A Louis XVI Carved Giltwood Console Table by Georges Jacob, Circa 1780

Galerie Segoura, Paris

Georges Jacob was born of humble origins in Cheny, a small village in Burgandy in 1739. Orphaned at a young age, he nevertheless managed to secure an apprenticeship at a workshop in Paris when he was barely 17, eventually training under renowned menuisier  Louis Delanois (maître 1761). After Jacob received maître ébéniste in 1765 at the age of 26, he established his own workshop on the Rue de Cléry, ultimately establishing himself as one of the leading menuisiers in Paris, and a principal supplier to King Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette during the last years of the ancien régime. His reputation quickly spread beyond France and he received orders from King George IV of England, Gustavus III of Sweden, and several German princes.