Early 19th Century French Directoire Gilt Bronze and Marble Clock by Deverberie

The Directoire period in French History covers a fifteen year period between 1789, six years after King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were guillotined; this fifteen year period was the most troubled in French history. Everything associated with the old regime – royal luxury, aristocratic power and privilege- was condemned. The revolutionaries of this time suppressed the furniture guilds, which could no longer guarantee the level of craftsmanship.

On the other hand, the growing number of personal fortunes led to an increase in demand. However the limited sophistication of the new clients made them less than exacting: they were often satisfied with surface glitter and placed a high priority on rapid execution. This explains the ‘simplicity’ of this clock. Only after Bonaparte’s seizure of power would France again cultivate the emerging grand French Empire Period.