph Blondel and Louis Lafitte.
-'Psyche´ about to stab ...
Category
19th Century European Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
Vintage Empire Style Needlepoint Floral Tapestry Footstool
Located in Oakland Park, FL
Vintage Empire style needlepoint floral tapestry footstool.
Empire style footstool stamped October 13 1927
Size: 12" D x 10.5" W x 6" H.
Category
1920s Belgian Vintage Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Tapestry, Birdseye Maple
Pair of French Empire Portraits of an Aristocratic Couple by Borel dated 1819
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A pair of original oil paintings on canvas depicting a handsome young aristocratic couple of the Directoire, early Empire period. They are each pictured from the waist up, she holdin...
Category
Early 20th Century French Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Canvas
Antique Napoleonic Colored Engraving Josephine Bonaparte Empress of France
Located in Dayton, OH
"Antique 19th century Napoleonic hand colored engraving showing Josephine, Empress of France, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Joséphine Bonaparte (French: [?ozefin b?napa?t], born Mar...
Category
19th Century Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
French Empire Yellow Tole Lavabo
Located in Essex, MA
With a removable cover with gallery and finial, tapered body with spigot lacking handle, all above the rectangular basin.
Category
1820s French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Tin
Beautiful Early 19th Century Portrait
Located in Atlanta, GA
Beautiful early 19th century portrait dated and signed at the back.
Portrait attributed to Berthon, student of David "The young girl and the cat".
Both turn away their eyes towar...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Canvas, Giltwood
19th Century Capriccio Jeremias August Urlaub Clock Picture Germany
Located in Epfach, DE
Capriccio from Jeremias August Urlaub, born 1784 in Hanau, death 1837 in St.Petersburg belongs to an important franconian painter family.
Original magnificent and special frame, o...
Category
Early 19th Century German Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Canvas, Giltwood
Antique Persian Souf Rug
Located in New York, NY
An early 20th century Persian Souf carpet. Possibly Jozan Region. Has characteristics from farahan region as well. Stunning goldenrod and rich red jewel tones.
Measures: 2'1'' x 2...
Category
Early 20th Century Persian Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Wool
19th Century French Hand Painted Wallpaper Frieze Second Empire Era
Located in Sofia, BG
19th century roll of wallpaper frieze in trompe-l'oeil ribbon on an 8-way roll.
About 61 m/0.05 cm. useful. Second Empire era, polychrome printing.
France, circa 1890.
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
Early 19th Century Empire Period Portrait of a Gentleman
Located in Doylestown, PA
A charming portrait of a young Empire period gentleman with an earring, under glass in a period gild wood frame. Oil pastel on paper, French, circa 1800.
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
19th Century, Italian Marble and Bronze Reliefs, Set of Four
Located in Pasadena, CA
A set of Italian marble and bronze reliefs of Compey and Alexander and Brutus and Canton, circa 1880. Four plaques with wall hooks, attached.
Category
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Highly Expressive Portrait Titled 'Le Terreur' by Claude-Marie Dubufe
By Claude Marie Dubufe
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A moving portrait of a young aristocratic French woman on her way to the guillotine during the French Revolution's infamous Reign of Terror that lasted about a year between 1793 and ...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Canvas
Etching Portrait of Joseph Napoleon Gold Frame and Important Autograph Signature
By Pradier
Located in Prato, Tuscany
We kindly suggest you read the whole description, because with it we try to give you detailed technical and historical information to guarantee the authenticity of our objects.
We wa...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood, Paper
French Sevres Green Ground Porcelain Framed Charger Napoleon Courting Josephine
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Large and very fine French Sevres green ground porcelain framed charger depicting the consecration of the Emperor Napoleon I and coronation of the empress Josephine.
With a raised...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Porcelain
19th Century Watercoloring Painting Of Naples - La Villa Reale
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Charming gouache of the Naples coastline, "La Villa Reale". The Riviera di Chiaia (Chiaia's Riviera) is a long street in the Italian city of Naples and running along the coast of the...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Watercolor, Gouache
Russian Watercolor Study by Nikolai Gritsenko, 1890s
By Gritsenko
Located in Lewiston, NY
Russian Riverscape, watercolor
Watercolor: 7 x 3 in. (17.8 x 7.6 cm ) Frame: 12 x 8 in. (30.5 x 20.3 cm)
With artist's inscription lower left and right corners.
A watercolo...
Category
Late 19th Century Russian Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Paint
Two Russian Watercolor Studies of a Riverscape by Nikolai Gritsenko
Located in Lewiston, NY
One inscribed lower left, the other signed lower left N G Images: 4 1/2 x 3 in. (10.7 x 7.6 cm); frame: 9 1/2 x 8 in. ( 24.1 x 20.3 cm.)
A former naval officer and marine artist,...
Category
1890s Russian Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Paint
Pair of Worcester Barr Flight Barr Porcelain Saucers with Bat-Printed Shells
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
A pair of early transferware English porcelain saucers, made by the Worcester Porcelain Factory during the Barr, Flight & Barr period, 1807-1813.
The late 18th and early 19th cent...
Category
Early 19th Century British Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Porcelain
Early 19th Century French Hand Painted Crest on Metal in Carved Gilt Frame
Located in Dallas, TX
Decorate an office or study with this elegant antique wall decor. Crafted in France circa 1830, and set in the original carved gilt frame, the art work on metal features a hand paint...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Sheet Metal
Female Portrait of the Empire Era
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
Elegant portrait of a young girl dating back to the Empire era. The beautiful antique frame is suitable for framing it.
nr. O/6667.
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Canvas
Period French Empire Neoclassical Wallpaper Screen by Zuber of Dufour
By Jean Zuber
Located in Essex, MA
Period Empire neoclassical wallpaper screen.
Either by Zuber of Dufour.
Was always intended as a screen.
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
19th Century Empire Period Engraving
Located in Madrid, ES
A large early 19th century Empire period engraving. depicting Belisarius receiving Almas, original ilded frame in classical taste, with original glass.
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Giltwood, Glass
Mid-Century Still Life Painting on Wood of a Classical Scene with a Horn
Located in New York, NY
Vintage (20th Century) acrylic still life of a brass horn and sword alongside a bird perched on an antler that is spearing sheet music reading, "Le Retour La Chasse -1923."Painted on...
Category
Mid-20th Century Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Acrylic, Wood
19th Century Pair of French Empire Mahogany and Brass Mirrored Wall Shelves
Located in Cincinnati, OH
This handsome pair of French Empire mahogany wall shelves feature beveled mirrored backs and fluted columns. The shelves are trimmed with inlaid brass accents and have a single drawe...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Brass
19th Century Portrait of David Schwab Switzerland Biel, Dated 1822, Sign Mente
Located in Epfach, DE
Fine portrait of David Schwab, signed and dated oil on canvas
Menteler Zug, May 30, 1822
David Schwab is sitting on a fine Empire armchair, probably Jacob Paris, the books in the b...
Category
Early 19th Century Swiss Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Canvas
19th Century Ottoman Empire Persian Silver Metallic Threads Embroidered Textile
Located in Oakland Park, FL
19th century Ottoman Empire Persian silver metallic threads embroidered textile. Silver on burgundy color silk velvet.
Ideal to frame it and hang it as a tapestry or to make it into...
Category
19th Century Armenian Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Metallic Thread
Antique Empire Head of Hermes Carved Wood Messenger of Zeus God of Merchants
Located in Munich, DE
This beautiful head of Hermes wearing his winged helmet is carved out of boxwood and has preserved the original gilding. The head is mounted on a blackened oak board retaining it's o...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Boxwood, Oak
Early 19th Century Empire French Hand Painted Wall Canvas Signed Louis A. David
Located in Dallas, TX
This monumental antique painted canvas titled "Le Cercle de Jeux" was created in France, circa 1810; the art work depicts a gambling scene in a very cozy game room. The scene feature...
Category
19th Century French Antique Empire Wall Decorations
Materials
Canvas
