George IV Mahogany and Leather Bergere

Fine late Georgian mahogany library bergere with adjustable reading arm, the ribbed back, seat and arms with hand caning, both arms with brass sockets to accept the original brass an...

Very fine late Georgian inlaid mahogany and bronze mounted chiffonier, having three tier waterfall bookshelf top supported by bronze columns, over ...

Fine George IV period mahogany library/writing table, the tablet-shaped top in dense, rich mahogany over two working and two false (one each side) drawers standing on curule molded s...

Fine Georgian style carved mahogany Gainsborough armchair of generous scale, the shaped back over padded arms with acanthus leaf scroll carving ...

A very fine George IV amboyna burl and giltwood center table attributed to T. & G. Seddon (formerly Morel and Seddon), circa 1835 The circular tilt-...

Fine pair of George IV collector’s cabinets in the Grecian manner popularized by Thomas Hope and George Smith having Santa Anna marble tops over frieze mold...

An elegant and rare, Early Victorian antique Bergere library, office, desk, swivel armchair with original maroon leather seat & stud details, on a claw base with Castors. The cha...

Square back with central carved tablet and back and sides caned. Turned arm supports and raised on fluted square legs. Casters. Label under seat. Spillman & Co St Martins Lane London...

An unusual chair with arched back newly caned. The sides newly caned and the sides swing open to access easily. Raised on square section legs and very l...

A very well made pair of French bergères from New York's Carlyle Hotel, circa 1950s. This pair was once used by John F. Kennedy during meetings at the Carlyle with disarmament adviso...

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...

The deep shaped seat is upholstered in brown leather, and its shaped rail mirrors the back and has carved scrolled foliate motifs. Raised on four carved cabriole legs with heavy knee...