French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Removed from the fashions of the court, French Provincial style developed in the provinces of the country, such as Provence, Normandy, the Loire Valley and Bordeaux. Dating to the 17th and 18th centuries, French Provincial furniture was not as ostentatious as the designs being produced for the royal palaces, but elegant S-shape cabriole legs and ornate carvings elevated the sturdy chairs, sofas, tables and bedroom furniture intended for everyday use.
Although it varies by region, antique French Provincial furniture is unified by solid construction and an artisanal attention to design. While this furniture often followed the metropolitan trends — including the Rococo or neoclassical aesthetics of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI — since it was produced in the French countryside it was more subdued with nods to its rustic settings.
Local materials like fruitwoods, oak, beech and walnut were used to construct large French Provincial armoires for storage and comfortable armchairs with rush-woven seats. Wrought-iron elements and carvings like floral details and scallop patterns were common as ornamentation. Furniture was frequently painted white or other muted colors that coordinated with gilt and would acquire a patina of age over time. Other wood was just stained with vibrant fabric such as toile de Jouy, which sometimes depicted pastoral scenes, adding color as upholstery.
The style arrived in the United States after World War I, with soldiers returning home wanting furniture like what they had seen in the rural homes and castles of France. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, designer John Widdicomb split from his family business, the Widdicomb Furniture Company, and had been focusing on Louis XV– and French Provincial–style furnishings since the early 1900s. Other American manufacturers such as Baker, Drexel, Henredon and Thomasville also responded to demand. Today antique French Provincial pieces and reproductions continue to be popular.
Find a collection of antique French Provincial dining tables, seating, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
1990s French French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
Early 1900s French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Pottery, Terracotta
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Terracotta
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Earthenware
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Terracotta
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Faience
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Earthenware
1960s American Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
Early 1900s French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Brass, Copper
Early 1900s French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Terracotta
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Faience
1930s French Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic, Majolica
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Faience
1930s French Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic, Majolica
Mid-19th Century French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Terracotta
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Terracotta
1930s French Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Majolica, Ceramic
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Earthenware
Mid-19th Century French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Pottery
Late 20th Century French French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
1890s French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic, Pottery
1870s French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Faience
Late 19th Century German Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1930s French Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Earthenware
Late 19th Century German Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
Late 19th Century German Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1890s French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Faience
1890s French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Faience
1890s French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1970s French Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1930s French Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Earthenware
1920s French Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1910s French Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Earthenware
1890s French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Earthenware
1910s French Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
19th Century European Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Terracotta
20th Century French French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Wood
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Aluminum
1890s French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Faience
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1910s French Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
19th Century European Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Terracotta
1960s European Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Silver Plate
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Stoneware
1980s Portuguese Vintage French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic, Pottery