Directoire Bergere Chairs
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 Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Early 1900s French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Early 1900s French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Mahogany
1980s American Vintage Directoire Bergere Chairs
Fabric, Silk, Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Leather, Hardwood, Down
18th Century French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Wood
1790s French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Beech, Velvet, Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Cherry
1950s French Vintage Directoire Bergere Chairs
Suede
1790s French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Paint
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century French Directoire Bergere Chairs
Upholstery
1940s Italian Vintage Directoire Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Wicker, Wood
19th Century Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Paint
19th Century French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Walnut, Upholstery
1960s European Vintage Directoire Bergere Chairs
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Giltwood
Early 20th Century British Directoire Bergere Chairs
Cane, Beech, Upholstery
Early 20th Century French Directoire Bergere Chairs
Bentwood
1810s English Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Brass
1940s French Vintage Directoire Bergere Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Early 20th Century French Directoire Bergere Chairs
Wood
Early 20th Century French Directoire Bergere Chairs
Linen, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Directoire Bergere Chairs
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Directoire Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Cane, Ash
20th Century French Directoire Bergere Chairs
Upholstery
Early 20th Century North American Directoire Bergere Chairs
Linen, Velvet, Paint, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Walnut, Leather
19th Century European Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Beech
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Silk, Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Mahogany
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Beech, Silk
1940s Vintage Directoire Bergere Chairs
Velvet, Fruitwood
1790s French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Directoire Bergere Chairs
Wood