Georges Jacob became one of the finest Parisian maîtres ebénistes (master cabinetmakers) of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, despite his humble beginnings and lack of formal training. Renowned throughout Europe for his opulent Louis XVI designs and grand gilt work, Jacob attracted royals, nobiles and other wealthy clientele.
Jacob was born in 1739 to a peasant family in Cheny, Burgundy. At 16, he moved to Paris to become an apprentice to chairmaker Jean-Baptiste Lerouge. While working for Lerouge, Jacob met Louis Delanois, a young menuisier (carpenter) who specialized in seating. Delanois’s distinct Rococo style and neoclassical taste influenced Jacob, whose own talents for design led him to become a maître ebéniste, in 1765.
In 1767, Jacob opened his first furniture-making business, employing several gilders, carvers and joiners to handcraft his designs. His atelier ornately decorated beds, armchairs, benches, screens and center tables with giltwood motifs such as fluting, beading, ribbons and guilloches. Word spread of Jacob’s exceptional furniture among the European elite, capturing the attention of Queen Marie Antoinette, Sweden’s King Gustav III, the United Kingdom’s King George IV and several German princes.
However, in 1789, Jacob lost several of his aristocratic clients at the onset of the French Revolution. Despite his associations with French royalty and nobility, Jacob survived the revolution with the help of his friend, Republican painter Jacques-Louis David.
In 1796, Jacob retired and left his business to his two sons, Georges and François-Honoré-Georges Jacob-Desmalter, also known as Jacob Frères. Under the ownership of his sons, the workshop became a furniture supplier to Emperor Napoleon.
Jacob’s pieces are held in the collections of several international museums and collections, including the Chateau de Chantilly and Chateau de Fontainebleau; the Louvre and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, in Paris; the Wallace Collection, in London; the Museum of Fine Arts Boston; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York.
On 1stDibs, find a selection of antique Georges Jacob seating, tables, case pieces and storage cabinets.
Pair of Louis XVI Carved Mahogany Fauteuils by George Jacob
By Georges Jacob
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This exquisite pair of Louis XVI style fauteuils, attributed to the celebrated craftsman George Jacob during the reign of Napoleon I, showcases the precision of classical French craf...
Upholstery, Wood
$2,050 / set
H 37 in W 24 in D 18 in
19th C., a Pair of Louis XVI Style Painted Carved Wood and Needlepoint Fauteuils
Located in Morristown, NJ
19th c., France, a lovely pair of fauteuils with painted carved wood frames, wool needlepoint embroidered upholstery and brass nailhead trim. Elaborately carved with folded ribbon cr...
Brass
$22,500 / set
H 37 in W 24 in D 20 in
Set of Ten Louis XVI Style Beachwood Armchairs in the Manor of George Jacobq
By Georges Jacob
Located in Sheffield, MA
A fine set of ten Louis XVI style Beachwood armchairs In the Manor of George Jacob 19th century (Four more chairs can be offered with different uph...
Wood
A Pair of Louis XVI-Style Giltwood Fauteuils
Located in Savannah, GA
A pair of Louis XVI-Style Giltwood Fauteuils, 19th Century. 25 inches wide by 25 inches deep by 37 ½; seat height 17 inches
Velvet, Giltwood
$2,800Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 37 in W 24 in D 23 in
Pair of French Louis XVI Style Carved Fauteuil Armchairs
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Impressive pair of French carved fauteuil armchairs made in the Louis XVI taste. The chairs feature elaborately hand carved frames with rope designs, rosettes, acanthus, and ribbon b...
Fabric, Fruitwood
Pair of French Louis XVI Carved Walnut Fauteuil Armchairs
Located in Rio Vista, CA
An elegant matched pair of walnut fauteuil armchairs in the grand Louis XVI style featuring classical hardwood frames upholstered in a champagne-beige fabric. The chairs feature tall...
Fabric, Walnut
$3,596Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 37 in W 22.5 in D 23.25 in
Pair of French Louis XVI Style Giltwood Carved Lacquered Fauteuils Armchairs
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A pair of French Louis XVI Style giltwood carved lacquered Fauteuils (armchairs). The elegantly carved wood frames with rounded backrests, open and padded armrests and fluted legs, i...
Wood
Maitland Smith Louis XVI Style Carved Gilded Wood Fauteuil Armchair
By Georges Jacob, Maitland Smith
Located in Forney, TX
An extraordinary carved giltwood fauteuil armchair by fine quality luxury furniture designer Maitland Smith. Excellent quality, showcasing exceptional carving, gilding, detailing, a...
Leather, Giltwood
Pair of Louis XVI Style Fauteuil
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Pair of good Louis XVI style fauteuil with original bronze velvet upholstery and nailhead trim. Nice carving, good proportions. Seat cushion is button tufted and semi-attached.
Wood
Louis XVI Style Fauteuil
Located in Sheffield, MA
Elegant French Louis XVI style armchair with bleached wood frame, fluted leg and cubic blocks decorated with florets, upholstered in Classic beige suited fabric. Appropriate for dini...
Wood
$5,952Sale Price / set|25% Off
H 34.26 in W 22.84 in D 18.51 in
A pair of green velvet Louis XVI fauteuils armchairs
Located in London, GB
France, circa 1780 A pair of late eighteenth century painted fauteuils, with oval backs and seats, upholstered in striking nineteenth century apple green cut velvet, all supported o...
Velvet, Wood
$7,500 / set
H 37.13 in W 24.25 in D 19 in
Louis XVI Neoclassical Fauteuils Attributed to Georges Jacob, Pair, circa 1785
By Georges Jacob
Located in Kinderhook, NY
A fine pair of French, circa 1785, late Louis XVI fauteuils having tall tablet form backrests on channeled vertical supports issuing shaped arms ending in 'dolphin-nose' arm-rests ab...
Brass
Pair of French Louis XVI Armchairs, Pair of Parisiens Fauteuils
Located in Miami, FL
Pair of French Louis XVI Armchairs, Pair of Parisiens Fauteuils A stunning pair of original 19th Century French Louis XVI armchairs...
Beech, Fabric
Sold
H 35.83 in W 24.41 in D 22.84 in
Pair of French 18th Century Louis XVI Painted Wood Armchairs by George Jacob
By Georges Jacob
Located in Berlin, DE
Pair of French 18th century Louis XVI painted wood armchairs by George Jacob (1739-1814) A pair of Louis XVI period armchairs or fauteuils "en cabriolet' made ca. 1775-1779 showin...
Linen, Beech
A Set of Six Jacob Armchairs
By Georges Jacob
Located in Firenze, IT
France, 19th century A magnificent Set of six beautiful French mahogany armchairs, finely carved by George Jacob. Upholster in empire green 100% pure silk fabric. Identical seats ...
Mahogany
Sold
H 35.5 in W 23.5 in D 19 in
Fine Set of Four Louis XVI Giltwood Fauteuils by Georges Jacob Maitre, 1765
By Georges Jacob
Located in Sheffield, MA
A fine set of four Louis XVI giltwood fauteuils, circa 1780 by Georges Jacob Maitre in 1765. Stamped "g. Iacob" on rail Height 35½in. Widt...
Wood