Directoire Tables
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 European Vintage Directoire Tables
Metal, Brass
2010s American Directoire Tables
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary French Directoire Tables
Brass
19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Tables
Walnut
2010s French Directoire Tables
Brass
1950s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Bronze
1980s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass, Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Directoire Tables
Steel, Brass
19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble, Metal, Iron
1780s French Antique Directoire Tables
Fruitwood, Walnut
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Leather, Mahogany
Early 20th Century French Directoire Tables
Mahogany
Early 2000s North American Directoire Tables
Gold Leaf
1890s French Antique Directoire Tables
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
2010s French Directoire Tables
Cherry, Oak
1890s French Antique Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble, Brass
1960s European Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Wood, Paint
1890s French Antique Directoire Tables
Brass
2010s French Directoire Tables
Cherry, Oak
1940s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Bronze
1820s French Antique Directoire Tables
Brass
2010s North American Directoire Tables
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble, Brass
2010s French Directoire Tables
Leather, Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble, Brass
1860s French Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany, Satinwood
1890s French Antique Directoire Tables
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Directoire Tables
Fruitwood
1990s Unknown Directoire Tables
Brass, Iron
19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble
2010s French Directoire Tables
Lacquer, Wood, Cherry, Oak
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Metal, Brass
1910s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Bronze
20th Century Italian Directoire Tables
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Directoire Tables
Wood, Paint
1950s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century French Directoire Tables
Malachite, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Bronze
19th Century English Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany, Kingwood
2010s French Directoire Tables
Wood, Cherry, Oak
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany
2010s French Directoire Tables
Wood, Cherry, Oak, Lacquer
1790s French Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany
1860s French Antique Directoire Tables
Walnut
2010s French Directoire Tables
Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Directoire Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Directoire Tables
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Directoire Tables
Brass
2010s French Directoire Tables
Oak, Wood, Cherry
2010s French Directoire Tables
Wood, Cherry, Oak
1950s Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass, Chrome
2010s French Directoire Tables
Brass
19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble