An Extremely Unusual And Highly Decorative Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Ebonised And Brass Étagère, The Three Circular Bevelled Glass Shelves Within Brass Bound Bandings, Supported By Three Square Uprights Headed By Classical Brass Female Bust Finials, With Further Brass Mounted Decoration Throughout, Raised On Very Elegant Swept Sabre Legs.

Dating from the early part of the 20th century, this extremely attractive étagère is a particularly unusual example of its type, combining the elegant ebonised framework with an abundance of decorative brass mounts and three useful glass shelves.

The three circular shelves are particularly pleasing, each having bevelled glass enclosed within brass banding and supported between the slender square uprights. These are surmounted by wonderfully decorative classical female bust finials, whilst further applied brass mounts in the form of masks, scrolling foliage and other classical motifs provide additional interest throughout.

The contrast between the dark ebonised finish, warm brass decoration and glass shelves works extremely well and gives the piece a light and elegant appearance despite the considerable amount of detail. The swept sabre legs are particularly attractive and continue the slender proportions of the uprights beautifully.

Étagères of this type were designed primarily for the display of decorative objects and this remains an incredibly useful piece for exactly that purpose today. Its relatively narrow proportions and open construction mean that it could be placed in a wide variety of positions around the home without appearing overly imposing, whilst the unusual combination of materials ensures that it remains highly decorative in its own right.

As with all items which we offer for sale, this étagère has been attended to in our workshops by our highly skilled and traditional antique furniture restorers, where it has been cleaned and carefully conserved before being offered for sale. It is therefore ready to place straight into the home.

Circa 1920.

Height 32.5in.
Width 15in.
Depth 15in.

Shelf Diameters 12in.
Shelf Gaps 9.5in.