Empire style, major phase of Neoclassical art that flourished in France during the time of the First Empire (1804–14).

The Empire style was encouraged by Napoleon’s desire for a style inspired bythe grandeur of ancient Egypt and imperial Rome.

In architecture it was exemplified by such Parisian buildings and monuments as the Church of the Madeleine (originally the Temple of Glory) by Pierre-Alexandre Vignon, Jean Chalgrin’s Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile, and Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine’s Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel and Vendôme Column; in painting, by Jacques-Louis David’s Sacre de l’empereur Napoléon Ier et couronnementde l’impératrice Joséphine dans la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, 2 décembre 1804 and Baron Antoine Gros’s battle scenes; and in sculpture, by Antonio Canova’s heroic  statues of Napoleon and his family.

 The elegant dark colors with French Empire antique furniture are a vision for repose …