French Rattan Drinks Trolley with Interlaced Ring Panels and Leather Bindings, circa 1950

A characterful and inventive piece of French artisan furniture from the mid-twentieth century, this rattan drinks trolley displays a quality of making that goes well beyond the functional requirements of its type. Produced in France around 1950, it belongs to a tradition of resort and leisure furniture in bent rattan that flourished along the Côte d’Azur and in the workshops of the French Midi, where craftsmen worked the material with virtuosic confidence.

The frame is built from robust rattan poles, their natural honey-gold colour warming the piece throughout. A sweeping arched push-handle rises from the back of the upper tier, providing both a practical grip and the trolley’s most immediately sculptural feature. Two glass shelves — one at counter height, one lower — serve for the storage and display of drinks, glasses, and decanters, supported within the frame on clean horizontal rails.

The most remarkable aspect of this trolley is its decorative side panels: an openwork screen of interlaced rattan circles, each ring linked to its neighbour in a repeating geometric pattern that creates a dynamic, lattice-like surface of considerable visual sophistication. Brown leather bindings at every structural junction tie the frame together with crafted precision, contrasting warmly with the golden rattan and providing an additional layer of artisanal detail. The whole assembly rolls on its original castors.

Pieces of this type are increasingly recognised as examples of serious French craft design from the post-war period, sitting comfortably alongside painted furniture and decorative ironwork from the same years. This trolley presents well, with the rattan firm and intact and the leather bindings in good condition.