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Miriam & Ira D. Wallach
Division of Art, Prints and Photographs
Art and Architecture Collection Use your browser's print controls to print a copy of this research guide. The Empire and Regency StylesTwo distinctive movements, now known as the Empire Style and the Regency Style, were born out of the formal Neoclassicism that dominated late eighteenth century European building and decoration. These styles were stimulated in large part by the bitter rivalry of France and England and their rulers. Napoleon I (1769-1821), self-styled Emperor of the French, chose to extend France’s imperial grandeur through force of arms. Upon assuming the throne in 1804, he immediately launched an ambitious art and design program that lasted until his reign ended in 1815. Across the English Channel, the Prince Regent, the future King George IV (1762-1830), sought ways to celebrate England’s heritage through his active patronage of the arts. Social conditions in this time period, often known as the Napoleonic era, created the two new decorative styles. New archaeological findings in Greece, Rome, Pompeii and Egypt inspired a wave of key pattern books. Furniture and art from antiquity enlivened the new styles. A shared taste for Egyptomania and the symbolic application of ornament simultaneously animated contemporary furnishings in France and England. Since the Napoleonic era was a time of continuous military conflict, martial designs crept into fashionable decoration, bringing camp furniture, pennant-style draperies, and tented beds into vogue. If you need further assistance, visit our reference desk, or e-mail us at artref@nypl.org Compiled by Paula A. Baxter, Art & Architecture Collection, 9/04 Using the Library’s CatalogThe Empire and Regency styles do not have direct headings in the Library of Congress Subject Headings volumes. Instead, the terms used are: Decoration and Ornament—Empire Style Also, geographic subdivisions can be used, as in Decoration and Ornament—France—Empire Style Related headings of use may be: Architecture, Regency And England—Social life and customs—19th century Background ResearchTwo concise encyclopedia entries exist that define the Empire and Regency Styles. They are: Derek Linstrum. “Empire Style,” Vol. 1, pp. 412-415. Steven Parissien. “Regency Style,” Vol. 2, pp. 1036-1041. IN: Encyclopedia of Interior Design. Edited by Joanna Banham. London: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997. (MLO 97-13993 Front) Survey Histories: Reference Works Curl, James Stevens. Egyptomania: The Egyptian Revival, a Recurring
Theme in the History of Taste. Manchester, UK: Manchester University
Press, 1994. (3-MAL 94-13038) Glover, Michael. The Napoleonic Wars: An Illustrated History, 1792-1815.
London: Batsford, 1979. (JFF 80-1366) Historical Dictionary of the Napoleonic Era. Edited by George F.
Nafziger. Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2002. (*R-DG 02-3989) France – Social HistoryNapoleon Bonaparte came to power on the ashes of the fiery French Revolution, and distinguished himself militarily during the brief and chaotic Directoire period (1795-98). General Bonaparte engineered his rise from First Consul to Emperor in 1804 by cleverly manipulating weak politicians and an admiring army. Napoleon’s coronation, a dazzling display of pomp and pageantry, signaled the beginnings of an energetic overhaul of the French establishment in which his hand could be seen everywhere. Napoleon’s personal involvement extended to the creation of an artistic style, based on the Neoclassical aesthetic, which celebrated monumental scale, masculine severity, and bold ornamentation. Boime, Albert. Art in an Age of Bonapartism 1800-1815. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1990. (3-MAM 91-5522) Gengembre, Gérard. Napoleon: The Immortal Emperor. New York:
Vendome, 2003. (JFF 03-3292) Mansel, Philip. The Eagle in Splendor: Napoleon I and his Court.
London: George Philip, 1987. (JFF 88-890) England – Social HistoryGeorge, the Prince of Wales, was born the eldest son of King George III. From an early age, the Prince became disaffected with his role: he was denied any extensive education or foreign travel, and not permitted active service in the military. Deprived of all appropriate occupations, he turned to the pursuit of pleasure, distressing his father with his fondness for wine, women, and conspicuous consumption. Over time, George became a sophisticated patron of the fine and decorative arts, and he did much to encourage noteworthy innovations in English architecture and decoration. The Regency Style owes a great debt to George’s active patronage during his years as Prince, Regent, and King. Erickson, Carolly. Our Tempestuous Day: A History of Regency England.
New York: Morrow, 1986. (JLE 86-2146) Murray, Venetia. High Society: A Social History of the Regency Period,
1788-1830. London; New York: Viking, 1998. (JFE 99-2690) Parissien, Steven. George IV: The Grand Entertainment. London:
John Murray, 2001. (JFE 01-6106) Priestley, J.B. The Prince of Pleasure and His Regency 1811-1820.
London: Heinemann, 1969. (F-11 6272) Smith, E.A. George IV. New Haven; London: Yale University Press,
1999. (JFE 00-11665) FRANCE – The Empire StyleThe Empire Style was born from the merger of art and personal aspiration. France’s Emperor wanted a new look: the resultant innovative designs were clean and severe and bear the stamp of Napoleon’s preference for masculine and military effects. The Emperor chose two ambitious visionaries, Charles Percier (1764-1838) and Pierre-Léonard Fontaine (1762-1853), to be his official architects and decorators. They published Recueil de décorations interieures in 1801 and again in 1812, making it the most influential pattern book of the Empire Style. Percier and Fontaine made important innovations within the Louvre and the Tuileries, and their decorative program was carried out in such royal residences as Malmaison and Fontainebleau. Furniture was generally rectangular and symmetrical, and bronze doré appliqué, burnished gold, and jewel-like inlay finishes became hallmarks of the new style. The Empire Style also popularized specific furniture forms: the table de toilette, consoles, tented beds, and camp stools. Ornament, drawn from antique sources, fit well with the concept of imperial dynasty and conquest, and details featuring eagles, bees, Napoleon’s initials, and laurel wreathes took pride of place on cabinetry and metalware. Artistic metalwork flourished in an outpouring of pendulum clocks, gold and silver table pieces, and decorative candelabra. Silk and velvet fabrics were draped, swagged, or suspended from ceilings to achieve an elegant yet martial effect. Influential Pattern Books Contet, F. Intérieurs Directoire et Empire. Paris: Editeur
d’Art, 1932. (MLES++) Denon, Vivant. Voyages dans la basse et la haute Egypte, pendant les
campagnes de Bonaparte. London: S. Bagster, 1809. (Stuart 7095-7096) Percier, Charles. Recueil de décorations intérieures comprenant
tout ce qui a rapport à ameublement comme vases trépieds,
candélabras…. Paris: P. Didot l’Ainé, 1812.
(MLO++) The Empire StyleDecorative styles often cannot be firmly dated, because their inspiration may be felt earlier than and extend beyond the actual period of their flourishing. The Empire Style is most often given the dates of Napoleon’s reign, 1804-15, but its features developed in the earlier Directoire and Consulat periods (1795-1803), and Empire Style furnishings were still being produced in Europe, particularly in Sweden, into the 1830s. Napoleon’s domination of the world stage until 1815 provided the means for the Empire Style to spread throughout Europe and make its way to artistically Francophile England. The Age of Napoleon: Costume from Revolution to Empire, 1789-1815.
Kateli le Bourbis, general editor. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art,
1989. (3-MML+90-4501) Aprà, Nietta. Empire Style 1804-1815. New York: World Pub.,
1973.(MLES+ 73-1723) Baudot, François. Empire Style. London: Thames & Hudson,
1999. (3-MLES 00-8123) Barrielle, Jean-François. Le Style Empire. Paris: Flammarion,
1982. (3-MLES 86-1065) Deschamps, Madeleine. Empire. New York: Abbeville, 2004. (JQF 04-796) Gonzáles-Palacio, Alvar. The French Empire Style. Feltham:
Hamlyn, 1970. (3-MLES 86-2087) Empire DecorationNapoleon’s promotion of Classical-inspired decoration was intended as a powerful counterpoint to the stylistic excesses of the Baroque and Rococo—and the anciens régimes that supported such effects. Antique themes and motifs were used to promote France’s civic and martial ideals. Cabinetry and metalwork by Jacob-Desmalter, Biennais, Thomire, and Odiot were rendered in the bold new Empire Style. The interrelationship of architectural setting, furniture, and decoration assumed great importance in the eyes of Percier and Fontaine and other purveyors of the style. Bourgeois, Emile. Le style empire, ses origins et ses caractéres… Paris:
H. Laurens, 1930. (3-MLES) Fontainebleau, les petits appartements de Napoléon et Joséphine.
Versailles: Editions artistiques et scientifiques, A. Bourdier, 1912. (MLES+) Grandjean, Serge. Empire Furniture, 1800 to 1825. New York: Taplinger
Pub. Co., 1966. (MOF) Groër, Léon de. Decorative Arts in Europe 1790-1850.
New York: Rizzoli, 1986. (3-MLD+ 86-4891) Janneau, Guillaume. L’Empire. Paris: Vincent, Fréal
et Cie., 1965. (MAMI) Lafond, Paul. L’art décorative et le mobilier sous la République
et l’Empire. Paris: Société de propagation des
livres d’art, 1906. (MLES+) Lefuel, Hector. François Honoré Georges Jacob-Desmalter, ébeniste
de Napoléon Ier et de Louis XVIII. Paris: A. Morancé,
1927. (3-MOF) ENGLAND – The Regency StyleOriginally known as “English Empire,” this style was eventually named after the individual most responsible for its dissemination—England’s Prince Regent. The Regency Style owes a great deal to the Empire Style, but refinements were added to make it more suitable to English tastes. Both the Empire and Regency styles share an affinity for simple lines, bold contours, and sleek surfaces. The beginnings of the Regency Style, marked by delicate and restrained Classical Greek forms, may be seen in the later work of Thomas Sheraton and in Thomas Hope’s Household Furniture and Interior Decoration (1807). Stylistic innovations include more intimate interiors, the introduction of en suite furniture, carefully placed ornament, the abundant use of fabrics such as silk damask and flowered chintz, evocative colors drawn from antique sources, and new, technologically improved materials. This period saw a continuous search for novelties in design. Chinoiserie and the “Hindu,” or Indian, styles became fashionable, along with nationalistically inspired Gothic or Tudor decorative elements. The Greek chair with sabre legs, elegant sideboards, revolving bookcases, and couches with claw feet were popular. The Regency Style is regularly revived in modern interior design and decoration for its period resonance. Influential Pattern Books Hope, Thomas. Household furniture and interior decoration. London:
T. Bensley, 1807. (MLO++) Nicholson, Peter. The Practical cabinet-maker, upholsterer, and complete
decorator. London: H. Fisher, Son & Co., 1826. (MOI) Sheraton, Thomas. The Cabinet maker and artist’s encyclopaedia. London,
1805-6. (8-MOF+) Smith, George. The Cabinet-maker and upholsterer’s guide… London:
Jones, 1826. (MOI) Regency Style ArchitectureThe architectural patronage of George IV is generally considered his greatest legacy. He employed such leading architects as John Nash, Sir Jeffry Wyatville, and Sir John Soane. The Prince of Wales’s first successful venture was the redecoration of his London palace, Carlton House, started in 1783 by architect Henry Holland. George sponsored significant renovations at Buckingham Palace (formerly Buckingham House) and Windsor Castle during his years as Prince Regent and King. Bingham, Neil. C.A. Busby: the Regency Architect of Brighton and Hove.
London: RIBA Heinz Gallery, 1991. (3-MQZ (Busby) 93-8911) Morley, John. Regency Design, 1790-1840: Gardens, Buildings, Interiors,
Furniture. London: Zwemmer, 1993. (MLE 93-9590) Pilcher, Donald. The Regency Style 1800 to 1830. London: B.T. Batsford,
1947. (MQWK) Pyne, William Henry. The History of the Royal Residences of Windsor
Castle, St. James’s Palace, Carlton House, and Frogmore. London:
A. Dry, 1819. 3 vol. (MQWK+) Reilly, Paul. An Introduction to Regency Architecture. London:
Art and Technics, 1948. (MQWK) Worsley, Giles. Architectural Drawings of the Regency Period, 1790-1837:
from the drawings collection of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
London: A. Deutsch, 1991. (3-MQG 92-2886) The Royal Pavilion at BrightonGeorge’s Royal Pavilion at Brighton serves as the best-known monument to the Regency Style. This seaside palace underwent various transformations at the hands of four architects. Henry Holland oversaw the renovation of the original farmhouse, which was renamed the “Marine Pavilion” and a further enlargement in 1801-4. William Porden built the stables and Riding House, and John Nash supervised the rebuilding of the now Royal Pavilion from 1815 through 1823, guided by George’s stylistic flights of fancy. Two gifted interior decorators, Robert Jones and Frederick Crace, devised the exotically oriental interiors, acting on George’s enthusiasm for chinoiserie. Morley, John. The Making of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton: Designs and
Drawings. Boston: Godine, 1984. (3-MAV+ 86-2162) Musgrave, Clifford. Royal Pavilion: A Study in the Romantic. Brighton:
Bredon & Heginbothom, 1951. (MQWK) Roberts, Henry David. A History of the Royal Pavilion, with an account
of its original furniture and decoration. London: Country Life, 1939.
(MQWK) The Royal Pavilion, Brighton. Brighton: Royal Pavilion, Art Gallery
and Museums, 1976. Regency Style DecorationWhile the actual years of the political Regency were 1811-20, various dates are given for the Regency Style. The most prevalent dates are 1783-1830, or 1800-1830. Some historians extend the Regency Style into a late phase, 1830-37, which spans the reign of George IV’s brother and successor, King William IV. Collard, Frances. Regency Furniture. Woodbridge, UK: Antique Collectors’ Club,
1985. (3-MOF 86-1351) Jourdain, Margaret. Regency Furniture, 1795-1830. London: Country
Life, 1965. (MOF+) Musgrave, Clifford. Regency Furniture 1800-1830. London: Faber,
1970. (MOF) Parissien, Steven. Regency Style. London: Phaidon, 1992. (3-MQWK+
93-1979) Wintersgill, Donald. English Antiques, 1700-1830. New York: Morrow,
1975. (MAVC 76-2176) Selected Internet SitesMost of the resources to be found on the Internet tend to be either encyclopedia definitions of the styles from online reference tools or commercial sites advertising products in the Empire and Regency styles. For some interesting visual resources with related links, see:
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