Directoire Wall Mirrors
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.
1990s American Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mahogany
1950s French Vintage Directoire Wall Mirrors
Brass
19th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Wood, Giltwood, Mirror
19th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Giltwood
1970s Unknown Vintage Directoire Wall Mirrors
Walnut
1940s French Vintage Directoire Wall Mirrors
Walnut
Early 19th Century Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mercury Glass, Giltwood
1980s European Vintage Directoire Wall Mirrors
Walnut
1940s Unknown Vintage Directoire Wall Mirrors
Fruitwood
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Late 20th Century American Directoire Wall Mirrors
Composition
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Wood
Late 20th Century American Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood, Giltwood
18th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mercury Glass, Giltwood
1970s Unknown Vintage Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror
19th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Paint, Giltwood
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mercury Glass, Giltwood
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Giltwood
20th Century Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood, Giltwood
1950s French Vintage Directoire Wall Mirrors
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Wall Mirrors
Wood, Walnut
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood, Paint
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Wood, Glass
18th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Giltwood
1950s French Vintage Directoire Wall Mirrors
Wood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
1720s French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Wood
Late 20th Century Belgian Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Late 20th Century Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Late 19th Century Lebanese Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Walnut, Shell, Abalone, Mother-of-Pearl
Late 20th Century Indian Directoire Wall Mirrors
Wood, Mirror, Mother-of-Pearl
19th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
1880s English Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Gesso
19th Century European Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mercury Glass, Giltwood
Late 19th Century European Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Late 20th Century American Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood, Paint
1980s European Vintage Directoire Wall Mirrors
Glass, Resin
19th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mercury Glass, Giltwood
1960s French Vintage Directoire Wall Mirrors
Fruitwood
Late 20th Century Unknown Directoire Wall Mirrors
Composition
Late 20th Century North American Directoire Wall Mirrors
Gesso, Wood, Mirror
18th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
1970s American Vintage Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Polystyrene
19th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror
18th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Directoire Wall Mirrors
Hardwood, Giltwood, Mirror
19th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
18th Century French Antique Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood