Round Tripod Brass Coffee Table, French Design, circa 1970

This striking round coffee table is supported by a tripod base in polished brass, the three tapering legs meeting at a central column before splaying outward to support the circular top. The tripod form — borrowed from antiquity and reinterpreted through the modernist vocabulary of the 1970s — gives the piece a sculptural quality and visual lightness that contrasts pleasingly with the warm weight of the polished brass. The clean, architectural geometry of the piece is characteristic of the best French design production of the decade.

Tripod tables in polished brass were among the most characteristic expressions of the French luxury furniture market in the 1970s. Inspired by classical forms — the ancient Greek and Roman tripod was among the most prestigious of vessel-stands — yet executed in the warm modernist vernacular of polished metal, such tables occupied a distinctive position in the design landscape of the decade: simultaneously sculptural objects and perfectly functional pieces of furniture. The quality of fabrication and the coherence of the design suggest production by a distinguished Parisian workshop at the highest level of the decorative arts market.

In excellent vintage condition, the brass retains its warm patina with the natural depth acquired over decades of use. The generous diameter of 69 cm and height of 44 cm make this a commanding and practical coffee table for a living room of any scale. A sculptural and distinguished example of French 1970s modernist furniture.