Directoire Console 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.
19th Century Antique Directoire Console Tables
Wood
1920s French Vintage Directoire Console Tables
Walnut
1950s French Vintage Directoire Console Tables
Marble, Brass, Bronze
1930s French Vintage Directoire Console Tables
Carrara Marble, Brass
1950s Unknown Vintage Directoire Console Tables
Marble
Early 2000s European Directoire Console Tables
Marble, Metal
1960s American Vintage Directoire Console Tables
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Console Tables
Oak, Paint
1890s French Antique Directoire Console Tables
Marble, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Directoire Console Tables
Carrara Marble, Brass
1970s French Vintage Directoire Console Tables
Marble, Brass, Steel
1950s French Vintage Directoire Console Tables
Marble
19th Century French Antique Directoire Console Tables
Mirror, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Directoire Console Tables
Brass
1780s French Antique Directoire Console Tables
Fruitwood, Walnut
2010s French Directoire Console Tables
Brass
Early 2000s Unknown Directoire Console Tables
Breccia Marble
1990s Unknown Directoire Console Tables
Brass, Iron
19th Century French Antique Directoire Console Tables
Marble
2010s French Directoire Console Tables
Cherry
2010s French Directoire Console Tables
Wood, Cherry, Oak, Lacquer
1880s French Antique Directoire Console Tables
Marble
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Console Tables
Mahogany
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Console Tables
Walnut
1960s Vintage Directoire Console Tables
Chrome, Brass
19th Century Italian Antique Directoire Console Tables
1960s American Vintage Directoire Console Tables
Mahogany
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Directoire Console Tables
Walnut
20th Century French Directoire Console Tables
Walnut
1980s European Vintage Directoire Console Tables
Brass, Steel