Openwork side chair (one of a pair)

Georges Jacob

ca. 1785–90 · Mahogany, modern horsehair upholstery · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Although French styles influenced the arts of other European countries, these unusual chairs illustrate that foreign fashions also had an impact in France. The openwork back splat and brackets between the legs clearly show an interest in the anglo-chinese style propagated by the British architect William Chambers in the third quarter of the eighteenth century. The duc de Penthièvre to whom Georges Jacob supplied this seat furniture, must have had a penchant for this style: in 1785 he acquired the château de Chanteloup where the duc de Choiseul, the previous owner, had created Chinese gardens and built a pagoda.

Artist

Georges Jacob

Date

ca. 1785–90

Medium

Mahogany, modern horsehair upholstery

Culture

French, Paris

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Bequest of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2019