Neoclassical Brass Guéridon with Marble Top Attributed to Maison Jansen, French Work, circa 1940

The guéridon — that most versatile and gracious of small tables, whose slender silhouette and circular top have graced the finest French interiors since the seventeenth century — reaches in this example a pitch of refinement fully consonant with Maison Jansen's exacting standards. The polished brass support, articulated in the neoclassical manner with a shaft of classical profile and a base of studied proportion, is crowned by a marble top of cool, veined beauty — the stone's natural warmth and depth providing the perfect visual counterpoint to the precision and gleam of the worked metal below. Together, brass and marble form one of those material partnerships — at once ancient and timelessly modern — that the finest French craftsmen have exploited for three centuries.

Attributed to Maison Jansen on the basis of its quality, its vocabulary, and its dating to the period of Stéphane Boudin's artistic direction, this guéridon bears all the hallmarks of a house that never compromised on the grade of its materials or the precision of its execution. The guéridon was among the most frequently produced pieces in the Jansen repertoire: its versatility — as a side table, a plant stand, a drinks table, or a sculptural accent — made it indispensable to the complete interior that was Jansen's trademark achievement. Each example was treated with the same seriousness as the largest commission, because Boudin understood that it is often in the smallest objects that the quality of a decorating scheme is most candidly revealed.

In excellent condition, the brass retaining a fine warm patina and the marble top intact with its natural veining beautifully displayed, this guéridon would enhance any interior with the quiet authority of a piece that knows exactly what it is and what it is worth. A superb small table by one of the greatest names in French decorative history.