Directoire-Consulate Period Style

Recently, my friend John Tackett, of The Devoted Classicist, posted about the Patino sale- and these striking Consulate chairs (the end of the Directoire 1793-1804) were shown...I decided to focus on them, since they incorporate so many elements we love today.  The silk velvet fabric.  The gilding.  The ebonised animal form legs and feet!  I would propose these for a hall, flanking a console, or just standing alone, and making a dramatic statement.  Years ago, I was in the Charlotte, North Carolina home of the late designer James Essary, and his foyer contained a beautiful console, above which was hung a large oil painting, obtained from a Christie's sale.  The foyer made an impression on me, with it's overscaled black and white checkered floor, and the double staircase.  The Directoire period was revived in the 1940's, 50's and 60's by such decorators as Michael Greer, and Melanie Kahane.  I still recall the Directoire bergere that Tice placed in his apartment in New York...it was painted a pale grey, and upholstered in an acid green and ivory silk stripe.  The style was a reaction to the opulence of Louis XVI, and the post-revolutionary atmosphere- with simpler decoration and less costly materials...DF *****