ARMCHAIR
W.27-1980
'American and European Art and Design 1800-1900'
The chair is stamped 'JACOB FRERES RUE MESLEE' (the firm used this stamp from 1796 to 1803) and 'PLS DES TUILES', for the Palais des Tuileries. It also bears a stencilled number 27463, referring to its removal to the Garde-Meuble, the national furniture repository, from Maréchal Berthier's rooms at the Château de Saint Cloud. The presence of sphinxes may indicate the influence of Napoleon's Egyptian campaign of 1798. [1987-2006]
Armchair
Jacob Freres
Manufacturer
French: 1800-1803
Mahogany with ormolu mounts, modern upholstery
This elaborate chair bears the stamp of Jacob Freres, the most celebrated French cabinet makers of their day. There are several other pieces of their furniture in this gallery. It bears inventory marks indicating that it was made for the Tuileries and was at St Cloud by the 1820s. Jacob supplied chairs for Napoleon's apartments at the Tuileries in 1800. [pre 1999]