A pair of mahogany and mahogany veneered armchairs, the backs Etruscan style, the armrests supported by sphinx figures, resting on sheathed legs terminating in claws at the front and sabre-shaped at the back, the waistline carved with a frieze of palmettes and lotus flowers. Directoire period Height 94 cm - Width: 59 cm. Attributed to Jacob frère Upholstered in painted silk velvet. - An armchair stamped Jacob Frères 1796-1803 (Mobilier National) ibid. p. 315. The belt is carved with stylised palmettes and lotus flowers. These same sphinxes adorned the furniture of Madame de Récamier, one of whose armchairs is illustrated in Léon de Groer Les arts décoratifs de 1790 à 1850, Office du Livre, Fribourg, 1985, p. 128 fig. 226 and p. 136 fig 248. Other variants include this same sphinge model: - An armchair stamped by Henri Jacob, illustrated in Denise Ledoux Lebard, Le Mobilier Français du XIXème siècle, Editions de l'Amateur, Paris, 1989 p. 371 - A shepherd's chair by Jacob Desmalter with gilded wood sphinges and claw feet is reproduced in Le XIXème siècle Français, collection Connaissance des arts, Hachette, 1957, p. 66 ill.1 - A pair of armchairs, stamped Jacob Frères rue Meslée, the four legs in sabre form, sale in Aurillac, Me Goolen, 18 February 2001