The furniture of the Napoleon era is creations that have passed through several generations and have lost none of their splendour century after century. Empires dressers are popular precious wood furniture.
Having been born in the 180s, in full swing of the Roman Empire, this brand of furniture has distinguished itself thanks to a piece of furniture far. This is the Empire dresser; named after the Roman emperor under which the furniture was created.
This article briefly presents the history of this piece of furniture, the peculiarity of the Empire style and the quality of the materials used in its design.
Empire-style furnishings
The Empire style was inspired by antique furnishings that recall the greatness of Rome. The Empire furniture is both majestic and austere, and is a miniature, much more structured and ornate revival of the classical architecture monuments of the Roman Empire.
Empire furniture reached its peak during the Antonine dynasty in Italy and especially during the reign of King Commodus (from 180 to 192). A man of power from the province and son of the emperor stake Marcus Aurelius, the Commodus King, whose real name is Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus, did not have a memorable reign.
Indeed, his association with the management of power by his father after the death of his co-emperor, Marc Lucius Verus in 169, was not of heart. Nevertheless, thanks to his gladiator look, he was able to mark his time at the head of the empire through his name given to the large-scale storage furniture such as a wardrobe, a buffet, a chest of drawers. The latter is the piece of furniture that stands out from all others in terms of its finish, ornament and building materials.
How do I recognize an Empire dresser?
The Empire dresser is recognizable by its very massive stature and quadrangular shape. It is usually equipped with three drawers, but offers the possibility of creating a fourth at the belt. These drawers, sometimes hidden behind two fronts, are common features with the buffet.
The structure is often walnut, or mahogany, topped by a black or white marble tray, with an ornamentation of gilded bronzes. Empire mahogany dressers are arguably the best known, with drawers decorated with bronze print handles a chest of Empire has a façade surrounded by detached columns, with bronze rings.
Built with oak or mahogany wood, the structure of the Empire dresser rests on feet that can be clawed and has a flat solid walnut surface, or generally white marble, similar to the senate table.
Like many other Empire furniture, the dresser has a bronze decoration that extends from the locks to the belt through the handles. Imperial in its occupation of space, this piece of furniture can be used as storage for various objects and kept for months.
The Empire-style dresser has made some borrowings from the previous style, in its history.
First, there is the style of Louis XV Commodes, through their aesthetic designs, with bronze decoration and its luxurious and luxurious ornaments. However, between these two styles, the most important difference is the straight shape, which is closer to the Louis XVI style of the 18th century.
But the inspiration probably draws from the style that preceded it, the Empire style was largely inspired by the Louis 16 style, in which one recognizes its forms with the contradictory straight lines of the Louis XV style.
The Louis XVI dressers have inherited the storage space, the shape of the feet and the simplicity in the sculpture. An arrangement of two styles in a single piece of furniture that makes the Empire dresser an exceptional and unfeder over superfluous furniture.