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

This rectangular coffee table epitomises the restrained elegance of French decorative design of the 1940s in the manner of Maison Jansen — a mode characterised by the marriage of warm gilded brass with the deep surface of lacquered glass. The table presents a perfectly flat top of matte black lacquered glass, its surface absorbing light rather than reflecting it, in sharp contrast to the warm glow of the brass structure below. This interplay of black and gold — matte opacity against metallic lustre — is one of the most powerful and enduring colour combinations in the French decorative tradition.

The base is constructed in gilded brass, with four slender tapered legs joined by a bold diagonal X-stretcher, a structural element that also functions as the dominant decorative motif of the piece. The X-form of this stretcher, derived from the neoclassical curule chair and an emblem of Jansen’s favoured formal vocabulary, lends the table a dynamic visual energy that belies its rectilinear geometry. The legs taper gradually toward the floor, lightening the visual weight of the structure without compromising its solidity.

The black glass top is inset within a narrow brass border, its edges sharp and precise, the crisp geometry of the rectangle set against the softness of the warm patinated brass. The glass itself is matte-lacquered, its depth giving it the appearance of polished ebony lacquer, evoking the tradition of East Asian lacquerwork that fascinated European decorators from the Louis XIV period onwards and was a constant reference in the Jansen aesthetic.

At 87.5 by 45.5 centimetres with a height of 42.5 centimetres, this table has the ideal scale for placement in front of a two- or three-seat sofa. Its bold palette of black and gold makes it a statement piece capable of anchoring an entire decorative scheme, while its refined proportions ensure it never overpowers the room in which it is placed.