Directoire Clocks
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.
1970s Swiss Vintage Directoire Clocks
Bronze
1790s French Antique Directoire Clocks
Bronze
1790s French Antique Directoire Clocks
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Clocks
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Clocks
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Clocks
Glass, Wood
1860s French Antique Directoire Clocks
Marble, Bronze
1790s European Antique Directoire Clocks
Bronze
18th Century French Antique Directoire Clocks
Marble, Gold Plate
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Clocks
Ormolu
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Clocks
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Clocks
Brass, Bronze, Steel, Iron
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Clocks
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Clocks
Marble, Bronze
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Clocks
Bronze
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Clocks
Bronze, Ormolu
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Clocks
Marble, Ormolu
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Clocks
Carrara Marble, Ormolu, Bronze
1790s French Antique Directoire Clocks
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Clocks
Amboyna
19th Century European Antique Directoire Clocks
Other
18th Century English Antique Directoire Clocks
Other
1880s Antique Directoire Clocks
Marble
1960s Swiss Vintage Directoire Clocks
Gold Plate, Brass, Enamel
1980s Swiss Vintage Directoire Clocks
Gold Plate
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Clocks
Bronze
20th Century Swiss Directoire Clocks
Metal, Gold Plate, Brass
1950s Swiss Vintage Directoire Clocks
Brass
1970s Swiss Vintage Directoire Clocks
Gold Plate
1950s Swiss Vintage Directoire Clocks
Brass
1970s Swiss Vintage Directoire Clocks
Brass
1980s Swiss Vintage Directoire Clocks
Brass
1790s French Antique Directoire Clocks
Marble, Bronze
1790s European Antique Directoire Clocks
Bronze
1820s French Antique Directoire Clocks
Bronze
1830s French Antique Directoire Clocks
Brass
1860s French Antique Directoire Clocks
Bronze
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Clocks
Bronze, Ormolu
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Clocks
Ormolu