Round Brass Drinks Trolley, Neoclassical Style, in the Style of Maison Jansen, France, circa 1940

This elegant round drinks trolley in brass exemplifies the neoclassical decorative vocabulary that Maison Jansen made synonymous with Parisian luxury in the 1930s and 1940s. The circular form — a disc of clear glass set within a continuous brass gallery — rests on slender tapering legs that converge below in a classical X-stretcher. The castors at the base of each leg allow the piece to be moved with ease around the room, fulfilling its primary function as a service trolley while maintaining the refined formal language of the great French decorating ateliers.

The drinks trolley, or table roulante, was a staple of French aristocratic interiors from the early twentieth century, providing an elegant means of moving glassware, decanters, and bottles between rooms or to the side of a seated guest. Maison Jansen, founded in Paris in 1880, produced trolleys of this type in a variety of configurations for their distinguished clientele, always prioritising formal refinement and material quality. The use of polished brass for both the frame and gallery was a signature choice, ensuring the piece would complement both gilded furniture and the lacquered finishes equally characteristic of the house.

This trolley, bearing the formal elegance and construction quality associated with the Jansen atelier, retains its original brass frame and glass tray, presenting with the warm patina appropriate to pieces of this period. A drinks trolley of this calibre fulfils an irreplaceable role in a well-appointed interior, combining practical service function with the visual richness of the finest French decorative metalwork.