Armchair (part of a set)

Georges Jacob

ca. 1780–90 · Walnut, gilded · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Part of a larger set of seat furniture, these elegant armchairs with a concave back, are so-called fauteuils en cabriolet. Their frames are stamped on the underside I-B, which is believed to be an alternate mark for Georges Jacob (master 1765–1814), one of the most successful chair makers of eighteenth-century France, who supplied beds and seat furniture to the crown. Epitomizing neoclassicism, the chairs have tapering and spirally fluted legs, and frames carved with rosettes, acanthus leaves, and twisted rope ornament. The unusual scrolled top rail of the back makes a reference to the capital of the Ionic order, one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture.

Artist

Georges Jacob

Date

ca. 1780–90

Medium

Walnut, gilded

Culture

French, Paris

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of Ann Payne Blumenthal, 1943