A rare and important Louis XVI carved giltwood grand canapé by Georges Jacob, stamped G. Jacob, the rounded padded back, arm rests, seat and cushion covered in red velvet, with a rounded back rail with a channelled rosette entrelac frame centred on the toprail by an ornate acanthus spray flanked by roses and laurel branches, the downswept arms with padded arm rests with scrolled terminals above curved acanthus wrapped supports, the gently curved seat rail with channelled entrelac rosette frame above six legs, the front four of scrolled tapering form with acanthus caps, each headed by a patera

Paris, date circa 1781-82

Height 115 cm, width 195 cm, depth 71cm115 cm, length 195 cm, depth 71 cm.

On March 5, 1782, the eminent Parisian menuisier George Jacob (1739-1814) supplied a magnificent suite of carved giltwood chairs and settees to the newly built Château de Carlsberg belonging to duc Charles II Auguste duc des Deux-Ponts (Zweibrücken) (1746-95). The suite, which was of identical overall design and individual detail to the present canapé, consisted of fourteen seats, now preserved in the collections of Bayerische Verwaltung der Staatlichen Schlösser as well as two carved giltwood bergères, which stood in the castle's antechamber number 8, preceding the chamber Apparat du Souverain. Because of their close similarity with those listed in the inventory of furniture delivered by Jacob to Charles II Auguste it is possible to date the present canapé fairly accurately to the years 1781-82. Jacob's commission was an important one which held great prestige since the duc des Deux-Ponts' castle (begun in 1778 and finished 1788) on the Buchenberg east of Homburg, Germany was the largest country palace in Europe. Built in the classical style by the leading architect Johann Christian von Mannlich, its interiors was furbished in the current French Louis XVI style with much of the seating being supplied by Jacob. The castle was however destroyed in 1793 by the French Revolutionary forces though thankfully some of the furnishings were saved.

The style of the present canapé reflects Jacob's promotion of the Neo-classical style especially in the treatment of the acanthus capped scroll legs, the paterae, the running entrelac border within the channelled frame and the acanthus centred cresting to the toprail. Yet at the same time it still retains the softer contours that dominated the Louis XV style and in keeping with the earlier style includes branches of roses in amongst the more classical laurel that flank the acanthus cresting. Jacob's outstanding oeuvre included a number of similar Transitional style seats that as here combined a rounded back in conjunction with overtly scrolled arm terminals and paterae heading scrolled acanthus capped legs such as three fauteuils illustrated in Pierre Kjellberg, "Le Mobilier Français de XVIIIe Siècle", 1989, pp. 412-3.

Georges Jacob, who was born at Cheny in Burgundy and died in Paris after having founded one of history's most important furniture making dynasties, was undoubtedly the finest menuisier of the Louis XVI period. The quality of his work as well as his innovative creations led to him becoming the main supplier to the Crown through the Garde-Meuble. Marie-Antoinette was one who held his work in the highest regard as did countless princes, leading aristocracy and contemporary artists. Numerous commissions also came from abroad including the Prince Regent of England and the Duke of Bedford as well as Archduc Ferdinand de Habsbourg and of course the duc des Deux-Ponts.

The canapé which must have been commissioned for a residence of the utmost distinction has more recently graced the Parisian L'hôtel Masseran. Built in 1787 to the designs of Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart this gracious residence, close to the Invalides was home to the prince de Masserano and then much later count Étienne de Beaumont who entertained many of the leading avant-garde such as Picasso and Stravinsky. It subsequently became the residence of Élie de Rothschild and later of Félix Houphouët-Boigny, President of Ivory Coast, whose furnishings included some of history's finest works of art.