Rare French Tripartite Nickeled Coffee Table with Smoked Glass Tops, Art Deco c.1940

This exceptional tripartite coffee table is a rare survivor of French Art Deco furniture production at its most inventive, dating from around 1940 when craftsmen were translating the boldness of the interwar period into sophisticated practical forms. The piece is composed of three distinct interlocking sections — a central rectangular element flanked by two angled trapezoidal units — which together form a fluid hexagonal composition of considerable visual elegance.

The frames are executed in nickel-plated metal with a gleaming silvery finish that retains its warmth after decades of careful use. A distinctive decorative detail runs along the top edges of all three frames: a fine chain-link border motif entirely characteristic of the quality metalwork produced by Parisian ateliers in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Each section is surmounted by a smoked glass top, its perimeter finished with a precise lacquered border that integrates the glass seamlessly within the metal frame.

The tripartite structure is both a practical and an aesthetic choice: the three sections may be used together as an ensemble forming a single generous coffee table measuring 128.5 cm in length, or they may be arranged separately to suit different room configurations. At 44 cm in height they sit comfortably at sofa height.

Pieces of this type — combining quality nickel-work, smoked glass and the sculptural ambition of the period — command significant collector interest. The survival of all three matching elements in coherent condition is particularly fortunate, making this an unusually compelling acquisition for those who specialise in French interwar decorative arts.