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.
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble, Brass
Early 1800s Italian Antique Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble
2010s French Directoire Tables
Cherry, Oak
2010s French Directoire Tables
Wood, Cherry, Oak, Lacquer
2010s French Directoire Tables
Wood, Cherry
2010s French Directoire Tables
Cherry, Wood, Oak, Lacquer
20th Century Directoire Tables
Onyx, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Wood
2010s Mexican Directoire Tables
Oak
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble, Brass
1930s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Breccia Marble, Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Wood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Mirror, Walnut
Early 1800s Italian Antique Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Wood, Paint
18th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Directoire Tables
Walnut
1790s Italian Antique Directoire Tables
Porphyry
19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Iron
1970s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass, Steel
18th Century Italian Antique Directoire Tables
Walnut
1950s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Wrought Iron
20th Century French Directoire Tables
Marble
Late 18th Century Caribbean Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany, Cedar
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble
1960s Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass, Chrome
19th Century Italian Antique Directoire Tables
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble, Brass
1950s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Bronze
20th Century French Directoire Tables
Leather, Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble, Metal, Iron
19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble
Early 20th Century French Directoire Tables
Granite, Bronze
1950s Vintage Directoire Tables
Mirror, Wood
1960s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass, Steel
Early 20th Century French Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble, Brass
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble, Brass
1940s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Bronze
1950s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass, Steel
1960s Vintage Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble, Metal
1960s Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass
20th Century Directoire Tables
1950s Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass, Chrome
2010s French Directoire Tables
Wood, Cherry, Oak
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble
1650s Swiss Antique Directoire Tables
Wood
1950s Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass, Iron
1920s Vintage Directoire Tables
Bronze
1920s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century English Antique Directoire Tables
Marble, Brass
1960s Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass, Steel
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Oak
18th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Brass, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Bronze
20th Century Directoire Tables
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble





