Louis XVI Carved Giltwood Sofa Attributed to Georges Jacob

Rare and exceptional piece. This large and beautiful sofa is a fine example of the work of famed menuisier Georges Jacob (6 July 1739 – 5 July 1814), who was one of the two most prom...

A Louis XVI style two seater sofa featuring exquisitely fine carving from LML's most master carvers. The piece is a replication of an original; made to the highest standard and finis...

Exquisite French circa 1785 late Louis XVI period and style fauteuil having tall tablet form backrest on chamfered vertical supports continuing into dramatic panel cut splayed rear l...

Pair of Louis XVI painted white fauteuils en cabriolet attributed to Georges Jacob (1739-1814) circa 1780. With round channel-moulded backrest issuing straight scrolled arms with ma...

Pair of Louis XVI style hand-carved mahogany fauteuils by George Jacob, a distinguished designer under the reign of Napoleon I. Newly reupholstered in a creamy gold-toned fabric, the...

A Directoire Mahogany Bergère Attributed to Georges Jacob, its curved back and padded armrests with finely carved baluster-shaped supports raised on turned front legs and sabre back legs. With a spurious Jacob stamp to back rail. The term "Directoire" refers to a historical period following the French Revolution (1789) and preceding the First Empire when Napoleon reigned, but also to a style of furniture and decoration covering a longer period from 1789 to 1804. It is characterized by the production of furniture with simplified forms and ornaments, inspired by antique decorations. The profound social and political upheavals that marked this period had a direct impact on the production of Directoire furniture. The stripping down of furniture pieces, which had begun in the 1780s under the influence of Greek art, was accentuated during this period. The abolition of guilds by the revolutionaries also forced manufacturers in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine to simplify shapes and materials. Elegant and graceful, the furniture is generally small-scale. They retain the Louis XVI structure. The Directoire style adopts clean shapes, straight lines, simple curves, flat surfaces and right angles. Lines accentuate geometric shapes inspired by Antiquity. A typical trait is the pronounced rolled-over back, similar to a scroll illustrated in our bergere, evocative of the klismos chair. Only the more luxurious pieces of furniture use mahogany, an exotic and expensive wood. Despite his humble origins, Georges Jacob rose to become one of the most renowned menuisiers of his day. Unlike many artisans who joined their fathers or brothers in the middle-class family trade of furniture making, Jacob was from a peasant family and moved to Paris at sixteen to begin his career. He apprenticed in a joinery workshop and eventually became a master in 1765. He developed a reputation for producing inventive designs for chairs, beds, and screens carved with such motifs as twisted ribbons, guilloches, beading, and fluting. Jacob's reputation grew quickly, eventually spreading outside France; the future King George IV of England, Gustavus III of Sweden, and several German princes...