Formed in the wake of the Jacobin Reign of Terror’s bloody guillotine, the Directoire was established to lead France into order through the leadership of a five-member council of directors. It was brief, lasting only from 1795 to 1799, ending with Napoléon Bonaparte’s coup d’état, and was economically tumultuous. Yet it was an essential bridge between the era of Louis XVI and the elaborate Empire style that followed, with Directoire furniture and decorative arts shaped by a royal passion for classical design and an enthusiasm for postrevolutionary France.
Much of the country’s furniture production had halted during the French Revolution when the furniture guilds system was abolished, but during the Directoire period, the cabinetmakers restarted their businesses, such as François-Honoré-Georges and Jacob-Desmalter who established a new workshop called Jacob-Frères. Pieces made in walnut, elm, mahogany and other inexpensive materials incorporated influences ranging from Egypt to Pompeii, with popular forms including the curule armchair based on an ancient Roman design. The aesthetics of the transitional style were more austere than during the monarchy, with court cabinetmaker Jean-Baptiste Sené, for instance, reimagining his workshop’s neoclassical-style furniture with ungilded surfaces and a reduction of ornamentation.
Symbols referencing the revolutionary tenets of liberty, equality and fraternity were frequently carved into Directoire furnishings, such as the Phrygian cap, clasped hands and the fasces, which is an image of a bound bundle of sticks adopted from the Roman Republic, where it was seen as an emblem of strength through unity.
Elements of the French Directoire style continued through Empire style. Designers Charles Percier and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine are credited today as major proponents of both movements. The classically inspired furniture design is represented in pieces such as the boat-shaped daybed and the klismos chair, which endured in French interiors as well as in styles abroad, including American Directoire.
Find a collection of antique Directoire chairs, tables, daybeds, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
$1,196Sale Price|27% Off
French Directoire Style Cream Painted Gilt Polychromed Decorative Barometer
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
French Cream Painted and Gilt Polychromed Directoire Barometer P. F. Bollenbach Barometer and Thermometer, 20th Century A stunning French-style cream-painted and gilt polychromed D...
Glass, Wood
Antique Directoire Style Verre Églomisé Glass Barometer
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Antique Directoire style verre églomisé glass barometer, 19th century. Barometer is not functional it is purely decorative.
Glass, Wood
$16,197 / set
H 20.48 in W 12.6 in D 5.52 in
French Rococo Style Gilt Bronze Clock and Barometer by Charpentier
Located in London, GB
Designed in the French Rococo style, this clock and barometer set have been beautifully ornamented with scrolling foliate gilt bronze forms. The two are diamond shaped, with symmetri...
Enamel, Ormolu, Bronze
Louis XVI French Barometer From 1700s
Located in Lejre, DK
A Louis XVI French barometer adorned with intricate carvings and original gilding, dating back to the late 1700s. This exquisite piece stands as a tes...
Wood
$9,600
H 15 in W 18.5 in D 5.5 in
Directoire Gilt-Bronze Marble Mounted Chariot Clock, Late 19th Century
Located in Atlanta, GA
A very fine and delicate directoire style gilt-bronze marble mounted chariot clock. Exquisite bronze work depicting a winged charioteer guiding a pair of...
Marble, Bronze
19th Century Italian Carved Louis XVI Style Giltwood Barometer
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Gorgeous late 19th century gilt wood barometer thermometer made in Italy in the Louis XVI or baroque taste. The large barometer features a large carve...
Metal, Brass
French Directoire Bronze Skeleton Clock
Located in Rome, IT
Extremely fine quality Directoire/Empire gilt bronze mounted gilt brass skeleton clock with enameled chapter ring and openwork movement. Roman numerals for the hours and outer half...
Ormolu
$2,272Sale Price|20% Off
H 16.34 in W 9.26 in D 4.34 in
Marble and Fire-Gilt-Bronze Directoire-Era Portico Clock Retour d'Egypte Style
Located in 263-0031, JP
A small, svelte French portico clock from the Directory Era, 1795-99. In the "Retour d’Egypte” style that became quite the hot thing following Napoleon’s - ahem! - incursion into Egy...
Marble, Bronze
Antique George III Mahogany and Boxwood Inlaid Banjo Barometer
Located in Suffolk, GB
Antique George III mahogany and boxwood inlaid banjo barometer having a quality swan neck pediment, 10 inch silvered engraved dial with hygrometer, thermometer and spirit level, orig...
Other
$6,895Sale Price|44% Off
H 31.25 in W 15.5 in D 5 in
French 19th Century Louis XV Style Gilt-Bronze Wall Barometer, A. Crin, a Paris
By A. Crin à Paris
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine French 19th century Louis XV style gilt-bronze figural Cartel Wall Barometer by A. Crin, A Paris. The wall mounting cartel barometer crowned with a figure of a seated mai...
Bronze
$1,046
H 17 in W 8 in D 1.7 in
Antique Hand Crafted Dutch Art Deco Barometer & Thermometer W. Great Details
Located in Lisse, NL
Highly stylish and marvelous design Art Deco wall barometer. This stylish antique from the early 1900s is a dream of anyone with an Art Deco (inspired) interior. This design could...
Metal, Brass, Zinc, Chrome
Fanciful Eglomise Wall Clock, Glass and Wood, Italy, 1940s
Located in Stamford, CT
Reverse painted electric clock with Roman numerals in green, gold, cream, and tortoise pattern. .
Glass, Wood
$60,741 / set
H 40.56 in W 17.33 in D 5.12 in
19th Century Neoclassical Style Gilt Bronze Cartel Clock and Barometer by Dasson
Located in London, GB
This fine set comprises a cartel clock and barometer, each of which are crafted entirely in gilt bronze. The clock and barometer cases are identical, and take the form of a lyre. The...
Enamel, Ormolu, Bronze
Antique Clock and Barometer
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique Victorian clock and barometer adorned with medieval weaponry.
Bronze
French Directoire Wall Clock with Original Movement
By Honoré Pons
Located in New York, NY
This circa 1800 wall-mounted clock has the original, working, movement and is signed by Honoré Pons of Paris, who would later be sent to Bordeaux by Napole...
Ormolu