French Provincial Religious Items
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 Religious Items
Wool, Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Metal, Copper
1850s French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Cherry, Rush
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Metallic Thread
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Iron
Mid-19th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Brass, Bronze
Late 20th Century French French Provincial Religious Items
Wood, Paint
1960s Spanish Vintage French Provincial Religious Items
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Bronze
1990s Spanish French Provincial Religious Items
Metal
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Wood
Early 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Metal
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Plaster, Wood
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Wood
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Bronze
1880s English Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Walnut
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Bronze
1890s French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Brass, Copper
1920s Vintage French Provincial Religious Items
Iron
19th Century Italian Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Marble
Late 19th Century American Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Wood, Paint
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Religious Items
Wood
17th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Metal, Iron
19th Century Unknown Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Spanish French Provincial Religious Items
Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Oak
17th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Pewter
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Iron
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Religious Items
Plaster, Paint
Mid-18th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Ivory, Giltwood
1950s English Vintage French Provincial Religious Items
Silver Plate
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Tin, Gold Leaf
Early 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Religious Items
Copper