Directoire Dressers
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.
1950s French Vintage Directoire Dressers
Carrara Marble, Brass, Bronze
1960s American Vintage Directoire Dressers
Walnut
1950s French Vintage Directoire Dressers
Brass
2010s French Directoire Dressers
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Directoire Dressers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Directoire Dressers
Wood
1960s European Vintage Directoire Dressers
Brass
1940s French Vintage Directoire Dressers
Carrara Marble, Brass
1930s French Vintage Directoire Dressers
Wood
1960s Unknown Vintage Directoire Dressers
Carrara Marble
1970s Unknown Vintage Directoire Dressers
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Directoire Dressers
Walnut
2010s French Directoire Dressers
Wood, Cherry, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Directoire Dressers
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Directoire Dressers
Fruitwood
1950s French Vintage Directoire Dressers
Brass
20th Century American Directoire Dressers
Oak
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Directoire Dressers
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Dressers
Kingwood, Mahogany
1970s American Vintage Directoire Dressers
Walnut
1960s Vintage Directoire Dressers
Oak, Rosewood
19th Century Scottish Antique Directoire Dressers
Pine
1960s American Vintage Directoire Dressers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Directoire Dressers
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary American Directoire Dressers
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Directoire Dressers
Bamboo, Cane
1970s American Vintage Directoire Dressers
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Directoire Dressers
Wood
Mid-20th Century North American Directoire Dressers
Walnut
Late 20th Century French Directoire Dressers
Wood
1920s French Vintage Directoire Dressers
Breccia Marble
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Dressers
Cherry
1950s Unknown Vintage Directoire Dressers
Walnut
1950s Unknown Vintage Directoire Dressers
Walnut
1930s French Vintage Directoire Dressers
Cherry
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Dressers
Walnut
1950s American Vintage Directoire Dressers
Brass
1950s American Vintage Directoire Dressers
Cherry
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Dressers
Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Dressers
Marble
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Dressers
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Directoire Dressers
Brass