French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Removed from the fashions of the court, French Provincial style developed in the provinces of the country, such as Provence, Normandy, the Loire Valley and Bordeaux. Dating to the 17th and 18th centuries, French Provincial furniture was not as ostentatious as the designs being produced for the royal palaces, but elegant S-shape cabriole legs and ornate carvings elevated the sturdy chairs, sofas, tables and bedroom furniture intended for everyday use.
Although it varies by region, antique French Provincial furniture is unified by solid construction and an artisanal attention to design. While this furniture often followed the metropolitan trends — including the Rococo or neoclassical aesthetics of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI — since it was produced in the French countryside it was more subdued with nods to its rustic settings.
Local materials like fruitwoods, oak, beech and walnut were used to construct large French Provincial armoires for storage and comfortable armchairs with rush-woven seats. Wrought-iron elements and carvings like floral details and scallop patterns were common as ornamentation. Furniture was frequently painted white or other muted colors that coordinated with gilt and would acquire a patina of age over time. Other wood was just stained with vibrant fabric such as toile de Jouy, which sometimes depicted pastoral scenes, adding color as upholstery.
The style arrived in the United States after World War I, with soldiers returning home wanting furniture like what they had seen in the rural homes and castles of France. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, designer John Widdicomb split from his family business, the Widdicomb Furniture Company, and had been focusing on Louis XV– and French Provincial–style furnishings since the early 1900s. Other American manufacturers such as Baker, Drexel, Henredon and Thomasville also responded to demand. Today antique French Provincial pieces and reproductions continue to be popular.
Find a collection of antique French Provincial dining tables, seating, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood, Paint, Mirror
19th Century Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
20th Century American French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Hardwood
1920s French Vintage French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Oak
Mid-19th Century Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
1930s French Vintage French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Glass, Wood, Reclaimed Wood, Paint
Early 20th Century French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wrought Iron
20th Century French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Wood
Mid-19th Century Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
Late 19th Century Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mahogany
Late 20th Century French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
20th Century Italian French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Cast Stone, Gold Leaf
19th Century Italian Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mercury Glass, Mirror, Wood, Walnut, Giltwood
20th Century French French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Aluminum
Late 19th Century Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Mahogany
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
1830s English Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Paint, Wood, Gesso
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Brass
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood, Mirror
Early 20th Century French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Marble
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Wood, Chestnut
Mid-19th Century Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Hardwood
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Hardwood
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Plaster, Wood
Late 19th Century Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror
1870s Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror
Mid-19th Century French Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Mid-19th Century Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Giltwood
1890s French Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Walnut
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood