Neoclassical Brass Coffee Table with Black and Gilt Marble Top by Raymond Subes, France, circa 1940

This magnificent coffee table brings together two of the most distinguished French decorative traditions of the interwar period: the refined neoclassical metalwork of Raymond Subes and the unparalleled luxury of black and gilt marble. The polished brass framework, with its precise classical mouldings and harmonious proportions, provides the ideal setting for the dramatic top, whose deep black stone is traversed by veins of gold — a combination of materials that achieves the same bold contrast between darkness and luminosity that characterised the finest French interiors of the 1930s and 1940s.

Raymond Subes (1891–1970) was one of the foremost French metalwork artists of the twentieth century. Trained in the tradition of the great Art Nouveau ironworkers and celebrated for his monumental gates, grilles, and staircases in gilded and patinated iron, Subes also turned his hand to furniture and decorative objects of the highest quality. His mastery of wrought iron, bronze, and brass — combined with his instinct for classical proportion and ornament — produced pieces that were sought by the grandest private clients and the most demanding public commissions of the interwar period. Works attributed to Subes in all media now command significant prices at international auction, and a coffee table in brass and black marble of this quality and provenance is a rare and desirable find.

Presented in very good vintage condition, consistent with its age and provenance. W. 110 cm × D. 45 cm × H. 51.5 cm.