American Empire style

Bookcase,c.1830-40, probably from New York, maker unknown.Rosewood,mahogany,Bird's eye mapleveneer,marble,ormolu,andleather.In the collection of theCincinnati Art Museum

American Empireis aFrench-inspiredNeoclassicalstyle ofAmericanfurniture and decoration that takes its name and originates from theEmpire styleintroduced during theFirst French Empireperiod underNapoleon'srule. It gained its greatest popularity in the U.S. after 1820 and is considered the second, more robust phase of the Neoclassical style, which earlier had been expressed in theAdam stylein Britain andLouis Seize,orLouis XVI,in France. As an early-19th-century design movement in the United States, it encompassedarchitecture,furnitureand otherdecorative arts,as well as thevisual arts.

In American furniture, the Empire style was most notably exemplified by the work ofNew YorkcabinetmakersDuncan PhyfeandParis-trainedCharles-Honoré Lannuier.Other major furniture centers renowned for regional interpretations of the American Empire style wereBoston,Philadelphia,andBaltimore.Many examples of American Empire cabinetmaking are characterized by antiquities-inspired carving, gilt-brass furniture mounts, and decorative inlays such as stamped-brass banding withegg-and-dart,diamond, orGreek-keypatterns, or individual shapes such as stars or circles.

The most elaborate furniture in this style was made around 1815-25, often incorporating columns with rope-twist carving, animal-paw feet,anthemion,stars, andacanthus-leaf ornamentation, sometimes in combination with gilding andvert antique(antique green, simulating aged bronze). TheRed Roomat theWhite Houseis a fine example of American Empire style. A simplified version of American Empire furniture, often referred to as the Grecian style, generally displayed plainer surfaces in curved forms, highly figured mahogany veneers, and sometimes gilt-stencilleddecorations. Many examples of this style survive, exemplified by massive chests of drawers withscrollpillars and glass pulls, work tables with scroll feet andfiddlebackchairs. Elements of the style enjoyed a brief revival in the 1890s with, particularly, chests of drawers and vanities or dressing tables, usually executed in oak and oak veneers.

This Americanized interpretation of theEmpire stylecontinued in popularity in conservative regions outside the major metropolitan centers well past the mid-nineteenth century.

See also

• Federal furniture
• Lighthouse clock
• Classical American Homes Preservation Trust

References

• Furniture - Empire style,buffaloah.