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.
20th Century Directoire Tables
1790s Russian Antique Directoire Tables
Marble, Ormolu
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Italian Directoire Tables
Brass, Steel
1950s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Iron
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble, Bronze, Iron
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Directoire Tables
20th Century Directoire Tables
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Brass
20th Century French Directoire Tables
Aluminum
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Oak
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Walnut
1950s European Vintage Directoire Tables
Leather, Fruitwood
1990s American Directoire Tables
Mahogany
1960s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass
1960s American Vintage Directoire Tables
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Tables
Marble, Brass, Bronze
Early 20th Century Italian Directoire Tables
Pine
1980s European Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass, Steel
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Directoire Tables
Walnut
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Directoire Tables
Walnut
1940s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Walnut
1970s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass