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Georges Jacob (French, 1739-1814), Curved-back Armchair, ca. 1780, beech, paint, upholstery, le…
Curved-back Armchair
Georges Jacob (French, 1739-1814), Curved-back Armchair, ca. 1780, beech, paint, upholstery, leather, brass upholstery nails, 34 3/4 x 22 3/4 in., The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, New York, Bequest of Charlotte Pruyn Hyde, 1971.243.1

Curved-back Armchair

Maker Georges Jacob French, 1739 - 1814
Dateca. 1780
Place of OriginFrance
MediumBeech, paint, upholstery, leather, brass upholstery nails
DimensionsLength of legs: 11 in. (27.9 cm)
Depth of seat: 20 in. (50.8 cm)
Height of seat: 15 1/2 in. (39.4 cm)
Overall: 35 3/4 × 22 3/4 × 19 1/4 in. (90.8 × 57.8 × 48.9 cm)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineBequest of Charlotte Pruyn Hyde
Object number1971.243.2
On View
On view
Collections
  • Decorative Arts
MarkingsImpressed under the front rail "G" (with diamond mark), "JACOB", "C.JVM".
DescriptionFauteuil en Cabriolet. Horsehoe-shaped upholstered back and seat is curved in outline as well as in three-dimensions to create a more comfortable, less-formal type of seating. The back with raised lower rail is completely enframed with rope or twisted-ribbon molding. The arms conform to the curve of the seat and have upholstered elbows (presently leather). Vertically-serpentine arm supports curve inward toward the back of the chair as they move upward to join the arm just behind the scrolled terminal. The arm stiles are carved with addorsed petal-tips. The face of the chair back and the bow-front seat is half-upholstered over the rails in contemporary (Aubusson?) tapestry, which, on this chair, depicts Aesop's fable "The Tortoise and the Hare." All four of the turned, tapered legs are fluted with the front legs further ornamented with stop fluting highlighted at the top by inverted husk carving. The top of the leg is marked by a molded block which at the front is carved with a floret and at the rear is left blank.

Presently one of a pair of chairs, see 1971.243.1. Originally may have been from a larger set including side chairs.

The original covering for the arms/elbows is unknown but seems unlikely to have so strongly contrasted with the original tapestry covering, both in color and texture.

Exhibition History"Splendid Innovations: The World of French Design, 1650-1785," The Hyde Collection, May 8 - Sept. 7, 1986.

“Decorating in Style: Furniture from the Permanent Collection, Wood Gallery, The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, New York, Jan. 27 – April 21, 2024.ProvenanceElsie de Wolfe, 1865-1950, interior decorator, New York, from whom purchased by Charlotte Pruyn Hyde, Dec. 16, 1920; Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Louis F. Hyde, Glens Falls, NY, 1920; by bequest to The Hyde Collection, 1952.

De Wolfe was the prototype of the modern interior decorator. She banished the dark, heavy ornament of the late Victorian in favor of a lighter palette including painted, neoclassical French chairs such as this pair.