Empire Style Furniture Characteristics

It gained its greatest popularity in the u s.

Empire style furniture characteristics.

Political activity heavily influenced early to mid 19th century furniture style as seen in two dominant styles french and american empire. The empire style french pronunciation. Because the architectural style of the empire period used big open rooms the sofa was now allowed to be in the center of the room with a table behind it. After 1820 and is considered the second more robust phase of the neoclassical style which earlier had been expressed in the.

The empire style is often considered an evolution of the neoclassical style which had emerged in the second half of the 18th century and had some common characteristics. Several new forms of tables also came into being especially the sofa table. The characteristic furniture types were a bit stiff but imposing. Victorian style reigned over furniture in the last half of the century but you can t use the term victorian to accurately describe a 19th century furniture style since the era is defined by style.

Stylistically biedermeier furniture softened the rigidity of the empire style and added weight to directoire. The empire style is named for the rule of napoleon bonaparte as emperor and josephine his first wife as empress. This was the french empire style in architecture it resulted in large and imperial structures and in furniture it resulted in regal pieces that communicated both strength and wealth. Dominated by greco roman models the empire style spare noble massive had a studied dignity consistent with napoleonic majesty.

It made the elevation of empire realistic and the delicacy of directoire durable. Their flat surfaces and sharp corners together with their lack of moldings produced an effect of grandeur that was not without beauty. Biedermeier furniture derives essentially from the empire and directoire styles. Their architects charles percier pierre fo.

New furniture forms of this period include the sleigh bed with the headboard and footboard forming a graceful arch. While plump and naively grotesque at its worst it did often reach remarkable simplicity sophistication and functionality. Characteristics of french. ɑ piːʁ style empire is an early nineteenth century design movement in architecture furniture other decorative arts and the visual arts representing the second phase of neoclassicism it flourished between 1800 and 1815 during the consulate and the first french empire periods although its life span lasted until the late 1820s.