Rectangular Brass Coffee Table with Black Lacquered Glass Top, in the Style of Maison Jansen, Circa 1940

A rectangular coffee table of striking elegance, constructed in polished brass with a top inset in black lacquered glass. The frame presents clean, geometric lines characteristic of the neoclassical idiom — straight brass members joined at precise angles and subtly enriched by fine mouldings and restrained ornamentation — the whole resting on four slightly tapered legs terminating in diminutive brass sabots. The striking contrast between the warm gilt-toned metal and the deep, reflective black glass surface creates a visual dialogue of great refinement.

Executed in the distinctive manner of Maison Jansen, this table reflects the aesthetic vocabulary perfected by that celebrated Parisian house during the interwar and early postwar decades. Founded in 1880 by Jean-Henri Jansen and later directed by the incomparable Stéphane Boudin, Maison Jansen elevated interior decoration to a fine art, furnishing the residences of international royalty, diplomats, and connoisseurs with pieces of unimpeachable quality. The combination of brass and lacquered glass — a hallmark of the house's most iconic pieces — places this table squarely within that prestigious tradition.

A table of this quality and character brings a note of Parisian grandeur to any setting. Whether positioned at the centre of a formal salon furnished in the classical manner, or used to introduce a refined historical note into a contemporary interior, it imposes itself as a centrepiece of quiet authority. An exemplary piece for the collector of mid-twentieth-century French decorative arts, evoking the golden age of Parisian savoir-faire and luxury.