The JACOB Dynasty:

This was one of the most prestigious dynasties of furniture makers during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Georges Jacob, Georges II, François Honoré Georges, and Georges Alphonse were successively active from 1765 to 1847.

George JACOB (1739-1814):

A master in 1765, he established large workshops on Rue de Cléry, then in 1775 at 57 Rue Meslée. He completed commissions for the royal family at the Tuileries, for Queen Marie-Antoinette, and the king’s brothers. Directly influenced by Louis Delanois, with whom he apprenticed, he produced Louis XVI furniture and later Directoire pieces ahead of their time (the console leg and baluster-shaped armrest supports were his inventions). He stamped his furniture "G. Iacob." On his chairs, sculpture is paramount. Drawing inspiration from antiquity, he created antique-style chairs, like the "Etruscan" chairs seen in Jacques-Louis David’s paintings and in the Queen’s Dairy at Rambouillet. The Revolution placed him in a difficult situation.

Georges II (1768-1803) and François-Honoré Georges JACOB-DESMALTER (1770-1841):

His two sons took over the workshop and formed a partnership on April 18, 1796, under the name Jacob Frères. After Georges II’s death on October 23, 1803, the firm became Jacob-Desmalter & Cie. With up to two hundred workers, they worked with native and exotic woods, as well as gilding. The Jacob brothers completed commissions for prominent figures during the Consulate era, including Joséphine Bonaparte for her residence on Rue Chantereine in 1797, the Château de Malmaison, and the bedroom of Juliette Récamier for her property on Rue Mont-Blanc, in close collaboration with architects Percier & Fontaine. They received a gold medal at the Exhibition of Art and Industry Products.

Georges Alphonse JACOB (1799-1870):

The son of Georges II, he continued working under the stamp "A. Jacob fils et Cie" until 1831, and from 1831 until the end of his career in 1847, as "Jacob." His clientele was international, and he supplied marquetry furniture made from light wood. His furniture was exhibited at the Industrial Product Exhibitions of 1819, 1823, and 1827. However, by the end of the 19th century, his furniture had lost its supremacy.

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