Empire style facts for kids

The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, a famous example of Empire style. It was ordered by Napoleon after his victory at Austerlitz in 1806.

The Empire style is a cool design trend from the early 1800s. It was popular in architecture, furniture, and other decorative arts. This style was the second part of a bigger art movement called Neoclassicism, which looked back to ancient Greek and Roman designs.

The Empire style was most popular between 1800 and 1815, when Napoleon I ruled France as Emperor. It was named after his "First French Empire." The main goal of this style was to make Napoleon's leadership and France look strong and grand. Before this, the popular style in France was simpler, but the Empire style brought back rich and fancy decorations. You can compare it to the Biedermeier style in Germany, the Federal style in the United States, and the Regency style in Britain.

History of the Empire Style
Motifs and Ornaments
Architecture
Furniture
Clocks and Candelabrums
Ceramic
Fashion
See also

History of the Empire Style

The Empire style took inspiration from the rich and grand designs of the Roman Empire. It moved away from simpler styles and embraced more detailed and fancy looks.

Two French architects, Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine, were key in creating the French Empire style. They had studied in Rome and became top furniture designers in Paris. Napoleon and other important leaders often hired them for projects.

Empire style buildings used ideas from the Roman Empire and its ancient treasures, which had been rediscovered. This style also greatly influenced the American Federal style, like the design of the United States Capitol building. It was a way to show power and importance through buildings. People thought the style made architecture "free" and "enlightened," much like Napoleon was seen to "free" people with his new laws.

Percier and Fontaine, Napoleon's architects for the Château de Malmaison, made the Empire period famous with their creative designs. They used symbols and decorations from ancient Greek and Roman empires. Buildings often had simple wooden frames, covered with expensive mahogany wood from other countries. Furniture also sometimes used ebony details. Fancy gilded bronze decorations, called ormolu, showed off great craftsmanship.

General Bernadotte, who later became King Karl Johan of Sweden and Norway, brought the Napoleonic style to Sweden. There, it became known as the Karl Johan style. This style stayed popular in Scandinavia even after it faded in other parts of Europe. France even paid some of its debts to Sweden with gilded bronze items, which made crystal chandeliers with French bronze and Swedish crystal very popular.

Even after Napoleon lost power, the Empire style remained popular for many years, with some small changes. It even saw a comeback in France in the late 1800s, again in the early 1900s, and once more in the 1980s.

In Italy, the style lasted longer than in most places. This was partly because it reminded people of the Roman Empire, and partly because it became a national style after Italy united in 1870. In the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States, the Empire style changed to fit local tastes. It led to other styles like the Egyptian Revival, Greek Revival, Biedermeier style, Regency style, and late-Federal style.

Motifs and Ornaments

All decorations in the Empire style follow strict rules of balance and symmetry. This means that designs on the right side of a piece usually match perfectly with those on the left. If they don't, the individual decorations themselves are perfectly balanced. For example, you might see ancient heads with matching hair on both shoulders, or figures of Victory with balanced clothing.

Like Louis XIV, Napoleon had special symbols linked to his rule. The most famous ones were the eagle, the bee, stars, and his initials "I" (for Emperor) and "N" (for Napoleon). These initials were often placed inside a laurel wreath, a symbol of victory.

There are also many symbols from ancient Greece and Rome, such as:

Flat acanthus leaves
Palmettes (fan-like shapes)
Cornucopias (horns of plenty)
Beads and amphoras (ancient vases)
Tripods (three-legged stands)
Caduceuses of Mercury (a staff with two snakes)
Vases, helmets, burning torches, and ancient musical instruments like lyres.

Even though they came from ancient times, the fluting (grooves) and triglyphs (blocks with vertical grooves) that were common in the Louis XVI style were not used in the Empire style.

Egyptian Revival designs were especially common early in the Empire period. These included:

Scarabs (beetle symbols)
Lotus capitals (top parts of columns shaped like lotus flowers)
Winged disks and obelisks
Pyramids
Figures wearing nemeses (Egyptian headcloths)
Caryatids (carved female figures used as columns) with Egyptian headdresses.

A close-up of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in Paris, showing two winged figures of Victory.
A washstand with two sphinxes and an amphora (vase) in the middle, surrounded by leaf patterns.
The top of an Egyptian Revival coin cabinet, shaped like an Egyptian temple entrance, with a winged sun symbol.
A chair decorated with different kinds of palmette patterns.
A table with three winged lions and a small decorative strip with palmette designs.

Architecture

The most famous Empire-style buildings in France are grand neoclassical structures in Paris. These include the Arc de Triomphe of Place de l'Étoile, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, the Vendôme column, and La Madeleine. They were built to look like the impressive buildings of the Roman Empire.

The style was also widely used in Imperial Russia. There, it celebrated the victory over Napoleon in buildings like the General Staff Building, Kazan Cathedral, Alexander Column, and Narva Triumphal Gate. The Royal Palace of Amsterdam has a full collection of Empire furniture from the time of Louis Napoleon, which is the largest outside of France.

Empire-style interiors have large rooms decorated richly with balanced designs. Walls are often decorated with Corinthian pilasters (flat columns) and vertical panels. These panels might have grand paintings, stucco (plaster decorations), or embroidered silks. Ceilings are usually light-colored with delicate ornaments.

Here are some historic places that show great examples of early 19th-century Empire interior design:

Château de Malmaison in France
Hôtel de Beauharnais in Paris
Château de Compiègne in France
Château de Fontainebleau in France
Casa del Labrador in Spain
Royal Palace of Amsterdam in The Netherlands

Empress Joséphine's Bedroom at Château de Malmaison in France, designed around 1800-1802.
The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in Paris, built between 1806 and 1808.
The front entrance of the Palais Bourbon in Paris, built from 1806 to 1808.
The Vendôme Column in Paris, built between 1806 and 1810.
La Madeleine church in Paris, built from 1807 to 1842.
The Kazan Cathedral in Russia, completed in 1811.

Furniture

A washstand from 1800–1814, made of yew wood with gilded bronze decorations.
A secretary desk from around 1804-1809, made with amboyna wood and gilded bronze.
The Throne of Napoleon I, made in 1804 with embroidered velvet and gilded wood.
A commode (chest of drawers) with two door panels, made before 1805 from mahogany with bronze decorations.
A throne from 1805, made of carved and gilded wood, covered in red velvet with silver embroidery.
A desk chair from around 1805–1808, made of mahogany with gilded bronze and satin-velvet fabric.
The jewelry holder of Empress Josephine, made in 1809 from various woods and gilded bronze.
An Egyptian Revival coin cabinet from 1809–1819, made of mahogany with silver decorations.
A chair from before 1810, made of white wood with gilded carved decorations.
The King of Rome's Cradle (Empire style), made in 1811 with wood, silver gilt, and mother-of-pearl.

Clocks and Candelabrums

A candelabrum from around 1800, made of gilded and dark metal.
An Egyptian Revival vase with a stand, made from 1804-1806.
A Minerva candelabra from 1804-1814, made of gilded and dark bronze.
A clock from 1807-1810, made of gilded and blackened bronze with an enameled dial.
A clock featuring Mars and Venus, made around 1810 from gilded bronze.
A centerpiece between two candelabra, made around 1810, likely from gilded bronze.
A pair of candelabra with Winged Victories, made from 1810–1815 from gilt bronze.
A mantel clock called "The Reader," made around 1810 from gilt bronze and marble.

Ceramic

A saucer, part of a breakfast set from 1813, made of hard-paste porcelain.
A sugar bowl with a cover, part of a breakfast set from 1813, made of hard-paste porcelain.
A milk jug, part of a breakfast set from 1813, made of hard-paste porcelain.
A cup, part of a breakfast set from 1813, made of hard-paste porcelain and silver gilt.

Fashion

The Empire style also influenced fashion, especially for women. The "Empire silhouette" was a popular dress shape. It featured a fitted bodice (top part) that ended just below the bust, with a long, loose skirt that flowed down to the floor. This style was often made from light, flowing fabrics.

The Empire silhouette dress worn by Stéphanie de Beauharnais.
A portrait of Madame Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Périgord from around 1804, showing Empire fashion.
An illustration from 1809 showing male Empire fashion.
A portrait of Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Périgord from 1817.