Needlepoint Upholstered Slipper Chair

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 curved pierced back with a palmette-inlaid shaped splat terminating in dolphin supports raised on an upholstered seat, on front carved joined hairy animal legs (pieds de bîches) and hoof feet and back sabre legs; stamped: JACOB FRERES RUE MESLEE under the front rail. For a similar dolphin support, see Madeleine Jarry and Pierre Devinois, Le Siège Français, pp. 267 and 271 illustration 264 for an armchair at the Musée Marmottan stamped G. Jacob and executed in 1792. Provenance: Millicent Rogers her son, Arturo Peralta Ramos II Jacob Frères was the stamp used by brothers Georges II (1768-1803) and Francois-Honore Jacob (1770-1841) from 1796 to 1803. They were sons of Georges Jacob (1739-1814), arguably the best-known chair maker who worked for aristocracy and royalty during the reign of Louis XVI. The Jacob Frères firm's most famous client was Josephine, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. She would have most likely seen the work of their father during the revolution in a progressive aristocrat's house. She used them to decorate various Imperial residences, such as the Tuileries palace, and remained a loyal customer, using them almost exclusively, until her death. When Georges II (the elder brother) died in 1803, Georges came out of retirement to help the remaining son, Francois-Honoré (who changed his named to Jacob Desmalter) from a new partnership called Jacob Desmalter Et Cie. (stamped Jacob D. R. Meslée, on two lines), which continued to be an influential supplier for the Imperial period and is credited with helping to define the Empire style as it is known today. Millicent Rogers, born Mary Millicent Abigail Rogers, was a Standard Oil heiress, but she wasn’t a poor little rich girl...

Antique side chair with beautiful needlepoint design on seat, back and arms. Hand carved frame with decorative design and nail head trim. Please confirm location NY or NJ

Lovely Victorian style slipper vanity chair upholstered in high end George Smith Gollut fabric. Sheath depth 15 Note: We have a storage ottoman upholstered in same fabric that would...