Directoire Lighting
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.
19th Century French Antique Directoire Lighting
Crystal, Iron
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Lighting
Tin
20th Century French Directoire Lighting
Brass, Wire
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Lighting
Marble, Bronze
20th Century French Directoire Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
1960s French Vintage Directoire Lighting
Brass
1950s European Vintage Directoire Lighting
Glass
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Lighting
Metal, Brass
1950s French Vintage Directoire Lighting
Brass
Mid-19th Century French Antique Directoire Lighting
Bronze, Tin
20th Century Directoire Lighting
Metal, Brass
2010s Directoire Lighting
Blown Glass, Wood
1970s European Vintage Directoire Lighting
Brass
20th Century French Directoire Lighting
Crystal
19th Century French Antique Directoire Lighting
Ormolu
1960s Italian Vintage Directoire Lighting
Tôle
19th Century French Antique Directoire Lighting
Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century Directoire Lighting
Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Lighting
Tôle
1910s French Vintage Directoire Lighting
Steel
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Directoire Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Directoire Lighting
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Lighting
Crystal, Metal
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Lighting
Ormolu
Early 20th Century French Directoire Lighting
Bronze
1920s French Vintage Directoire Lighting
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Directoire Lighting
Bronze
1930s French Vintage Directoire Lighting
Metal, Brass, Bronze
1980s European Vintage Directoire Lighting
Brass, Steel
Early 1900s French Antique Directoire Lighting
Bronze
20th Century Unknown Directoire Lighting
Metal, Brass
20th Century French Directoire Lighting
Crystal, Iron
19th Century French Antique Directoire Lighting
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Directoire Lighting
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Lighting
Brass, Bronze, Metal
1790s French Antique Directoire Lighting
Crystal, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Directoire Lighting
Ormolu
Mid-19th Century French Antique Directoire Lighting
Tôle
1990s Baltic Directoire Lighting
Crystal
Mid-19th Century French Antique Directoire Lighting
Tôle
1940s French Vintage Directoire Lighting
Bronze
1790s Baltic Antique Directoire Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
2010s Italian Directoire Lighting
Bronze
2010s Italian Directoire Lighting
Bronze
2010s Italian Directoire Lighting
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Lighting
Tôle
Late 20th Century European Directoire Lighting
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Lighting
Bronze
1950s French Vintage Directoire Lighting
Sheet Metal