Fire Tool Set in Brass and Brushed Steel with Claw Feet, Attributed to the

This exceptional fire set, attributed to Maison Jansen, illustrates the assertive material vocabulary that made the house famous: the bold combination of dark brushed steel with polished brass, a pairing drawn from the French Empire period and refined by Jansen into one of the defining signatures of 20th-century French decorative ironwork. The long, slender tool handles in dark brushed steel strikingly contrast with the polished brass finials, collar rings, and base elements, creating a composition of considerable visual authority. The stand features a circular base equipped with claw feet—a recurring neoclassical motif throughout the Jansen vocabulary—from which a central rod rises to support the tools. The finials at the top of each tool handle are in polished brass, their shape drawn from the French classical repertoire. The set includes a poker, a shovel, a brush, and tongs, all sharing the same refined material contrast and homogeneous formal language. Maison Jansen, founded in Paris in 1880, was one of the most prestigious interior design houses of the 20th century, with a clientele that included royal houses, heads of state, and the greatest collectors of the time. Their production of fireplace accessories was distinguished by exceptional craftsmanship and a precise historical sensitivity. The present set, attributed to the house and dated around 1940, reflects these qualities at a high level.