Georges Jacob - Pair Of Chairs Circa 1790, Delivered For The Tuileries

Pair of chairs
Beech and walnut stained to imitate mahogany
Covered with horsehair fabric
Pegged joints, elegiac belts
Inventory marks stenciled and furniture storage marks branded with a hot iron
Dimensions: H. 87; Seat height 46; W. 48; D. 43 (cm.)
Paris, circa 1790-1

Pair of chairs resting on tapered front legs with rings; rear legs with chamfered sabre shape. Molded belts, perforated backs with latticework. Very fine quality craftsmanship in beech and walnut, with elegant belt interiors to lighten and reinforce the crossbars. This last feature is characteristic of the work of Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené and Georges Jacob.

A delivery order in the midst of revolutionary turmoil
This pair of chairs belongs to a very important collection, most of which is now part of the Mobilier National. Among the many examples, almost all of them share the ASSNAT hot-iron mark. This group was probably commissioned from Georges Jacob and Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené to furnish the “young” National Assembly and its important outbuildings, which occupied a large part of the Tuileries. In this context, we can mention the 100 desks delivered by Sené in 1794. In November 1789, the Constituent Assembly requisitioned the Salle des Machines within the Parisian palace. Then, from October 1, 1791, to September 20, 1792, it was used by the Legislative Assembly. This room was inconvenient and poorly ventilated, and the speakers' voices did not carry well, which led the Convention to prefer the Salle du Manège, embellished by Pierre-Jacques Gisors and Etienne-Chérubin Leconte. The result was a superb hemicycle, decorated in the latest fashion, which can be seen in an engraving depicting the assassination of Deputy Féraud.

These seats were then transferred to various parts of the palace. They were occasionally marked “Pls DES / TUILes” during the Consulate or at the very beginning of the Empire. A number of them were used to furnish the imposing and formal Ambassadors' Gallery under the heading “chairs with lattice backs, black horsehair,” which can be found in the 1807 inventory.

Our chairs were used to refurnish the Château de Rambouillet when the Emperor made it his hunting lodge in early 1805. The first is located in the Emperor's First Cabinet, which can be found in the 1809 inventory: "pair of chairs, same fabric [bronze-colored satin and rosettes]. It remained in the same location during the Restoration. The second chair was located in the antechamber of the fourth apartment. It was made of painted wood and covered with sheepskin. At the end of the Restoration, Rambouillet was removed from the civil list, and most of the furniture in the château was assigned to the Versailles estate. They were eventually sold in 1875.

By way of comparison, let us mention the refurnishing of the Pavillon de la Lanterne, a discreet haven of peace for the French Presidency, a stone's throw from the Palace of Versailles, which still uses a number of these chairs.

First chair:
no number in the 1809 inventory [O² 726], Emperor's first cabinet
R143 in the 1817 inventory [AJ19 277], first cabinet of Louis XVIII, then of Charles X
V 7159 in the 1840 inventory [AJ19 396], interior mezzanine at Versailles
V 7989 in the 1855 inventory [AJ19 1172 ] in the storehouse at Versailles

Second chair:
no number in the 1809 inventory [O² 726], antechamber of the fourth apartment
R468 in the 1817 inventory [AJ19 277], idem
Then identical to the previous one.

Works in comparison:
- dining room of the Pavillon de la Lanterne, residence of the President of the Republic
- a chair in a suite, stamped G.IACOB, private collection, United States
- an identical chair at the Museum of the French Revolution, Vizille estate

Bibliography:
- special issue of Connaissance des Arts, “89, les arts sous la Révolution,” January 1989 (pp. 44-51)
- Aux armes et aux arts ! Les arts de la Révolution : 1789-1799 (To Arms and the Arts! The Arts of the Revolution: 1789-1799), Paris: Adam Biro, 1988, p. 288
- Sièges en société. History of the Siege of the Sun King to Marianne, exhibition catalog, 2017, p.180
- Temporary exhibition French Revolution Style. Furniture, objets d'art, and wallpaper, Press kit, July 2023, p. 17

Condition report available upon request.