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.
$1,280Sale Price|20% Off
Unusual Antique Silver Inkwell & Document Box
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
Antique Silver Inkwell & Document Box. No apparent hallmarks so we are assuming this is silver plate.
Silver Plate
$2,800Sale Price|37% Off
Early 19th Century French Ormolu-Gilded Inkwell
Located in Copenhagen, K
French cut-glass, Palisander and ormolu inkwell. Sneaks as handle and claw on ball feet. Original glass wells and two drawers.
Bronze
19th Century Baccarat Inkwell
Located in Tampa, FL
A Baccarat crystal inkwell with decorated bronze. Circa 19th century, France. The interior is two inches deep and the opening is one inch wide.
Crystal
19th Century French Crystal and Bronze Inkwell
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19th century French Crystal and Bronze Mounumental Inkwell. Signed. Escalier de Cristal Paris.
Crystal, Bronze
Antique English Wood & Brass Travelling Lap Desk and Document Box
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This antique lap desk and document box is unsigned, but presumed to have originated from England and date to approximately 1825 and done in the period...
Walnut
Late 19th Or Early 20th Century Glass Inkwell
Located in Greven, DE
Faceted Amethyst Glass Inkwell with Brass Lid Origin: France Material: glass, brass Date: circa 1900 Dimensions: H × D: approx. 6 × 12 c...
Bronze
$580 / set
H 2.88 in W 9.63 in D 10.38 in
Antique Art Nouveau Silver Inkwell, Letter Opener, Dip Pen and Seal Set, in Box
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Classic early 1900s travel set or desktop accessories inkwell, dip pen, letter opener and seal. Made of silver (marked 800) and crystal glass. Nice additio...
Crystal, Silver
$3,200
H 4 in W 4.75 in D 4.75 in
French 19th Century Louis XVI St. Sèvres Porcelain and Ormolu Inkwell
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A charming and most elegant French 19th century Louis XVI st. Sèvres Porcelain and ormolu inkwell, stamped, P.C.G. The inkwell is raised by Fine fluted bun shaped feet below the beau...
Ormolu
Antique Cloisonne Inkwell
Located in Vienna, AT
This inkwell comprises a base and hinged cover. The base is elaborately decorated with red, gold, blue and white against a green background. The inside of the inkwell is colored red...
Brass
$12,000
H 3.75 in W 11.25 in D 7 in
French Mid 19th Century Louis XVI St. Ormolu and Sèvres Porcelain Inkwell
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A sensational and extremely high quality French mid 19th century Louis XVI st. ormolu and Sèvres porcelain inkwell. The inkwell is raised by c...
Ormolu
Antique Inkwell, Baccarat Déposé, Gilded Brass, Late 19th Century
Located in Greven, DE
Exceptional inkwell with pen tray made of BACCARAT crystal. The rectangular pen tray has a cube-shaped inkwell holder in the center, closed with a gild...
Crystal, Gold Plate, Brass
Early 19th Century French Ormolu Bronze Inkwell
Located in Greven, DE
Empire Inkwell on Circular Base Origin: France Material: Gilt bronze (Ormolu) Date: Circa 1800–1810 Dimensions: H × D: approx. 16 × 19 cm Description: Classical-style inkwell in t...
Bronze
1880 Document Boxes
Located in Bloomfield Hills, MI
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, document boxes in the shape of ledgers or books were increasingly popular. Made of wood or more increasingly popular...
Wood, Paper
$2,069Sale Price|48% Off
H 11.03 in W 15.75 in D 10.63 in
French Bronze and Gilded Bronze Inkwell and Candlestand 19th Century
Located in Cheltenham, GB
A large and impressive early 19c French bronze and gilt bronze inkwell, the central chased handle with a pair of candle arms terminating in lion masks, 2 tray wells either side of a ...
Bronze
Sold
H 9.85 in W 14.57 in D 8.27 in
Bronze Inkwell "Un Fleuve" Signed Barbedienne After Jean-Jacques Caffieri, 19th
Located in Paris, FR
Gilt bronze and red Griotte marble inkwell featuring an allegory of a River. This old writing box from the end of the 19th century is composed of a penholder hollowed out of marble a...
Griotte Marble, Bronze