A Royal Louis XVI Carved and Grey-Painted Bergère from the Château de Fontainebleau by Georges Jacob, Circa 1785

The crowned fleur-de-lis and FON stamp was used by the Royal Garde-Meuble during the Restauration period (1814-1830) at the Château de Fontainebleau south of Paris . After the fall of Napoleon and return of Louis XVIII, the former Imperial palaces reverted back to the possession of the restored Bourbon monarchy. Completely emptied of their contents which were largely sold by the Revolutionary government in the 1790s, the former royal palaces were re-furnished at great expense by the Napoleonic court primarily through new commissions but also with older property confiscated by the state from owners who had emigrated or were guillotined during the Revolution. This bergère likely formed part of this group, and the multiple stencilled numbers on the rails correspond to inventories of Fontainebleau from the 19th century, when the palace continued to function as an official residence during the reigns of both Louis-Philippe and Napoleon III.

The handwritten labels appear to date from the 18th century and indicate the bergère formed part of a typical larger suite that would likely have included armchairs, one or more sofas, stools, a firescreen, and in this case a canopy bed (lit a la Polonaise). An almost identical model of armchairs stamped Jacob was sold Sotheby's New York, 6 November 1982, lot 69.