HIGHCLERE JACOB FRÈRES WRITING TABLE
Antiques Roadshow expert, Christopher Payne, assesses the elegant Jacob Frères writing table at Highclere Castle
This sublime writing table or bureau plat, which stands in the Music Room at Highclere Castle, is believed to have belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte and may once have stood in the Palace of Fontainebleau. Originally attributed to George Bullock, a cabinetmaker based in Liverpool and London, its true origin was only discovered when Lady Carnarvon found the Jacob Frères maker’s stamp on the underside. Made from mahogany with a leather top and wood decoration, stained to simulate bronze, the table dates from c1805–1810.
MAKER
Georges and François-Honoré Jacob were the sons of Georges Jacob, an eminent Parisian furniture maker, and members of one of the longest running French cabinetmaking !rms of the 18th and 19th centuries. The Jacob !rm survived against a backdrop of great political turmoil. Georges began his career in 1765 as a chair maker to Louis XVI, later handing on the successful business to his descendants. The two brothers, Georges and François-Honoré, continued to produce furniture of the highest quality for Napoleon and many other eminent patrons until 1847.
DESIGN
This writing table is typical of the severely masculine Empire furniture created by architect designers Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine, whose celebrated designs were a strong influence on the Jacobs. Percier won the Prix de Rome at the age of 19, and the pair are famous for their decorative work on many of the major buildings of the Napoleonic era, including the former Paris Opéra, the Arc de Triomphe, Château de Malmaison, Saint- Cloud, the Louvre, the Tuileries and Compiègne. Fashionable though it was, the Empire style was relatively short-lived. With the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in 1814 the uncompromising style was largely replaced with lighter more decorative revivalist fashions.
MOTIFS
The decoration is typical of that inspired by ancient Greco-Roman architecture. The end supports are framed by animal legs with lion paw feet. An anthemion (honeysuckle) motif in the centre surmounts a lion mask and Palmyrian sunburst beneath. The decorative details, which were designed to contrast with the richly !gured mahogany from which the table is constructed, are made from wood stained to imitate bronze; a sign of the relative austerity prevalent in the middle of the Napoleonic wars.
FORM
With its pull- out slides at each end and drawer in the frieze, the form of this table refers back to 18th- century bureaux plats, albeit in a heavier masculine style. The leather top may not be original. The word ‘ bure’ means ‘cloth’ in Old French, and tables such as this were traditionally covered in fabric, which was easily damaged and thus often replaced. The furniture is mounted on a plinth base – popular legend at Highclere holds that this is because of Napoleon’s short stature, but there is little evidence for the theory. The plinth was used to add a sense of sturdiness, in keeping with the solid style of the time.
THE CULT OF NAPOLEON
Much of the value of this table comes from its association with Napoleon Bonaparte and a drawing exists that shows the French leader standing by a similar piece of furniture. However, more research needs to be done: the British aristocracy was fascinated by Napoleon and, from the early 19th century, French furniture dealers took advantage of the riches to be made from anything with Napoleonic associations. False provenances are therefore not uncommon.