Directoire Armchairs
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.
Early 1900s French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
1950s French Vintage Directoire Armchairs
Walnut
1940s French Vintage Directoire Armchairs
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Directoire Armchairs
Silver Leaf
19th Century Dutch Antique Directoire Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
Late 20th Century European Directoire Armchairs
Upholstery, Cherry
Early 20th Century Directoire Armchairs
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Cherry
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Brass
1950s French Vintage Directoire Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
1790s French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Walnut
1790s Italian Antique Directoire Armchairs
Walnut
Early 1900s French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
Early 18th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Cotton, Fruitwood
Late 18th Century European Antique Directoire Armchairs
Wood
2010s Belgian Directoire Armchairs
Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Linen, Wood, Paint
Early 20th Century French Directoire Armchairs
Textile, Upholstery, Wood, Paint
19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Fabric, Oak
Late 20th Century American Directoire Armchairs
Walnut, Upholstery, Cane
Early 20th Century French Directoire Armchairs
Mohair, Sycamore
18th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Birch
19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Wood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Beech
1980s American Vintage Directoire Armchairs
Cotton, Wood
18th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Wood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Wood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Directoire Armchairs
Cherry
1950s European Vintage Directoire Armchairs
Walnut
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Lacquer
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Wood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Wood, Cherry
19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Fabric, Wood, Mahogany
1790s French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Directoire Armchairs
Wood
20th Century French Directoire Armchairs
Cane, Wood
1960s European Vintage Directoire Armchairs
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Mahogany
1930s French Vintage Directoire Armchairs
Fruitwood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Cherry
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Wood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood
1930s French Vintage Directoire Armchairs
Beech
Mid-19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Maple
1940s French Vintage Directoire Armchairs
Wood
20th Century French Directoire Armchairs
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Elm, Pearwood
Late 20th Century North American Directoire Armchairs
Fruitwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Armchairs
Cherry
1970s Vintage Directoire Armchairs
Bronze, Steel
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Bronze
1940s French Vintage Directoire Armchairs
Wood, Upholstery
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Wood
1790s French Antique Directoire Armchairs
Mahogany