Seats of the Count of Artois by Jacob, ca. 1777

by Xavier de Clerval

GEORGES JACOB (Cheny, 1739 - Paris, 1814)

A Louis XVI set of four seats (two armchairs and two chairs) having belonged to the count of Artois, by Georges Jacob. Branded GM and AT and stamped "I. Jacob"

Armchairs: Height 90.5 cm. Width 61.4 cm. Depth 53 cm.
Chairs: Height. 91.4 cm. Width 48cm. Depth 45 cm.

There is no inventory of the Count of Artois’ belongings, but these four seats are identical to a set of twelve chairs that were delivered in 1777 and housed in the dining room of the Château de Maison, which was the first name given to the Château de Maisons-Laffitte located in the Yvelines department.

After Count Charles Philippe d'Artois, brother of Louis XVI and future Charles X, received the Château de Maison from the King in 1777, it became one of his residences.

A keen art lover, the Count of Artois wagered against his sister-in-law, Queen Marie-Antoinette, that his château could be remodeled within three months. He won his wager: "Artois’s Lustschloss" - the Château de Bagatelle - located in the Bois de Boulogne (south west of Paris), was completed in less than two months by some of the greatest craftsmen of the time, such as architect François Bellanger and painters Hubert Robert, Fragonard, Greuze, and Lagrenée.
Furnishing the castle required two more years. While Georges Jacob and Jean-Baptiste Boulard were commissioned to make eight carved and gilded walnut marquises, cabinetmaker Denizot was asked to make a large table on which to play Pharaoh (a gambling card game that was very popular in Versailles during the reign of Louis XV and Louis XVI) as well as eight armchairs and sixteen chairs.

All the great cabinetmakers of the time supplied the Count of Artois, including Riesener, Gaudreaus or Leleu and Joubert who made the stunning corner cupboard that was placed in his bedroom. This illustrious furniture comprises some outstanding pieces such as a bedroom trunk by Jacob decorated with the Count’s bronze monogram and resting on a gilded wood base and gorgeous Turkish style wooden seats also made by Jacob, which were carved with bundles of weapons by Rode and gilded at the end of 1770 (Artcurial, July 22, 2020 auction and May 14, 2000 auction in Dijon). There are also some remarkable bronzes, like a pair of sconces decorated with gun barrel motifs and the national emblems of France, which were part of the Dillée collection (Sotheby's, March 2015 auction).