Directoire Decorative Objects
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.
1970s Swiss Vintage Directoire Decorative Objects
Bronze
1790s French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Bronze
1940s European Vintage Directoire Decorative Objects
Stone
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Crystal, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Brass
19th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Giltwood
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Tin
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
1790s French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Bronze
1790s French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Ebony, Fruitwood, Walnut, Pine
1790s French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Ormolu
1790s French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Gold Plate, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 20th Century Directoire Decorative Objects
Metal
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Faience
1950s French Vintage Directoire Decorative Objects
Metal
20th Century Directoire Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 20th Century Directoire Decorative Objects
Metal
1790s French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Gold Plate, Bronze
Late 18th Century European Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Glass, Wood
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
1860s French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
1830s European Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1790s European Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Crystal
18th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Marble, Gold Plate
1790s French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Brass, Bronze, Steel, Iron
Early 19th Century English Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Walnut
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Bronze, Ormolu
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Marble, Ormolu
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Copper
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Marble, Bronze
1790s French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Metal, Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble, Ormolu, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Terracotta
1790s French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Amboyna
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Decorative Objects
Bronze