Neoclassical Coffee Table with Brass Horse Head Mounts, Maison Jansen, France circa 1940

This distinguished coffee table is a characteristic production of Maison Jansen, the celebrated Parisian decorating house that defined the language of French neoclassical interior design throughout the first half of the twentieth century. The combination of black lacquered iron with gilded brass mounts in the form of sculptural horse heads places this piece firmly within the Jansen repertoire — a vocabulary drawn from the classical and Empire traditions and deployed here with the consummate authority that gave the house its worldwide reputation.

The table’s X-frame base is constructed from slender black-lacquered iron rods in a scissoring campaign configuration, the opposing pairs of legs crossing at a central point marked by a large decorative brass medallion of considerable quality — its circular form enriched with a pattern of raised studs and scrollwork motifs. At each of the four corners where the frame meets the top, a magnificent gilt brass horse head mount terminates the leg in a controlled burst of sculptural drama, each head rendered with characteristic Jansen attention to modelling and finish.

The top itself is a broad rectangular panel of black lacquer, set within the brass border of the frame to create a unified and disciplined composition. The proportions — 87.5 centimetres in length, 55.5 centimetres deep and 43.5 centimetres high — place the table at a comfortable height alongside low seating.

A remarkably fine and complete example of the Jansen atelier’s work in the neoclassical taste, in excellent condition. The lacquer is rich and even, the brass horse heads and central medallion retaining strong, warm gilt. A piece of significant historical and decorative interest.