Napoleon III Furniture
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.
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Alabaster
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century American Napoleon III Furniture
Velvet, Wood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass, Iron
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble, Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Napoleon III Furniture
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
20th Century French Napoleon III Furniture
Composition
1890s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Ormolu, Enamel
19th Century Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Silver
1960s Italian Vintage Napoleon III Furniture
Gold, Enamel, Sterling Silver, Gold Plate
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Iron
1980s Italian Vintage Napoleon III Furniture
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Canvas
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century Napoleon III Furniture
Stone
19th Century Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mahogany
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III Furniture
Stone, Alabaster, Metal, Silver Plate
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass, Bronze
Late 19th Century Belgian Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Belgian Black Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Enamel
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
1880s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Paper
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Crystal
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mahogany, Paint
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Gold Leaf
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Paint
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mirror
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Iron
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Iron
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III Furniture
Brass, Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Metal
1870s French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Kingwood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Silver Plate
Late 19th Century Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Felt, Wood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass, Wrought Iron, Iron
20th Century French Napoleon III Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Sterling Silver
1870s Italian Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Mirror
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Paint
19th Century Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Marble, Bronze
19th Century German Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze