French Provincial Decorative Objects
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 Decorative Objects
Faience, Pottery
Late 19th Century Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Italian French Provincial Decorative Objects
Faux Bamboo
Early 1900s French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
1870s French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Faience
20th Century French French Provincial Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Early 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Birdseye Maple, Walnut
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Faience
1970s French Vintage French Provincial Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1890s French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Majolica, Ceramic, Faience, Pottery
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Decorative Objects
Ormolu
Mid-19th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary French French Provincial Decorative Objects
Concrete
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Decorative Objects
Earthenware
1890s French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Faience
Late 19th Century Italian Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Terracotta
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Earthenware
Early 20th Century French Provincial Decorative Objects
Hardwood, Paint
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Terracotta
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Brass, Enamel
1910s French Vintage French Provincial Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Faience
20th Century French French Provincial Decorative Objects
Sandstone
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Decorative Objects
Copper, Iron, Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century Italian Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Terracotta
Late 20th Century French Provincial Decorative Objects
Giltwood
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Decorative Objects
Linen, Giltwood
Early 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Porcelain, Oak
Early 1900s French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Mid-18th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Brass, Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Brass, Bronze
20th Century French French Provincial Decorative Objects
Wood
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Chinese French Provincial Decorative Objects
Brass
1880s French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Decorative Objects
Terracotta
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Terracotta
1880s French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Majolica
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Walnut
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Decorative Objects
Leather
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Metal
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Clay
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Faience
1780s French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Fruitwood
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Wood
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Terracotta
19th Century English Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Metal, Copper
1880s French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1890s French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Ceramic
20th Century French French Provincial Decorative Objects
Wire
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Pine
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Iron
1870s French Antique French Provincial Decorative Objects
Faience
1910s French Vintage French Provincial Decorative Objects
Faience
Early 20th Century Italian French Provincial Decorative Objects
Terracotta