Large Patinated Iron & Gilt Coffee Table with Sunburst Base, France circa 1940

This imposing coffee table is one of the most architecturally arresting pieces in the Maison Barrois collection, combining extraordinary scale with the theatrical decorative vocabulary of the finest French ironwork of the 1940s. At 147 centimetres in length and 89.5 centimetres in depth, it commands any room, its generously proportioned clear glass top floating above a framework of patinated and gilt wrought iron of remarkable quality and invention.

The base of the table is its defining element: a spectacular sunburst configuration of gilt iron rods radiating outward from a central gilt sphere, the spokes extending in all directions to create a sputnik-like form of great visual drama. This sunburst motif — gleaming warmly in polished gilt against the darker verdigris-patinated iron of the frame — is a characteristic and highly desirable decorative device of the period, combining the neoclassical tradition with a boldly modern energy.

The rectangular frame itself is constructed in patinated wrought iron finished in a rich verdigris green with gilt accents, its moulded border profile demonstrating the technical mastery of the ironsmith’s art. The four corner supports are substantial patinated columns, their surfaces carrying the same beautifully applied patina that gives the piece its depth of colour and its quality of aged authority.

In very good vintage condition, the patina rich and evenly applied, the gilt retaining its warm tone throughout. A monumental and striking piece of French decorative metalwork, ideal for a large salon, library or any interior of considerable ambition.