Empire Table Lamps
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 Table Lamps
Brass
Early 20th Century Unknown Empire Table Lamps
Metal, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Empire Table Lamps
Onyx, Metal
20th Century French Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
1820s French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
1820s French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Metal, Bronze
1980s Vintage Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Cast Stone
1960s French Vintage Empire Table Lamps
Brass, Bronze
Early 20th Century Italian Empire Table Lamps
Alabaster, Brass
1920s French Vintage Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Empire Table Lamps
Brass
19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Brass
1930s French Vintage Empire Table Lamps
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Empire Table Lamps
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
1820s French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Empire Table Lamps
Wood, Fabric
Mid-19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Brass
1820s French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
1840s European Antique Empire Table Lamps
Porcelain
1970s French Vintage Empire Table Lamps
Metal
19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Bronze, Iron
Early 20th Century European Empire Table Lamps
Brass, Steel
Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Bronze, Tôle, Brass
1960s American Vintage Empire Table Lamps
Copper
Mid-20th Century Unknown Empire Table Lamps
Metal, Brass
Early 20th Century Unknown Empire Table Lamps
Metal
1950s Italian Vintage Empire Table Lamps
Metal
Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Brass, Zinc
Early 19th Century Antique Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Empire Table Lamps
Brass, Tôle
1810s French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
1990s Empire Table Lamps
Brass
19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Brass
1920s French Vintage Empire Table Lamps
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century German Antique Empire Table Lamps
Silver
19th Century Antique Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Empire Table Lamps
Metal, Brass
19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Slate, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Unknown Empire Table Lamps
Metal
Early 19th Century Antique Empire Table Lamps
Brass
1820s French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
Late 20th Century Philippine Empire Table Lamps
Brass
19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Ormolu, Bronze
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
Late 20th Century European Empire Table Lamps
Bronze
1820s French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Tôle, Wire, Tin, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Empire Table Lamps
Bronze, Ormolu