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.
Very Beautiful Antique Pair of silk velvet Curtains
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Wonderful pair of curtains from late 19th century, with a nice silk velvet tissue and a needlepoint band applied on it. Size of each piece is 105x295 cm ✨✨✨ "Experience the epitome o...
Silk
Rugs On Net Antique Louis XVI Aubusson Tapestry Pierment Cupid Grapevine Wreath
By Royal Manufacture of Aubusson
Located in New York, NY
Exuding the grace of a nineteenth-century French estate, this antique Aubusson tapestry panel is a masterwork of neoclassical verticality. The composition unfolds like a window into ...
Wool, Silk
Pair of French 1850s Aubusson Floral Tapestries with Rinceaux Arabesques
By Royal Manufacture of Aubusson
Located in Atlanta, GA
A pair of French Napoleon III period Aubusson tapestries from the mid-19th century depicting rinceaux surrounding a floral decor. Woven in the famous Aubusson Manufacture located in central France during the 1850s, each of this pair of wall tapestries...
Tapestry
$6,495Sale Price / item|29% Off
19th c Pair of French Aubusson Tapestry Entre Fenetres
Located in Savannah, GA
A fine pair of mid 19th century Aubusson Tapestry Wall panels created for hanging between windows or doors and were known as Entre Fenetre panels. Hand w...
Wool, Silk
Bobyrug’s Very Beautiful Embroidered Antique Pair of Curtains
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Wonderful pair of curtains from late 19th century, with beautiful floral design at borders, embroidered with silk on wool velvet foundation. ✨✨✨ "Exp...
Wool, Silk
19th Century French Napoleon III Aubusson Rug in Clay, Blue, Green, and Pink
Located in Dallas, TX
French 19th century large Aubusson rug from the Napoleon III period. This Aubusson is handwoven and has a beautiful color range, consisting of a cla...
Wool
Large 19th-century Painted Canvas Imitating A Tapestry
Located in Charmes, FR
Large 19th-century painted canvas imitating a 17th-century tapestry from a château in Haute-Saône stretched over a frame rebuilt for the occasion; it had been nailed to the wall in t...
Paint
Bobyrug’s Wonderful Antique French Aubusson Fine Tapestry
By Royal Manufacture of Aubusson
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful late 19th century French Aubusson tapestry with a nice gallant decor, hunting and beautiful colors, extremely finely hand woven with silk and wool. ✨✨✨ "Experience th...
Wool, Silk
$35,000
H 107 in W 97 in D 1 in
Antique 18th Century French Aubusson Verdure Landscape Tapestry with Birds
Located in New York, NY
French, 18th century Verdure Aubusson tapestry handwoven in wool with silk highlights set within a complete floral border. Two birds wade a...
Wool, Silk, Tapestry
Nice Antique French Aubusson tapestry «landscape with bird»
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Mid-20th-Century Aubusson Tapestry — Verdure Bleue. A finely handwoven Aubusson tapestry from the mid-20th century, entitled Verdure Bleue, the tapestry is woven in a sophisticated ...
Wool, Silk
Antique French Silk Aubusson, circa 1890
Located in Secaucus, NJ
The Aubusson workshops, on the river Creuse in France, are famous for their antique European rugs, carpets and tapestries, woven since the 18th century. The Royal Council established...
Wool, Silk
Nice Antique French Aubusson tapestry «landscape »
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Mid-20th Century Aubusson Tapestry – Handwoven Wool & Silk Beautiful mid-20th century Aubusson tapestry, finely handwoven in wool and silk, depicting a charming pastoral woodland la...
Wool, Silk
Jean Lurcat Mid-Century Aubusson Tapestry
By Jean Lurçat
Located in New York, NY
Mid-Century tapestry designed by Jean Lurcat and woven at Atelier Suzanne Goubely-Gatien in Aubusson, France. Hand woven in wool, it dates to the 1950s and entitled "Bahia La Rouge...
Wool, Tapestry
$4,628
W 104.34 in L 65.36 in
French Aubusson Rug 19th century - Napoleon III style - 265x166, No 1359
By Aubusson Manufacture, Royal Manufacture of Aubusson
Located in Paris, FR
Period: 19th century - around 1860 Origin: Aubusson, FRANCE Style: Napoleon III Condition: Perfect condition (Cleaned, Lined in our workshop) Material: Wool & Silk Width: 2m65 Length...
Wool
$24,995
H 157 in W 108 in D 0.05 in
Antique 17th Century Flemish Tapestry with the Liberal Arts & Areas of Knowledge
Located in New York, NY
Antique 17th century Flemish tapestry with the Liberal Arts & Areas of Knowledge An antique 17th century Flemish genre tapestry panel, size 13'1 H x 9'0 W, depicting the Liber...
Wool, Silk
Pretty antique french Aubusson tapestry
By Royal Manufacture of Aubusson
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful antique French Aubusson tapestry featuring a view of a woman showing a bird in the nature in the woods. With nice natural colours in the hues of yellow, green, pink, o...
Wool, Silk
Rene Perrot Mid-Century Aubusson Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
Mid-century tapestry designed by Rene Perrot (1912-1979) and woven at Atelier Riviere des Borderies in Aubusson, France. Handwoven in wool, it dates to 194...
Wool, Tapestry
Nice 17th century Aubusson tapestry fragment panel
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Beautiful antique Aubusson tapestry fragment dating from the 17th century, featuring a finely dressed female figure in a classic, possibly allegorical or pastoral scene. The composi...
Cotton, Silk
$16,400Sale Price|48% Off
H 151.19 in W 116.93 in D 0.3 in
Early 18th century Flemish antique tapestry 10x13 Verdure Wool & Silk 297x384cm
Located in New York, NY
Early 18th Century Antique Flemish Tapestry Fine Verdure Wool & Silk "This is a very fine Authentic Antique Flemish wool & silk Tapestry with an intricate verdure and bird...
Wool, Silk
Sold
H 12.19 in W 9.88 in D 1.19 in
Napoleon III Silk Embroidery Artwork with Horse Race Scene, circa 1880
Located in Atlanta, GA
Boost your private interior with the timeless elegance of this exquisite Napoleon III embroidery artwork, a rare masterpiece crafted in France during the late 19th century. Showcasin...
Fabric, Silk, Glass, Wood
Sold
H 53.15 in W 107.09 in D 0.4 in
MASSiVE WILLIAM MORRIS GRAIL TAPESTRY SUMMONED TO THE QUEST BY A STRANGE DAMSEL
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely vintage William Morris Holy Grail Tapestry of The Knights of the Round Table Summoned to the Quest by a Strange Damsel (The Summons), Morte D'Arthur, McCulloch Please note the delivery fee listed is just a guide, it covers within the M25 only for the UK and local Europe only for international, if you would like an accurate quote please send me your postcode and I’ll provide you with the exact price A very good looking and decorative piece. This is a vintage piece and looks to be embroidered to a very high standard, it is very large and fills a wall wonderfully Condition wise, apart from normal patina I can't see a single thing wrong with it anywhere, it looks sublime Dimensions Height:- 135cm Width:- 272cm Depth:- 1cm Please note all measurements are taken at the widest point, if you would like any additional or specific measurements please ask The Grail Tapestries The Quest for the Holy Grail In the early 1890’s Sir Edward Burn-Jones designed a series of tapestries illustrating the Quest for the Holy Grail. These were produced in collaboration with William Morris and some of them are now in he care of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. For conservation reasons the tapestries are only exhibited occasionally but are on show as from today, 22nd November 2008, until February 2009. This sequence of tapestries was originally designed for William Knox D'Arcy, for the dining room of his house, Stanmore Hall, Middlesex. It was the most extensive decoration scheme that the firm of Morris & Co completed. A set of ten were designed by Edward Burne-Jones, who produced the figurative designs and based the costumes loosely on those of the twelfth century, John Henry Dearle, who designed decorative detail, and William Morris, who designed the heraldry. Several further versions were woven later, although the entire series was only repeated once, for D'Arcy's business partner, George McCulloch, in 1898-99. Birmingham's version of 'The Summons' is from the series produced for George McCulloch. The subject matter is based on the 15th century Thomas Malory...
Fabric
Very Beautiful Antique Pair of silk velvet Curtains
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Wonderful pair of curtains from late 19th century, with a nice silk velvet tissue and a needlepoint band applied on it. Size of each piece is 115x295 cm ✨✨✨ "Experience the epitome o...
Silk
Portuguese Embroidery From The 19th Century
Located in Brussels, Brussels
Portuguese border from the 19th century Lovely embroidery decorated with flowers and bouquets and geometric shapes Very beautiful handmade work It has been lined Beautiful colors an...
Wool
Sold
H 35.44 in W 35.44 in D 0.08 in
Tapestry Brocard master piece from Museum collection stamp , France 1880
By Maison Brocard
Located in La xara, VC
Exceptional master tapisserie from Brocard Museum Royal collection, brought directly from the estate of the Museum; Vente collection brocard 1998; P.D... Stamps and reference number ...
Fabric
Sold
H 30.71 in W 37.21 in D 0.2 in
Fine Napoleon III circa 1860 Antique French Embroidered Tapestry Rail Type Fit
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this lovely Napoleon III circa 1860 hand made in France, Embroidered Tapestry depicting a lovely detailing summer fishing scene which is very roman...
Fabric
Big Size Royal Hunt Scene Tapestry, France 19th Century
Located in Paris, FR
Very big dimension wool Tapestry representing the Royal Hunt of Maximilian. Made in a mecanic jacquard style. The original one is in the Louvre Museum in Paris. In a very good con...
Wool
709 - Small 19th Century French Textil Element
Located in Paris, FR
709 - small 19th century French textil element.
Wool
Rare Full Set of a Castle Wall Tapestries, France, 19th Century
Located in Paris, FR
Rare full set of 4 wall tapestries from Libourne Castle. These tapestries have almost the same height, which makes it possible to reconstitute a long 5 meters wall decor, a full 4 wa...
Wool, Jacquard
909 - French Aubusson Rug, Napoléon III, 19th Century
By Royal Manufacture of Aubusson
Located in Paris, FR
Rug of the royal manufacture of Aubusson of the 19th century. Representation of a painting outline with multiple ornamentation of flowers. Perfect state of preservation. Measure...
Wool
Beautiful Large Tapestry Rug Carpet, France, 19th Century
Located in Paris, FR
French large decorative wall tapestry or rug carpet, representing a lovely scene with animals in a beautiful French Countryside. Handwoven. In a very good general condition, with d...
Wool
19th Century Embroidery of a Couple and Child
Located in New York, NY
Framed 19th century embroidered depiction of a man, woman, and child.
Silk