The coat of arms of Amsterdam flanked by J and G refers to the Amsterdam guild of cabinet makers called the Josef Gilde. The stamp was not used on furniture made in Amsterdam but on imported furniture, particularly French furniture. This measure was introduced in 1771 at the request of the Josef Guild who saw their own sales dropping due to the popularity of French furniture.After its introduction any remaining foreign stock had to be sold within three months, and thereafter was only allowed to be sold during one of the annual fairs. Although in principle only imported furniture was stamped, this was not always the case. This was probably due to the officials in charge of controlling the stock not always being fully capable of discerning French furniture from Dutch furniture made in the French style. There is also evidence that all furniture made outside of Amsterdam was stamped, as some typically Dutch cabinets have been found to bear the stamp.
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