Empire Seating Suite, stamped Henri Jacob (Master 1779), France, Early 19th Century

Empire seating suite in mahogany, consisting of a two-seat sofa and two armchairs. The frames display a refined Neoclassical vocabulary, with winged caryatids supporting the straight armrests. The seats are upholstered in yellow checked velvet, in good used condition. The frames remain in unrestored original condition. The armchairs are stamped “H. Jacob” on the frame. Some frames also retain original paper labels reading: “À la Gerbe d’Or, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, No. 276, ANDRY jeune, Paris.” These refer to a Parisian upholsterer and furniture merchant located in the renowned Faubourg Saint-Antoine district.

Dimensions:
Armchairs: 35.8 × 24.0 × 27.6 in, seat height: 17.3 in 
Sofa: 37.4 × 48.0 × 31.5 in, seat height: 21.7 in

Henri Jacob (1753–1824), maître in 1779, was a cousin of the celebrated royal cabinetmaker Georges Jacob. He maintained workshops in Rue de Bourbon-Villeneuve until 1799 and Rue de l’Échiquier until 1806. Contemporary sources such as the Almanach du commerce de Paris (1815) document his connection to Parisian upholsterers and furniture merchants in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine district.