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.
$2,396Sale Price|40% Off
Superb Italian Dark Walnut and Bronze Dore' Ormolu Corner Cabinet Marble Top
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This exquisite Italian dark walnut and bronze dore’ ormolu mounted corner cabinet showcases the finest traditions of European craftsmanship. Designed to fit elegantly into a corner, ...
Breccia Marble, Bronze
$5,584Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair 19th Century French Napoleon III Period Corner Cabinets ~ Vaisseliers
Located in Dallas, TX
Pair 19th Century French Napoleon III Period Corner Cabinets ~ Vaisseliers will make a splendid addition to your decor, while taking advantage of space normally unused. Hand-crafted...
Mirror, Walnut
19th Century Pair of Napoleon III Inlaid Corner Cupboards
Located in Marseille, FR
19th century Pair of Napoleon III inlaid corner cupboards marble top decoration with musical attributes.
Marble
$3,488Sale Price|24% Off
H 76 in W 31 in D 17 in
Superb Antique English Marquetry Inlaid Art Nouveau Mahogany Corner Cabinet
Located in CHARLESTON, SC
Exceptional antique English marquetry inlaid late 19th century Art Nouveau mahogany corner cabinet with wonderful stylized inlays of the Arts & Crafts / Art Nouveau period. Original ...
Mahogany, Satinwood
19th-C. French Corner Cabinet
Located in Ballard, CA
A single door painted French corner cabinet in the Louis XVI style. Made out of pine wood painted with light gray/blue and cream accents. Feature...
Iron
5 Shelves Italian Corner Cabinet, 1980s
Located in Palermo, IT
Italian corner cabinet with 5 shelves, 1980s Intact and in good condition. Height 131 cm, sides 40 cm. It will be shipped disassembled because it can be assembled very easily.
Wood
19th Century Swedish Corner Cabinet Circa 1820
Located in Atlanta, GA
This early 19th-century Swedish corner cupboard from Ångermanland is a remarkable example of provincial Scandinavian craftsmanship. Scraped back to reveal its original greyish-green ...
Pine, Paint
Early 19th Century Decorated Swedish Corner Cabinet
Located in Kramfors, SE
Rare corner cabinet from northern Sweden made during the first years of the 19th century, 1810 to 1820. The cabinet is pine and made in two parts. It has the original decoration paint with the authentic patina of time. The paint is unusually intricate and varied with both floral motifs and marbling. That points to it being an expensive cabinet...
Pine
19th Century Swedish Corner Cupboard
Located in Charleston, SC
19th century Swedish two-part bowfronted 4 door corner cupboard with reeded panels. Dry scraped from most recent painted surface.
Wood, Pine, Paint
Period Louis XVI Small Marble Top Corner Cabinet
Located in Hudson, NY
This fine and small Enconignure (corner cabinet) is constructed of book-matched and quarter paneled Tulip-wood veneer bordered by marquetry line inlays and marquetry stop fluting at ...
Marble, Ormolu
$2,950
H 45 in W 36 in D 26.75 in
Italian Neoclassical Style 19th Century Marbleized Corner Cabinet with One Door
Located in Atlanta, GA
An Italian neoclassical style painted wood corner cabinet from the 19th century, with marbleized polychrome décor, single door, pilasters, gilded rosettes and rustic character. Creat...
Wood
19th Century Spanish Baroque Corner Sideboard Storage Cabinet
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
On offer on this occasion is one of the most stunning cabinet you could hope to find. This is an ultra-rare opportunity to acquire what is, unequivocally, the best of the best, it b...
Wood
Gustavian Style Glass Top Corner Cabinet
Located in Hollywood, FL
This s a very unique Gustavian style glass top Corner cabinet. it was just restored and repainted with Milk Paints "Oyster White" the measurement from the very back corner out to e...
Wood
$1,819Sale Price|30% Off
H 70.48 in W 36.62 in D 18.51 in
Biedermeier Walnut Corner Display Cabinet, Antique, Circa 1880
Located in Lucenec, SK
A striking late Biedermeier corner display cabinet crafted in beautifully grained walnut with a warm, natural patina. The upper section features two glass-panelled doors with elegant...
Glass, Walnut
18th Century Italian Painted Corner Cabinet
Located in Houston, TX
18th century Italian painted corner cabinet. This stunning antique Italian two part corner cabinet, cupboard or duex corp with original painted finish is simply stunning. This Tusca...
Wood
Rare Bamboo & Lacquer Corner Cabinet, Perret & Vibert C.1870
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Just in this exceptional French Napoleon III Rare Bamboo & Lacquer Corner Cabinet, C.1870-1890. This corner cabinet las three shelves with Asian decor at the top and two shelves in t...
Bamboo, Lacquer
Sold
H 43.31 in W 0.4 in D 0.4 in
Pair of Corner Cabinets signed DIEHL, Napoleon III, France, 19th Cent
By André-Charles Boulle, Charles-Guillaume Diehl
Located in Paris, FR
Rare and gorgeous Pair of corner cupboards by Diehl. Stamped Diehl 1 and Diehl 2 under the marble. It is a perfect counterpart Brass and m...
Marble, Bronze, Brass
Sold
H 35.44 in W 28.75 in D 22.05 in
20th Century Inlaid Wood Napoleon III Style French Corner Cupboard, 1980
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
French corner cupboard from the second half of the 20th century. Napoleon III style furniture decorated with floral inlay in rosewood, wal...
Wood
Sold
H 61.82 in W 27.96 in D 18.51 in
20th Century Inlaid Wood French Napoleon III Style Corner Cabinet, 1960
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
French corner cabinet from the mid-20th century. Napoleon III style furniture richly adorned with gilded and chiseled bronze and brass. Sh...
Wood
Sold
H 42.52 in W 23.23 in D 23.23 in
Corner Cupboard Cabinet Napoleon III in Boulle Marquetry, France, 19th Century
Located in Paris, FR
Corner cupboard cabinet, rare to be find in a red tortoiseshell marquetry Boulle style as this one. Blackened fruitwood and brass, golden bronze ornamentations and a white Carrara ma...
Carrara Marble, Bronze, Brass
19th Century Country French Painted 2-Tiered Corner Cabinet
Located in Dallas, TX
19th century country French painted 2-tiered corner cabinet is the ideal choice for utilizing an otherwise unused corner space! The painted finish works with any casual decor, and th...
Wood