Empire-period Chair Stamped "jacob D. Rue Meslee" (1803–1813)

Chair stamped JACOB D / R MESLEE. Partnership between Georges Jacob I and his son François Honoré Georges Jacob Desmalter from 1803 to 1813.

An interesting Empire-period chair made of mahogany and mahogany veneer.

Openwork backrest; the upper crossbar of the backrest is semicircular and features a hand-shaped grip.
The trapezoidal seat rests on front and rear legs in the Etruscan style.
A few minor imperfections; the joinery is in good condition, with no looseness.
The chair is upholstered in a beige fabric, as found.

Similar models are preserved in the Mobilier National collections under the following numbers:

• GMT 28739/1–5
• SNREC 618–621

Variations of this chair were also reproduced by the cabinetmaker Jeanselme beginning in the 1830s and 1840s.

The Jacob dynasty of joiners and cabinetmakers, founded by Georges I (the father).

Two of his three sons, Georges II Jacob (1768–1803) and François-Honoré-Georges Jacob-Desmalter (1770–1841), followed by his grandson Alphonse Jacob-Desmalter (1799–1870), carried on the family’s reputation through the reign of Louis-Philippe. Alphonse sold his workshop to the Jeanselme firm in 1847.

The partnership between the father and his son François-Honoré began in 1803 following the death of the second brother.
The name “Desmalter” was chosen by François-Honoré in memory of an ancestral estate in Cheny, Burgundy, called “Les Malterres.”
The products of this new company bore the stamp “Jacob D (Desmalter), R. Meslée.”
Their business was thriving; orders poured in, and they employed nearly 300 workers.
For nearly a decade, they would serve as the preferred suppliers to the Imperial Furniture Repository and to a prestigious clientele in France and across Europe.