BLASSET Jean & GUGGIARI Andre

BLASSET Jean & GUGGIARI Andre

Jean BLASSET & André GUGGIARI

Worked for CHANAUX & Cie and Jean-Michel FRANK

Unique Gilt-Iron and Glass Coffee Table
France, circa 1950s.

An exceptionally rare and possibly unique coffee table by Jean Blasset and André Guggiari, executed in gilt iron with a glass top and dating from the 1950s.

The table is distinguished by its remarkably elegant and architectural construction. Slender gilt-iron elements create a refined geometric silhouette, while the transparent glass top emphasizes the lightness and purity of the structure. The interior frame beneath the top, the decorative rings and the bases of the legs were painted black at a later date. These elements can, upon request, be professionally returned to their original finish.

Blasset & Guggiari occupy a particularly interesting position in the history of twentieth-century French decorative arts. They were directors of the celebrated art workshops of La Samaritaine in Paris and, importantly, worked for Chanaux & Cie, the company closely associated with Jean-Michel Frank and responsible for the execution of many of Frank’s celebrated creations. Their connection with Jean-Michel Frank places their work within the sophisticated tradition of craftsmanship and understated luxury that defined some of the most important French interiors of the period.

The table is closely related to furniture documented in the November 1957 issue of Mobilier. In the article “Promenade autour d’un appartement,” renowned French decorative-arts critic René Chavance states that the furniture created by Blasset & Guggiari for the illustrated apartment was produced as an edition of one, making each piece unique.

According to available international auction records, no other example of this all-iron table model has been identified on the market to date. This remarkable rarity, combined with the published documentation, leads us to believe that the present table is probably the unique example created for and displayed in the apartment illustrated in 1957.

Literature: Mobilier, No. 8, November 1957, “Promenade autour d’un appartement,” by René Chavance.

A remarkable rediscovery combining rarity, documented design history and an important connection to Chanaux & Cie and Jean-Michel Frank.

Price : Upon Request

Materials / Techniques: Gilt Iron and Starfire glass