Pair of Brass Duck Andirons in the Style of Maison Jansen, French circa 1970

The duck has occupied a privileged place in French decorative iconography since at least the eighteenth century, when naturalist engravings and the fashion for chinoiserie brought birds — and water birds in particular — into the interior through porcelain figures, textile patterns, and bronze mounts. By the mid-twentieth century, the cast brass duck had become one of the signature motifs of the luxury Parisian fireplace accessory, appearing on andirons, companion sets, and log holders produced by the great houses of the Faubourg Saint-Honoré and their imitators.

These compact andirons — just 14 cm wide and 23 cm tall — exemplify the genre at its most charming. Each upright carries a cast brass duck modelled with pleasing naturalism: the bird’s profile alert and forward-looking, the plumage suggested in the casting with easy confidence. The horizontal log bar extends behind the low splayed base, providing a functional cradle for firewood while keeping the decorative element — the duck — at the visual forefront.

The Maison Jansen affiliation of this model is well established: the house was instrumental in popularizing the animal-form andiron as a luxury object in the post-war decades, supplying pairs in duck, dog, horse, and lion form to collectors and decorators across Europe and America. Pieces of this quality and type, produced circa 1970, represent the mature expression of that tradition — cast with care, finished with attention, and scaled for the intimate interior.

A highly decorative pair, equally at home in a period room or a contemporary interior that welcomes a note of wit and natural observation.