Jacob: Restoration-period mottled mahogany & gilt bronze psyche mirror cabinet, stamped

Solid mahogany and mahogany veneer "psyché" mirror cabinet, richly decorated with chased and gilded bronzes. It opens through a door fitted with a mercury mirror, flanked by two double folding light arms. Restoration period, circa 1820. On the back, stamped JACOB, used by François-Honoré Georges Jacob between 1813 and 1825.

François Honoré Georges Jacob (1770-1841) was the most popular cabinetmaker between 1796 and 1825. He was the son of Georges Jacob, Séné's most talented seat joiner of the Ancien Régime. Trained by his father, in 1796 he joined forces with his brother Georges II to create Jacob Frères on rue Meslée, to supply the imperial family. The two brothers created the Empire style, carving in wood the models imagined by painter Jacques Louis David and architects Percier and Fontaine. On the death of Georges Jacob fils in 1803, François Honoré continued his business under the Jacob Desmalter brand on Rue Meslée. The firm supplied the Imperial family and the notables of the Empire, but its size (300 workers) made it highly dependent on official orders. Jacob went bankrupt in 1813, and François Honoré Jacob resurrected the company, this time using his father's stamp and erasing the G from Georges to leave only the .JACOB. His business continued until 1825, when he handed over to his son Georges Alphonse.

Our cabinet dates from the period 1820 - 1825. The Jacobs were influencers of the new taste, and while the style remains very Empire, the rounded corners are more Restoration - which later became the Charles X style.

It's interesting to consider the quality of this piece of furniture: the speckled mahogany is a luxury veneer (a species with "natural flaws" that was highly sought-after in luxury furniture for its strong decorative effect). But above all, the fact that most of the furniture is made of solid mahogany rather than veneer: the shelves and back of the cabinet are solid. Last but not least, our cabinet features a secret trapdoor: a double bottom that opens with a set of springs to hide precious objects and documents away from thieves.

A fine piece of amateur furniture in excellent original condition: no damage to the mahogany, no refinished parts. The buffer-varnished mahogany has been cleaned and repolished by our cabinetmaker. One inner shelf cracked, some minor damage to bronzes.

Height: 210cm
Width : 108cm
Depth : 53cm

Ref: O0OL8ND9FR