Neoclassical Gilt Brass Two-Tier Oval Drinks Trolley, Attributed to Maison Jansen, c.1940

This exquisite two-tier oval drinks trolley is a consummate example of the neoclassical decorative art for which Maison Jansen — one of the most celebrated French decorating houses of the twentieth century — was justly renowned. Working in gilt brass with an assured command of historical ornamental vocabulary, the atelier that produced this piece has created an object of exceptional quality and sophistication, as well-suited to the grandest room as to a more intimate setting.

The upper tier is enclosed within a pierced gallery rail of finely worked brass, its repeating decorative motif running the full circumference of the oval and terminating at two fixed carrying handles. The four upright supports are formed as twisted reeded columns — a distinctly neoclassical device — and are connected at the lower level by sinuous scrollwork stretchers of elegant design. The lower glass shelf echoes the oval form of the upper tier, unified within the same gilt brass framework. The whole rests on small brass casters, allowing the trolley to be moved with ease.

Both glass shelves are intact, and the gilt brass retains a warm, rich patina consistent with a piece of this age and quality. At 58 cm wide and 58.5 cm in height, the trolley has the generous proportions of a serious service piece rather than a merely decorative one — it is made to function as beautifully as it looks.

The attribution to Maison Jansen rests on the quality and character of the brass work, the sophistication of the pierced gallery, and the refinement of the scrollwork detail — hallmarks of the firm’s distinctive approach to neoclassical furniture production in the 1930s and 1940s. Whether or not a definitive attribution can be established, this is a piece of the highest quality that would grace any distinguished interior.