Directoire Furniture
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 Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Gold
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Brass
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Gold
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Leather, Mahogany
Late 20th Century North American Directoire Furniture
Brass
1960s American Vintage Directoire Furniture
Walnut
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Oak
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Brass
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Pine, Paint
Mid-20th Century American Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century Directoire Furniture
Marble, Brass
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Mahogany
1890s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Glass, Wood, Paint
1910s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Fabric, Textile, Upholstery, Wood, Paint
Late 20th Century Unknown Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Cane, Wood
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Brass
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Brass
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Brass
1820s Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Fir
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Walnut
1950s American Vintage Directoire Furniture
Bronze, Wrought Iron
1940s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Marble, Brass
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
18th Century Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Walnut
Late 18th Century European Antique Directoire Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
1960s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Walnut
1860s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Tin
2010s American Directoire Furniture
Wrought Iron
20th Century Directoire Furniture
Fabric, Oak
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Glass, Wood, Cherry, Oak, Lacquer
1840s Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Fir
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Granite, Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century Unknown Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Directoire Furniture
Silver Leaf
1950s Argentine Vintage Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble
Early 20th Century Argentine Directoire Furniture
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
19th Century European Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Brass, Ormolu
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Fabric, Sycamore
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Mirror, Wood
1890s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Brass
1980s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Steel
18th Century Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Textile, Wood
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Crystal, Iron
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Brass
1950s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Marble, Brass
Late 20th Century Philippine Directoire Furniture
Brass
1940s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
1980s European Vintage Directoire Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble, Iron





