A Consulat mahogany and ebony-inlaid chair, circa 1800, by Jacob Frères

Related literature :

H. Lefuel, Jacob Desmalter, Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, 1925

M. Beurdeley, Georges Jacob (1739-1814) et son temps, Saint-Rémy-en-l’Eau, 2002

C. H. de Quénetain, Les styles Consulat et Empire, Paris, 2005, p. 38-39

J.-P. Samoyault, Mobilier Français Consulat et Empire, Paris, 2009, p.24, p. 63 et s.

Y. Carlier, Le style empire, Paris, 2024

Jacob Frères, name used by Georges Jacob (1739-1814) when he worked with his sons from 1796.

The use of ringed front legs appears in the work of Georges Jacob (1739-1814) as early as 1790, notably in the furniture of the Kinski Chinese Pavilion (J.-P. Samoyault, Mobilier français Consulat et Empire, Paris, 2009, p. 28). This element, uncommon in the production of the father of the Jacob brothers, is found in a drawing attributed to the Percier and Fontaine firm around 1795, attesting to its widespread adoption in the formal repertoire of the late 1790s.

The back of our chair is formed in its upper section by a top board cut at the ends into semicircles forming volutes, enhanced with ebony inlays. This detail is found on a set of twelve chairs made by Jacob Frères and delivered in November 1804 by Jacob-Desmalter for the Emperor's bedroom at the Palace of Fontainebleau (inv. F-2014.6). According to Jean-Pierre Samoyault, some chairs decorated with a rectangular panel are accompanied by an openwork grille, like ours.

Finally, the combination of ringed front legs and a partially openwork, horizontal band back adorned with a geometric motif can be compared to an armchair from the collections of H.H. Prince Murat, sold on December 9, 1981, lot 286, at the Hôtel George V for 78,000 FRF.