Offered by GSLR Antiques
Pair of Empire period salon armchairs in mahogany and mahogany veneer, with a straight, slightly curved back, armrests with palmettes and scrolls, and baluster legs. Each armchair is richly upholstered in gold-yellow and white silk with a placed rosette motif on the seat and palmettes surrounded by a laurel wreath on the back (Lelièvre). Late Empire period, early 19th century, circa 1810s. Stamped Jacob Desmalter et Cie, JACOB. D. R. MESLEE, used between 1803 and 1813. Each seat bears an illegible handwritten château label underneath.
The Jacob dynasty is probably the most prestigious among French chair-makers and cabinetmakers of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, enjoying immense success as a supplier notably to the Imperial Garde-Meuble, as well as to the Crown before and after the Empire. Seats produced by the Jacob workshop are recognizable in particular by the very high quality of their execution, their consistently perfect proportions, and great originality in the creation of new forms and models.
When analyzing Jacob production, it is interesting to note that the seating models produced by this prestigious workshop are very often a combination of decorative motifs, leg forms, armrests, and armrest-to-frieze or backrest junctions found from one salon suite to another, thus ensuring the patron a unique model while allowing the Jacob workshop to achieve productivity gains; under the Empire, the workshop employed up to 350 workers.
A beautiful model, with generous proportions; the armchairs are comfortable thanks to their curved backs. We are selling a matching pair of chairs, as well as a third armchair and a third chair on request, in order to form a more complete salon suite (see group photographs).
Very good overall condition; the armchairs were newly upholstered and covered with this beautiful luminous silk 10 years ago. The fabric is in very good household condition, with no stains and only slight signs of use. The old varnish on the mahogany has been cleaned and repolished by our cabinetmaker.
Width: 61 cm
Height: 93 cm
Depth: 60 cm
Seat height: 40.5 cm
