Directoire Inkwells
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 19th Century French Antique Directoire Inkwells
Bronze
Mid-19th Century British Antique Directoire Inkwells
Silver Plate
1890s French Antique Directoire Inkwells
Crystal
Early 1900s Italian Antique Directoire Inkwells
Crystal, Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Inkwells
Bronze
Early 19th Century English Antique Directoire Inkwells
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Antique Directoire Inkwells
Bronze, Enamel
Early 20th Century English Directoire Inkwells
Sterling Silver
19th Century French Antique Directoire Inkwells
Marble, Brass
Early 20th Century American Directoire Inkwells
Sterling Silver, Enamel
19th Century Antique Directoire Inkwells
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Inkwells
Ormolu
1870s French Antique Directoire Inkwells
Ormolu, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Inkwells
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Directoire Inkwells
Griotte Marble, Bronze
