Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
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.
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Upholstery, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Stained Glass
20th Century French Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Bronze
1860s French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Silk, Giltwood
Early 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather, Fabric, Wood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Tapestry, Giltwood
1860s French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather
19th Century Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
Early 18th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood, Paper
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Other
1890s French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
1860s French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Rosewood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
1880s Balkan Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Giltwood
1860s French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Crystal
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Iron
1880s French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Fabric, Paper
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Carrara Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
1860s French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
Mid-19th Century European Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass, Iron
19th Century English Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass, Iron
1890s French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Gold
19th Century Russian Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Fabric, Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Wool, Silk
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Velvet, Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Iron, Brass
20th Century British Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
1870s German Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather
Late 19th Century German Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Paper
1820s French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Wrought Iron
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass, Bronze
20th Century French Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Oak
1990s North American Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Satin, Silk
1870s French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Bronze
1870s French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Carrara Marble, Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Fabric, Wood, Damask
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass, Chrome
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass, Iron