Oval Two-Tier Brass Bar Trolley with Gallery Rail, Maison Baguès, France circa 1940

Founded in the early nineteenth century and located on the rue du Temple in Paris, Maison Baguès ranks among the most distinguished names in French decorative arts, celebrated above all for their extraordinary gilt bronze and brass chandeliers and sconces that graced the grandest interiors of the Belle Époque and the inter-war years. This oval bar trolley, in their characteristic polished brass, is a refined example of the house’s furniture production — a category less celebrated than their lighting but no less accomplished.

The trolley is composed with the neoclassical rigour that defines the Baguès aesthetic: an oval form echoed across two tiers, both fitted with removable glass shelves that rest within the brass frame. The upper tier is bounded by a delicate gallery rail of turned balusters — a period detail of the highest refinement — while the whole is supported on large spoke wheels that allow effortless movement. A single scrolled handle completes the composition with an elegant, minimal gesture.

A piece of this quality and provenance would have been at home in the salons of the Parisian aristocracy and the grand hotels of the era, serving refreshments with appropriate ceremony. Today it makes an equally persuasive statement in a dining room, a library, or a distinguished entrance hall.

Signed or attributable to Maison Baguès. In good vintage condition, the brass retaining its warm golden patina. Both glass trays are present.