Directoire Building and Garden Elements
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.
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Cherry
Late 20th Century Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Paint
Early 1900s French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Marble
18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Wrought Iron
1940s American Vintage Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Fruitwood
19th Century Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Brass
Early 20th Century American Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Iron
19th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Ormolu
Early 20th Century Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Brass
Late 17th Century Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Iron
1970s Vintage Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Brass, Steel
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Oak
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Marble
18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Statuary Marble
19th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Brass
18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone, Belgian Black Marble, Statuary Marble
18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
1790s Russian Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Ormolu
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Belgian Black Marble, Stone
19th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Limestone
18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
Late 18th Century European Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Mahogany
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Glass, Wood
18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Stone
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Paint, Plaster, Wood
Late 20th Century French Directoire Building and Garden Elements
Bronze