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.
Pair of French Empire Period Fire-Gilt Ormolu and Patinated Bronze Candlesticks
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
An exceptional pair of French Empire period candlesticks executed in finely chased fire-gilt ormolu and contrasting dark patinated bronze, dating to the early 19th century. Each cand...
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century Candlesticks - Empire Style - Gilded and Patinated Bronze - France
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
Elegant pair of French candlesticks in Empire style, circa 1880–1890. Made of finely cast and engraved bronze with a beautiful contrast between the gilded and dark patinated sections...
Bronze
French 19th-Century Gilt-Bronze Figural Candles Stone Material, Gilt Paint, 1920
Located in Worcester Park, GB
This antique figural candlestick holder is crafted in gilt bronze (ormolu) and is attributed to French production of the 19th century. The piece features a finely detailed sculptural...
Stone
$1,100 / set
French Pair of Brass Empire Style Candlesticks
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
French 19th century brass candlesticks, Empire in taste, like miniature columns to add instant glamor to a mantel or table. Typical of the French Empire period, inspiration from anci...
Brass
$3,250 / set
French Empire Bronze Candlestick-Cassolettes, 2
Located in Astoria, NY
Pair of French Empire Gilt Bronze Urn Form Candlestick-Cassolettes, the covered torch form lids with convertible bobeches, Greek key, and garland motif. 2.75" H x 2.75" W x 7....
Bronze
Pair of French 19th Century Brass Candlesticks
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A pair of French Empire style brass candlesticks from the 1800’s with a beautiful silhouette and nice heft in the patinated metal to add intrigue to a mantel or dining table. Subtle,...
Brass
$1,424Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair, French Empire Gilt Bronze Crane Motif Candlesticks Circa 1815
Located in Atlanta, GA
French, circa 1815. This exquisite pair of French Empire gilt bronze candlesticks, crafted circa 1815, embodies the opulence and grandeur of the Empire style. Each candlestick feat...
Bronze
Antique French Candle Holders in Marble & Bronze, Circa 1830-1850
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An antique French pair of Egyptian women figure candle holders made of hand crafted marble and patinated bronze, in good condition. The candle sticks are resting on an urn-shaped base. The particularized Parisian décor...
Marble, Metal, Bronze
19th Century Pair of French Patinated Bronze Sculptures Candelabra Candleholders
Located in Frankfurt am Main, DE
A pair of heavy patinated bronze sculpture candelabra, France, mid-19th century. Two female sculptures holding a candleholder raised on a b...
Bronze
Pair of French Empire Style Gilt Bronze Candlesticks
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine pair of French Empire gilt bronze candlesticks. With intricate raised decoration in the form of geometric and foliate patterns. The middle of each candlestick is fluted and ...
Bronze
Pair of Empire Gilt and Patinated Bronze Female Figures Vestals Candlesticks
By Claude Galle
Located in Berlin, DE
A beautiful French early 19th century Empire pair of ormolu and patinated bronze candlesticks with female figure decoration in the manner of Claude Galle: Each candlestick with a...
Griotte Marble, Bronze
Pair of French Empire Gilt Bronze Candlesticks, 1820s
Located in Knivsta, SE
Pair of French Empire Gilt Bronze Candlesticks, 1820s A refined pair of Empire candlesticks in gilt bronze, crafted in France around the 1820s. The design features the elegant, flu...
Bronze
Candlesticks with Caryatids in Gilt and Dark-Patinated Bronze – Empire, 1820s
Located in Knivsta, SE
French Candlesticks with Caryatids in Gilt and Dark-Patinated Bronze – Empire, 1820s A magnificent pair of French candlesticks in gilt and dark-patinated bronze, made during the he...
Bronze
Pair of Gilded French Empire Candlesticks with charming decor from the 1820s
Located in Knivsta, SE
A pair of Gilded French Empire Candlesticks with charming decor from the 1820s. Beautiful decorated with flowers and other period empire decorations. Wear consistent with age and use
Bronze
19th Century French Empire Pair of Antique Gilded Bronze Candlesticks
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A gold-black, antique French pair of dark patinated candle sticks made of hand crafted gilded bronze, in good condition. The detailed candle holders are particularized with flowers decoration, resting on a tripod foot. The Parisian décor...
Metal, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Empire Period Giltwood Candlesticks or Prickets
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This pair of giltwood French Empire period prickets or candlesticks was originally used on the altar of a church. They were hand-carved and exquisitely gilded on only one side as a m...
Giltwood
Pair of French Empire Style Gilt Bronze Candlesticks on Hoofed Faun Feet
Located in Barntrup, DE
Pair of French empire style gilt bronze candlesticks on hoofed faun feet, late 19th century. A pair of fine French Empire-style gilt bronze candleholders. A fluted column rises on three cloven-hoofed hocked faun legs and feet. These antique candleholders...
Bronze
Set of 2 Swedish Brass Chamber Candle Holders with Tray
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Fantastic patina on these candleholders from the early 1800's. We see these chamber candlesticks on a coffee table with antique books. Wonderful addition to any collection of these s...
Brass, Metal
19th Century Pair of French Patinated Bronze Sculptures Candelabra Candleholders
Located in Frankfurt am Main, DE
A pair of heavy patinated bronze sculpture candelabra, France mid-19th century. Two female sculptures holding a candleholder raised on a br...
Bronze
$3,260 / set
Pair of Empire Candlestick, early 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Pair of candlesticks made of burnished and fire-gilt bronze. The spouts are surrounded by three satyr masks crowned by flames. The pyramidal shaft is decorated with torchbearers in r...
Bronze
$2,850 / set
French Empire Doré Bronze Candlesticks, A Pair
Located in Bradenton, FL
Pair of French Empire Doré Bronze Candlesticks. These candlesticks feature a fluted and diamond-patterned shaft rising from a circular molded base with guilloché border. The upper se...
Bronze
Two Royal Copenhagen Blue Fluted Plain Candlesticks with Lion Heads
Located in København, Copenhagen
Two Royal Copenhagen Blue Fluted Plain candlesticks with lion heads. Dated 1969-1974. Model number 1/15. Measures: 23 x 8 cm. In excellent ...
Porcelain
Vintage Danish Malm Candle Holders, 1950s. Set of 4.
Located in Asaa, DK
Vintage Danish Malm Candle Holders, 1950s. Set of 4. Two pairs of candleholders in malm, which is a brass alloy with added copper. The cobber gives the brass a darker color. The hei...
Brass
Pareja de candelabros; Francia, época Imperio, c. 1810
Located in MADRID, ES
Pareja de grandes candelabros; Francia, época Imperio, c. 1810, siglo XIX. Bronce dorado al mercurio y mármol negro belga. Estos candelabros de siete luces son un gran ejemplo del...
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Pair of Antique Austro-Hungarian Silver Candlesticks with Chased Flowers
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This pair of silver candlesticks are hallmarked by an unknown maker, and believed to have originated from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and date to approximately 1850, and done in the ...
Silver
Very Handsome Pair of French Empire Period Gilt Brass Candlesticks, Circa 1820
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
A very handsome & tall pair of early 19th century French Empire gilt brass candlesticks. Both showing reeded columns rising up from circular bases decorated by hand with finely chiseled motifs, to similarly addressed urn-shaped nozzles with detachable bobeches. Constructed in three sections, with the nozzle and column firmly attached to the base by means of a full length threaded metal post...
Brass
Pair of Italian Empire Silver Candlesticks, Milan, circa 1810
Located in Vienna, AT
Pair of elegant Empire candleholders on an unfilled base, conical structure, offset olive-shaped grommets with a flat, plate-shaped drip edge, smoo...
Silver
A pair of Empire Swedish pewter candlesticks made 1820.
Located in Stockholm, SE
A distinguished pair of Swedish pewter candlesticks by Nils Eric Justelius, dated 1820. Executed in the Empire style, the candlesticks display elegant neoclassical proportions with t...
Pewter
$5,000 / set
Pair of Empire Candlesticks with Garland
Located in Ljungby, SE
A pair of French Empire candlesticks with matching light collars, richly decorated in burnished gilded bronze. The central section is elegantly fluted, and they feature a garland wit...
Bronze
Pair of French Empire Ormolu Bronze Candlesticks with Oak Leaf Decoration, 1820s
Located in Knivsta, SE
Pair of French Empire Ormolu Bronze Candlesticks with Oak Leaf Decoration, 1820s An elegant pair of French Empire candlesticks, crafted in finely chased and mercury-gilt bronze duri...
Bronze
$10,200 / set
Pair of Empire Ormolu Cassolettes
Located in New York, NY
A pair of Empire gilt bronze cassolettes with pierced covers and engine-turned columns. France, circa 1810.
Bronze
Pair of Empire Candlesticks in gilt and dark patinated bronze from the 1820s
Located in Knivsta, SE
Pair of Empire Candlesticks in gilt and dark patinated bronze. Made in France during the 1820s. Beautiful decorated with flowers and a dark patinated column in the center of the cand...
Bronze
Pair of Early 19 Century French Empire Gilt Bronze Neoclassical Candlesticks
Located in Berlin, DE
Excellent pair of early 19 century French empire gilt bronze neoclassical candlesticks. A tapering stem with rich and finely chased ...
Bronze
Pair of French Ormolu Bronze Cassolettes or Censers/Candlesticks
Located in Stamford, CT
A pair of early 19th century, French ormolu bronze cassolettes. The censers having pierced tops and Candlestick receivers on the revers.
Bronze
French Empire Gilt & Marble Candlestick Holders Set of 2
Located in Worcester Park, GB
A refined pair of French Empire–style candlestick holders, combining gilt metal with a solid marble base. Designed with classical symmetry, the fluted column rises from a circular ma...
Marble, Gold, Brass
Two Gilt Bronze Empire Candlesticks circa 1830 French Cassolette
Located in Milano, MI
Pair of 1800s Gilt Bronze Empire Candlesticks, set of two French Empire-style ormolu chests or burners, dating from the first half of the 19th century. These ancient French vessels ...
Bronze
A pair (2) of figural Empire candelabra candles. Paris, 19th century.
Located in Berlin, DE
A pair (2) of figural Empire candelabra candles. Paris, 1815s Gilt bronze. Recessed pedestal base with palmette and floral decoration on a square plinth. The pair, dressed in antiqu...
Bronze
Circa 1800 Pair of French Gilt Bronze Griffin Candle Holders
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
Circa 1800 Pair of French Gilt Bronze Griffin Candle Holders. Unique pair purchased in France. Age appropriate wear, see detailed photos or mess...
Marble, Bronze
Pair of Empire Style Bronze and Iridescent Glazed Cassolettes, circa 1875
Located in New York, NY
The tops turn over to be candlesticks.
Bronze
Pair of French Empire Gilt Bronze Candlesticks, France, 1820s
Located in Knivsta, SE
Pair of French Empire Gilt Bronze Candlesticks, France, 1820s An elegant pair of French Empire candlesticks in finely chased and gilt bronze, dating from the 1820s. The tall and bal...
Bronze
Pair of Candlesticks in Silvered Bronze, Empire Period
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Pair of candlesticks in silvered bronze. Fluted shaft. Base adorned with a frieze of palmettes. Circular molded feet. English work realized under the French Empire (1804-1815). !Th...
Bronze
$4,000 / set
Pair of 19th Century Empire Candlesticks
Located in Ljungby, SE
A pair of French Empire candleholders from around 1820. They are made of fire-gilded bronze. Decorative acanthus leaves adorn the candleholders, along with fluting. Removable candle ...
Bronze
$1,209Sale Price / set|20% Off
Antique Candlesticks Empire Pattern by WMF Art Nouveau Silverplated
By WMF Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
Beautiful pair of antique candlesticks by WMF are stunning examples of silverplated pewter craftsmanship, made during the Art Nouveau period around 1900. They are part of the "Empire...
Silver Plate, Pewter
Pair Tall Antique Danish Empire Candelabra of Gilded Metal + Bronze 19th Century
Located in Silkeborg, Silkeborg
Pair of large Empire style 3-armed candelabras made of a combination of gilded and brown-patinated metal and bronze. Made in Denmark by skilled metalworkers circa 1880s. Very nice c...
Metal, Bronze
Pair of French Empire Silvered Bronze Candlesticks Ciselé 1820s
Located in Knivsta, SE
Pair of French Empire Silvered Bronze Candlesticks Ciselé 1820s An exceptionally elegant pair of French Empire candlesticks, dating from the 1820s–1830s, executed in finely silvered...
Silver Plate, Bronze
$1,820Sale Price / set|35% Off
A Pair of French Empire Style Gilt Bronze Candelabras, Late 19th Century
Located in ARMADALE, VIC
A Pair of French Empire Style Gilt Bronze Candelabras, Late 19th Century Description: Each piece is configured as a two-light candelabrum, featuring two decorative scrolling side ar...
Bronze
Pair of 19th Century French Empire Bronze Garnitures
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pair of bronze and dore bronze compote/tazas with finely chased details. Can be used to hold a topiary or a thick candle. Base is 7" Top is 11.5".
Bronze
Pair of French Empire Gilt Bronze Candlesticks, 1820s
Located in Knivsta, SE
Pair of French Empire Gilt Bronze Candlesticks, 1820s A powerful and elegant pair of French Empire candlesticks, masterfully cast in gilt bronze with fine neoclassical detailing. Th...
Bronze
$4,500 / set
Pair of Empire Candlesticks
Located in Ljungby, SE
A pair of French fire-gilded candleholders in the Empire style. They feature acanthus leaf decorations. The candle sleeves are removable.
Bronze
Guardians of the Flame: Pair of Early 19th C Gilt Bronze French Candlesticks
Located in New York, NY
Elegant pair of French Empire-style candlesticks executed in finely chased gilt and patinated bronze. Each features a tapering fluted shaft rising from a richly ornamented standard d...
Bronze
Beautiful French Empire Caryatid Candlesticks with Carrara Marble Bases
Located in Knivsta, SE
French Empire Caryatid Candlesticks with Carrara Marble Bases An elegant and finely composed pair of French Empire candlesticks, crafted in the early 19th century and embodying the...
Carrara Marble, Bronze
Pair of Russian Empire Brass Candlesticks with Drip Basins, circa 1790–1835
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Pair of Russian Empire Brass Candlesticks with Drip Basins, circa 1790–1835 A substantial and finely proportioned pair of Russian Empire–period brass candlesticks, dating to the lat...
Brass
Antique Sculptural Wooden Church Candlestick, 1860
Located in Ludwigslust, DE
This extraordinary antique church candlestick, presumably from the mid-19th century, combines sacred radiance with timeless classicist desig...
Nutwood
Pair of Empire ormolu candlesticks - Sweden, early 19th century circa 1810
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
A fine pair of tall ormolu candlesticks, beautiful mercury gilt (mat and shiny finish), finely chiseled bronze palm patterns. Sweden, early 19th century circa 1810 (Empire period). O...
Bronze, Ormolu
Pair of French Empire Period Gilt Bronze Candlesticks with Guilloché Decoration
Located in New York, NY
Pair of Empire Period Gilt Bronze Candlesticks, France, early 19th century (circa 1805–1815). Each candlestick is formed with a tapering cylindrical shaft rising from a broad circula...
Bronze
A Pair of Elegant Empire Candlesticks, Gilded and Patinated Brass, 1820s France
Located in Knivsta, SE
A pair of exquisite Empire candlesticks which combine gilt and patinated brass. Made in 1820s France. Various intricate rose, floral and leaf patterns adorn the bases in gilt brass. ...
Brass
Beautiful pair of Empire Candlesticks in gilt and dark patinated bronze. 1820s
Located in Knivsta, SE
Beautiful pair of Empire Candlesticks in gilt and dark patinated bronze. Made in France during the 1820s. Very period design. Wear consistent with age and use
Bronze
A fine Pair of French Empire Gilt Bronze Candlesticks, 1820s
Located in Knivsta, SE
Pair of French Empire Gilt Bronze Candlesticks, 1820s A fine pair of gilt bronze candlesticks from France, dating to the Empire period, circa 1820. Each candlestick is richly decor...
Bronze
Tall Antique Danish Empire Floor Candelabra Gilded and Brown Metal 19th Century
Located in Silkeborg, Silkeborg
Antique tall empire style 3-armed floor candelabra made of a combination of gilded and brown-patinated metal and bronze. Made in Denmark by skilled metalworkers circa 1880-1900 Very...
Metal, Bronze
$4,000 / set
Pair of 19th Century Empire Candlesticks
Located in Ljungby, SE
A pair of Empire candleholders in fire-gilded bronze. Manufactured in France around 1810/1820. The candleholders are decorated with beautiful acanthus leaves. A decorative meander ba...
Bronze