Pair of Brass Neoclassical Side Tables, Attributed to Maison Jansen, France, circa 1940

This elegant pair of neoclassical side tables is executed in polished brass, each piece presenting a double-tiered structure supported by four slender, tapering fluted legs joined by a lower stretcher shelf. The refined decorative vocabulary — the fluted columns, the Corinthian-inspired leg treatment, and the pristine geometry of the square trays — speaks to the highest tradition of French decorative arts as reinterpreted through the modernist lens of the 1930s.

The quality of execution and choice of ornamental vocabulary are consistent with the production of Maison Jansen, the legendary Parisian interior decorating house founded in 1880 on the Rue Royale. By the inter-war period, Jansen had become the preferred decorator of royalty, heads of state, and the international élite, celebrated for its unique synthesis of historical references and modern elegance. Such paired brass étagères were emblematic of the refined neoclassical interiors the house produced throughout the 1930s and 1940s, destined for the finest drawing rooms and private residences in Paris and beyond.

The pair retains its original warm patina, the natural oxidation of the brass adding depth and character to the polished surfaces. Each table offers a practical double surface — an upper tray for a lamp or decorative object, and a lower shelf for books or accessories — making these pieces as functional as they are ornamental. Offered in excellent vintage condition, they may be used exactly as conceived or introduced into a contemporary interior to striking effect.