A CARVED MAHOGANY DESK ARMCHAIR OR « FAUTEUIL DE LA CONVENTION », FRENCH REVOLUTION PERIOD, CIRCA 1795, STAMPED G.IACOB, AFTER A DRAWING BY THE ARCHITECT CHARLES PERCIER |

the curved toprail above a pierced back, the armrests ending in winged lion monopodia supports with lion paw feet, and sabre back legs, with a leather upholstered seat

- Collection Comte de Bari; his sale, Me Ader, galerie Charpentier, Paris, 14 May 1934, lot 72

Related literature
- J.-P. Garric et al., Charles Percier, Architecture et Design, exh. cat. Fontainebleau/Paris, 2017
- G. and N. Hubert, Châteaux de Malmaison et de Bois Préau, Paris, 1986, p. 62
- D. Ledoux-Lebard, Les ébénistes du XIXe siècle, 1795-1889, leurs œuvres et leurs marques, Paris, 1984, p. 283

The illustration of the catalogue is accurate despite being slightly too orange. Beautiful design and high quality of sculpture. There are the inevitable dents, marks, stains and surface scratches due to age and use. There is a transparent varnish on the mahogany which would benefit from a gentle cleaning and then a waxing. There is a loss of veneer on the edge of the front rail of the seatrail (approx. 7 x 0,5 cm). The mahogany left triangular upper corner, under the curved back, is replaced. Each foot has been reinforced with a wooden block under the seatrail. There are old and inactive woodworm traces. The armchair is firm and sound. The black leather has been replaced and is in good condition. Impressive armchair by the famous carpenter and cabinetmaker Jacob.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This model of a large desk armchair was made by the carpenter Georges Jacob in circa 1795. The architects, Charles Percier and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine had been requested to furnish the National Convention Hall of France and almost certainly submitted their furniture projects in collaboration with Georges Jacob. A preparatory drawing by Charles Percier (fig. 2) on a larger sheet of paper showing other highly Antique-inspired seat models explains this partnership. On this same print we can see, apart from our chair, several sketches of armchairs, such as the chair used for the furnishing of the Chinese pavilion at the hôtel particulier of Princess Kinsky at Rue Saint-Dominique in Paris, in 1793. An example, almost identical to the Jacob piece, was sold from the Ledoux-Lebard Collection, at Artcurial on 20 June 2006, lot 131. Whether the present armchair was provided for the Convention Hall, or during the early months of the Directoire, this armchair nevertheless illustrates a new trend in seat furniture and thereby introduces the onset of the Empire style.

An identical armchair which would have been used by Bonaparte in his hôtel particulier on Rue de la Victoire, which was given to his physician Corvisart in 1798, now belongs to the Collection of the Musée National of the Château de Malmaison (fig. 4). One pair was part of the Collections of R.H., the Prince Murat (auction Drouot, 14 June 1983, lot 126).

This model of armchair is also represented in the contemporary paintings of the time, such as in the portrait of the composer François-Adrien Boieldieu by Louis-Léopold Boilly (circa 1800, Museum of Fine Arts of Rouen, inv 1905.1.1, see fig. 5).

After the fall of the monarchy on 10 August 1792, Georges Jacob continued to provide seat furniture to governing bodies, as evidenced by his probable deliveries to the National Convention. Other models of armchairs, sent a few years later from the National Assembly's garde-meuble (furniture depository) to the Executive Directoire and then to the Imperial palaces at Tuileries and Fontainebleau, illustrate Jacob's creativity and eagerness to meet the new aesthetic demands of the time, where a need for regeneration is asserted. English influence, and especially that of Antiquity, were particularly popular and led to productions with new templates and shapes. The 1793 portrait by Simon Julien of Georges Jacob depicted in the tricolor outfit, enabled him to display a political position that broke with his past as the main supplier of seat furniture to the Royal family (fig. 1).