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
Limestone
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Wood, Cherry, Oak
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
1930s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Cherry
1880s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Breccia Marble, Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Directoire Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Crystal, Iron
Mid-19th Century English Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
1890s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Brass
1950s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Mahogany
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Walnut
20th Century English Directoire Furniture
Creamware
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
1940s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Mirror, Leather, Wood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
Late 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Brass
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Oak
Early 1800s Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble
Early 20th Century Directoire Furniture
Wood
1970s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass, Steel
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
1920s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Breccia Marble, Bronze
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Belgian Black Marble, Stone
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble, Brass
2010s American Directoire Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
2010s American Directoire Furniture
Mahogany
Late 20th Century Unknown Directoire Furniture
Masonite, Paint
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
1790s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble, Brass
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone, Belgian Black Marble, Statuary Marble
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
1960s Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass, Bronze
Late 18th Century British Antique Directoire Furniture
Elm, Nutwood
1790s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Ormolu
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
1920s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Bronze
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Brass, Iron
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Crystal, Metal
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
Late 18th Century Caribbean Antique Directoire Furniture
Mahogany, Cedar
1940s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Walnut