The "Empire" style in decorative art objects.
- Sep 8, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: Sep 21, 2025
The "Empire" style is inseparable from the figure of Napoleon I and the transformation of France at the turn of the 19th century. More than a simple artistic current, it was the language of power and yet finesse, a visual expression of authority, order and grandeur, conceived to magnify the new regime. Yet, like all styles, it did not emerge from nothing: its roots from the classical Antiquity and can be traced back to the Directoire and the Consulate, before blossoming fully under the Empire. We then talk about Neoclassicism.
After the fall of the monarchy and Louis XVI in 1792, Napoleon inherited important royal and state residences, such as the Tuileries Palace and the Château de Saint-Cloud, which he needed to restore and adapt at its image. Through numerous commissions of artistic and decorative furniture, objects, and architectural projects, he transformed these spaces into symbols of power and grandeur. The rediscovery of Pompeii and the numerous journeys to Egypt fuelled an imagination enriched by ancient Rome, archaeology and geometric precision.
The Directoire (1795 to 1799: coup d'état of 18 Brumaire, Year VIII of Napoleon Bonaparte)
Following the fall of Louis XVI and the revolutionary times, the Directoire saw the emergence of a new sensibility of the existing style, focused on a return to order. To something a little more lighter and breather, a little bit more of decoration, marquetry, and geometric shapes that are increasingly prominent in the shapes of furniture and decorative objects. Mahogany became increasingly popular, giving furniture its distinctive colour. Ornamentation also developed, with bronze, which was a real source of inspiration. The furnitures differentiate themselves by their rigorous geometrically lines, softened by some details borrowed to antique style. Artisans favour the straight forms, symmetry, and use precious woods like mahogany, enhanced with simple marquetry. Floral or shell-like ornaments disappear and replaced by female and mythological figures, Etruscan, lion-paw or saber feet, and understated balusters.
The perfect illustration is Madame Juliette Récamier's bed (1799), made by the Jacobs brothers (Georges II Jacob, Jacob-Desmalter) and Louis-Martin Berthault student of Percier and Fontaine. Commissioned for Juliette's private residence, Hôtel Récamier on rue du Mont Blanc in Paris, the bed is notable for being crafted entirely from mahogany with bronze fittings that are both gilded and patinated. Its strict symmetry and straight lines reflect the neoclassical return to order, yet these are softened by the elegant sweep of the frame. The curve accompanied by the light curling of the upper part of the bedside introduce a sense of movement that contrast with the rigidity of the straight lines (those characteristics and details are also visible on Resting bed from Madame Récamier's salon - circa 1800, Jacob Frères). Ultimately, we see that a significant portion of space is dedicated to raw wood marquetry and exquisite bronze craftsmanship inspired by Antiquity. This includes a gilded bronze laurel wreath with polychrome patina, rosette and palmette motifs, and women in gilded bronze at the ends, adorned in ancient attire with crescent moons and lit torches, symbolizing the night. Poppy flowers, emblems of sleep, complete the ensemble, transforming the bed into a harmonious synthesis of elegance, symbolism, and neoclassical purity.
In the salon of Madame Récamier, all the furniture including the gueridon, bergères, armchairs and stools, is also signed by Jacob Frères. Mahogany dominates, polished to reveal the beauty of the wood. The seats, with saber legs inspired by Etruscan models, display a sober elegance while stools with lion-paws legs reflect the antique style. The absence of superfluous ornamentation, the clear geometry, the few refined bronzes and the subtle/elegant curved lines reflect a cultivated taste, still reserved for the private and fashionable sphere.
The Consulate
Château de Malmaison: birth of the style "Empire".
Originally a modest estate, it was sold on 21 April 1799 to Joséphine Bonaparte for the considerable sum of 325,000 francs. When Napoleon returned from his Egyptian campaign, he confirmed the purchase, becoming the true owner of the property. From 1800 to 1802, this small château took on a national role: together with the Tuileries, it became a seat of government, hosting frequent meetings of the Consular ministers. Malmaison was therefore not just a private retreat but also a place where politics and aesthetics intertwined at the wake of the new regime. It became the true laboratory of the Empire style. Designed by Percier and Fontaine, the interiors combined neoclassical sobriety with an emerging sense of grandeur.
Upon entering Malmaison, we are greeted by this veranda, which opens onto the entrance vestibule. Painted with ornamental motifs and topped with a canopy reminiscent of campaign shelters, it evokes the encampments of Roman generals as well as Napoleon’s own military expeditions. More than a functional passageway, it acts as a symbolic threshold, marking the transition from a private residence to a political space, where domestic life merges with the representation of power. The tent motif, borrowed from military life, is ennobled by neoclassical rigour, embodying the Consulate’s ambition to turn victory on the battlefield into cultural and political authority.
In the Golden Salon and the Council Chamber (c. 1800), furniture already speaks the language of politics. Seats adopt antique models: straight backs, sculpted armrests, and lion-paw feet. The X-shaped stools (Jacob Frères, 1801) recall Roman curule chairs, while chimney fire screen take the form of military helmets, underscoring the martial vocation of the regime.
A striking piece is the Athénienne of Napoleon I (1800–1804, Biennais, Louvre). Inspired by ancient tripods, it served as a stand for basins used in ablutions. Its three slender legs, joined by delicate bronze motifs, make it both utilitarian and prestigious. Here, archaeology becomes political: the evocation of Greece and Rome legitimises the new Consulate.
The Empire
With Napoleon’s coronation in 1804, the style reaches a new scale: monumental, richly ornamented, and overtly political. The Throne of Napoleon I (1804, Jacob-Desmalter, Louvre) is its manifesto. Made of mahogany and gilded bronze, covered in red velvet embroidered with bees (the new imperial emblem) it echoes Roman authority. The round medallion crowning the backrest recalls ancient seats, while an array of palmettes, eagles, and the initial “N” transform this chair into a visual proclamation of power. In the Throne Room at Fontainebleau (1805), the theatricality is heightened: the throne, raised on an estrade and framed by columns, dominates the space. Every element of furniture and decoration reinforces the staging of imperial majesty.
The refinement of Empire art also appears in more intimate objects, such as the jewel cabinet of the Empress (1809, Jacob-Desmalter, Louvre). This monumental chest, adorned with finely worked gilded bronze, resembles a miniature architecture with its columns, pediments, and reliefs. Goldsmithing and architecture converge, turning a personal object into a symbol of hierarchy and wealth.
The imperial bedrooms at Fontainebleau and Malmaison reflect this total aesthetic: monumental beds with canopies, heavy draperies, consoles, and armchairs create interiors entirely subordinated to ceremonial display. The console by Pierre-Philippe Thomire (before 1807, Louvre) exemplifies this ambition. Combining marble and gilded bronze, it transcends mere functionality to become sculpture. Its supports often take the form of allegories, sphinxes, or caryatids, affirming imperial grandeur in the smallest details.
The Empire through all Europe
The Empire style, born in France under Napoleon, quickly transcended national borders. Its neoclassical rigour and monumental symbolism made it the ideal language for courts eager to assert legitimacy and power in the wake of revolutionary turmoil. Yet, as it spread, the style adapted to local traditions, creating variations that blended French influence with national identities.
In Spain
The Cabinet de platine at the Casa del Labrador (Aranjuez, c. 1800–1806, by Percier and Fontaine) illustrates the direct export of French taste. Commissioned for Manuel Godoy, Prince of Peace, the interiors reproduce the Parisian Empire style almost verbatim: mahogany furniture, gilded bronzes, and neoclassical ornamentation. Yet Spanish craftsmanship introduced subtle differences, especially in marquetry, where local traditions of inlay and decorative surface treatment persisted. The result is a hybrid style: fully French in structure, but enriched by Iberian textures and materials.
In Sweden
The Empire style took root under King Charles XIV John (the former Marshal Bernadotte). At the château of Rosendal in Stockholm (c. 1820–1830), interiors such as the Red Salon designed by Wilhelm Lundelius embrace Empire sobriety but soften its severity. The palette favors lighter colors, the woodwork is often painted rather than veneered, and the atmosphere is less monumental. The Swedish Empire, sometimes called Karl Johan style, adapted French grandeur to the intimacy of northern interiors, blending mahogany pieces with pale textiles and painted finishes to suit a more domestic scale.
In Russia
The Empire found particularly fertile ground. The atelier of Heinrich Gambs (active in St. Petersburg) produced furniture between 1800 and 1810 that rivalled French models in both quality and scale. Russian interpretations emphasized monumental proportions and rich materials: mahogany and Karelian birch combined with heavy gilded bronzes. For the court of Alexander I, the Empire style perfectly expressed the grandeur of a vast empire that sought to align itself with classical authority while asserting its own imperial destiny.
In England
The parallel development known as the Regency style (1811–1820) reflected both admiration for and resistance to French influence. Designers such as Thomas Hope and George Smith looked to Greece, Rome, and Egypt for inspiration, producing furniture characterized by severe profiles, animal-leg supports, and bold ornament.
Yet the Regency remained distinct: it integrated Gothic and national elements inherited from earlier English traditions (like Chippendale), softening the French emphasis on imperial symbols. The tables and chairs of Hope (c. 1805, Victoria & Albert Museum, London) exemplify this variant: archaeological in inspiration, but truly English in taste.
