Directoire 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.
1920s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Marble, Bronze
19th Century European Antique Directoire Tables
Walnut
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Tables
Wood
1960s Italian Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass
1930s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Bronze
1950s European Vintage Directoire Tables
Leather, Fruitwood
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany
1990s American Directoire Tables
Mahogany
1950s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass
1920s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Walnut
1920s Vintage Directoire Tables
Bronze
20th Century Unknown Directoire Tables
Brass
1970s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Metal, Gold Leaf
19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble
19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble, Bronze
1960s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass
1950s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Marble, Brass, Bronze
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble
1950s Vintage Directoire Tables
Marble, Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Tables
Brass
Late 18th Century Caribbean Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany, Cedar
Early 20th Century French Directoire Tables
Granite, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Bronze
1790s French Antique Directoire Tables
Wood
18th Century Italian Antique Directoire Tables
Wood
1980s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
1990s American Directoire Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Argentine Directoire Tables
Silver Leaf
1930s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble, Brass
1790s French Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany
1920s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Bronze
20th Century Directoire Tables
Wood
1870s French Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Directoire Tables
Cherry
Mid-20th Century Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble
1990s Italian Directoire Tables
Brass
1990s French Directoire Tables
Brass, Steel
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Brass
1950s American Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass
1980s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Steel
1950s Unknown Vintage Directoire Tables
Marble
Early 20th Century French Directoire Tables
Brass
Early 2000s European Directoire Tables
Marble, Metal
Early 2000s Unknown Directoire Tables
Brass
1910s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Satinwood, Walnut
Early 2000s Unknown Directoire Tables
Marble, Steel
1980s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Steel
Early 20th Century French Directoire Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Tables
Marble, Brass, Bronze
2010s French Directoire Tables
Brass
1970s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass
Mid-18th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Brass
1990s French Directoire Tables
Marble, Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Walnut
1890s French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble, Brass, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Directoire Tables
Marble