Empire Tables
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.
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Tables
Marble, Metal, Brass
19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Tables
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Empire Tables
Mercury Glass, Mirror, Wood, Walnut, Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Empire Tables
Wood
19th Century French Antique Empire Tables
Slate, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Tables
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Tables
Mahogany
1860s Swedish Antique Empire Tables
Birch
1940s American Vintage Empire Tables
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Tables
Birch
1970s Italian Vintage Empire Tables
Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Tables
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Empire Tables
Mahogany
Early 20th Century American Empire Tables
Oak
1960s French Vintage Empire Tables
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Tables
Marble, Brass
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Tables
Carrara Marble
19th Century French Antique Empire Tables
Marble, Brass
1870s French Antique Empire Tables
Brass
1820s European Antique Empire Tables
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Empire Tables
Marble, Brass
1990s Indonesian Empire Tables
Metal
Late 20th Century American Empire Tables
Cherry
19th Century French Antique Empire Tables
Marble, Brass
Early 1900s Unknown Antique Empire Tables
Mahogany
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Tables
Mahogany
Early 1900s French Antique Empire Tables
Bronze
1810s Austrian Antique Empire Tables
Brass
19th Century Italian Antique Empire Tables
Wood, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Empire Tables
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Tables
Marble
1840s Spanish Antique Empire Tables
Walnut
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century Empire Tables
Gold Leaf
Early 19th Century Antique Empire Tables
Boxwood, Nutwood
Mid-20th Century Danish Empire Tables
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Tables
Birch
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Tables
Maple, Walnut
Late 20th Century Unknown Empire Tables
Marble
Early 1900s European Antique Empire Tables
Marble, Brass
Early 20th Century French Empire Tables
Brass
20th Century French Empire Tables
Belgian Black Marble, Brass, Bronze
Early 19th Century Antique Empire Tables
Yew
Early 1800s French Antique Empire Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Empire Tables
Carrara Marble, Wrought Iron
20th Century English Empire Tables
Leather, Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Tables
Mahogany
20th Century French Empire Tables
Malachite, Ormolu
Early 18th Century Antique Empire Tables
Bronze
Late 20th Century Empire Tables
Granite
19th Century French Antique Empire Tables
Marble, Bronze
1890s French Antique Empire Tables
Marble, Brass
1870s French Antique Empire Tables
Marble, Brass
20th Century Empire Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century French Empire Tables
Marble, Serpentine, Ormolu
1810s Italian Antique Empire Tables
Breccia Marble
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Empire Tables
Birch
Early 20th Century American Empire Tables
Bronze