Faux-Bamboo Chrome and Smoked Glass Tray — In the Style of Jacques Adnet, French Work, Circa 1970

This large rectangular serving tray exemplifies the faux-bamboo aesthetic that Jacques Adnet (1900–1984) developed into one of the most recognisable signatures of mid-twentieth-century French interior design. The tray is composed of chrome-plated metal rods articulated with periodic nodes that mimic the natural jointing of bamboo, forming both the raised border and the carrying handle. Within this frame, a sheet of smoked amber glass serves as the serving surface, its warm, translucent tone creating an elegant dialogue with the cool precision of the chrome metalwork.

Jacques Adnet, director of the Compagnie des Arts Français from 1928 to 1959 and subsequently head of his own studio, became celebrated for his sophisticated interior schemes and innovative use of materials. His faux-bamboo chrome pieces — furniture, lighting, mirrors, and accessories alike — drew upon both the Orientalist tradition in French decorative arts and a distinctly modern sensibility: the chrome transformed the organic irregularity of bamboo into a precise industrial material while retaining its visual warmth and lightness. The formula proved enormously influential, and similar pieces were produced by numerous French ateliers throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

This tray, made in the 1970s in the manner of Adnet’s production, demonstrates the lasting authority of that vocabulary. The quality of the chrome is high, the faux-bamboo articulation is precise and consistent, and the smoked glass insert — a typically 1970s material choice — updates the classic format with a contemporary note. The combination of chrome and smoked glass is characteristic of French decorative production of the decade, appearing across coffee tables, consoles, and bar accessories of the period.

The piece is in very good condition, the chrome presenting a bright, even surface and the smoked glass free of significant damage. Dimensions: 55.5 × 40 × 5.5 cm.