The Empire Jacob armchair

The Jacobs are a very famous family of carpenters and cabinetmakers. They are very well known for the quality of their chair production. There was a succession of three generations from Louis XV to Louis-Philippe who offered exceptional armchairs for your comfort. This is the case of the Jacob empire armchair.

What is the history of the Empire Jacob armchair?

What materials are used in the manufacture of these Empire style armchairs?

How to recognize an Empire armchair stamped Jacob?

The History of the Jacob Empire Armchair

The Jacobs in the 1739th and 1814th centuries constitute the art of the seat. The founder of the dynasty, Georges Jacob from XNUMX to XNUMX had turned to the manufacture of beds and seat woods. This specialist in antique armchairs has an overflowing imagination that outclasses him among his contemporaries.

He is constantly looking for new forms, forms more magnificent than the previous ones. His first workshop was established on the rue de Clery, on the rue des artisans du siège and then on the rue Meslée during the year 1775.

It was during this period that he managed to carry out large royal commissions. He produced incredible pieces of furniture during this notable period of his career. These are elegant and harmonious works resulting from perfect execution and technique.

Georges Jacob was the first carpenter inspired by the English who used mahogany. The Louis XVI chairs he produced were innovative and numerous. Georges Jacob was greatly influenced by his apprenticeship with Louis Delanois. The latter was the first to produce neoclassical chairs. Towards the end of the 1780s, the talented Georges Jacob produced chairs inspired by Greco-Roman antiquity. He was therefore the precursor of the Empire furniture style. It should be noted that the production of Jacob-type furniture under the reign of Louis XVI was significant and diversified.

We find canopies, seats in abundance, two-seater sofas, daybeds, voyeuses, series of chairs, screens, stools, bed frames and consoles. Several developments are attributed to Georges Jacob, namely the console legs, the openwork backs, the quiver legs, the horseshoe seat and the curule seat from the seats and furniture of Roman Antiquity.

François-Honoré-Georges, also called Jacob-Desmalter, had taken over from his older brother. He had continued the activities by taking the name Jacob Desmalter. He managed to make the business prosper and develop a very prestigious clientele, both French and international. He had become one of the highly sought-after suppliers of the Imperial Furniture Guard as well as the Royal one. He managed the workshop with 332 workers under the Bourbon Restoration to satisfy the orders of Restoration period armchairs which preceded the Napoleon models.

The materials of the Empire armchairs by Jacob

The manufacturers of Jacob Empire furniture use various materials. For Jacob-Desmalter's Empire armchair, he called upon the ornamentalists Fontaine and Percier as well as the sketches of the great painter. This furniture comes from the inspirations of Greco-Roman antiquity.

He used ebony wood to be able to fulfill the furniture orders made by Napoleon I for the furnishing of the castles of Compiègne, Saint-Cloud, Malmaison, Fontainebleau and others. This furniture is also found in several European imperial and royal palaces such as Saint Petersburg, Windsor and Potsdam.

The Bonaparte family, the great dignitaries and some notables ordered the Jacob Empire furniture. The Empire armchair under Jacob-Desmalter is characterized by a certain quality of design, original shapes and clean lines. The chiseled gilded bronzes used are creations of Thomire.

The other materials used are mahogany and native woods, namely lacquered wood, maple, gilded wood and yew. The backs of the armchairs are crooked with a very pronounced curve and a band. The said armchairs have sabre-shaped hind legs. Fantastic animals as well as Egyptian busts are carved on them. The crooked armchairs are made of ash burl or mahogany. The chairs have openwork backs, curved legs that end in volutes.

The different models of Empire Jacob armchair

Jacob stamps

The stamps are usually found under the first upper crossbar of the chair. To see it, turn the chair over, look under the crossbar, if it is signed, you will find a signature.

There are different types of empire jacob armchair with different stamps:

The first on the list is the Empire armchair from the Palace of Compiègne. It dates from the beginning of the 1855th century. It is a large armchair made of lacquered beech. It comes from the Palace of Compiègne from the Empire period. It is stamped Jacob D Rue Meslée. This armchair is also upholstered in a blue-grey velvet. There is one of the models found in the inventory of the Château de Compiègne from 12. It is painted wood with turned square-shaped legs. They are upholstered in horsehair and covered in rep fabric. This one is red and green lizard. This armchair was part of a pair that was actually in the bedroom of building no. 1884. It is housed in the "Cour des Bains". These armchairs were put up for sale in XNUMX.

The other model is the Empire armchair stamped Jacob D rue Meslée. This armchair from the Empire period is made of gilded and green lacquered beech. It has sabre-type rear legs and spindle-shaped front legs. It has palmette decorations. The manufacturer used a mixture of pigment, glue and varnish. The national furniture collection has a large selection of Napoleonic era seating that features magnificent works of art.

There is also the Empire armchair from the Palais de Compiègne. It is stamped Jacob. This large armchair is made of gilded and lacquered beech. It comes from the Palais de Compiègne. It is upholstered with a small iron in golden yellow leather. Its feet are turned and the tile is made of feathers. It is covered in striped yellow velvet. The nails used in its manufacture are gilded.

An Empire armchair that is stamped Jacob is a large armchair made of lacquered beech. It dates from the Empire period. It is of Directoire inspiration. It was used in the meantime by the Jacob house from 1803 to 1813. The MRCV mark that it bears corresponds well to the property mark that dates from the Louis XVIII period. In 1863, this armchair was moved from Versailles to Fontainebleau. It would have been used in the apartment and also in the services of the Grand Veneur. This was under Napoleon III. The said seat is covered in embossed green velvet. It is called a cross armchair.