This wall-mounted console is Michel Zadounaisky's Banana Leaf model. A pair of leaves support a narrow curving top in rosewood and lemon tree, covered by a black opaline glass. The banana leaf pattern is one of Zadounaïsky's favorite motifs, which he used at least as early as 1928 in his fireplace screen, Les Toucans. According to his grandson, the artist kept in his personal dining room a chandelier from the same series, featuring the brushed and gold-patinated metal banana leaves.



Zadounaïsky was well known in his own time, and is duly recognized today, for his meticulous execution of wrought iron furnishings and artwork. Having learned the trade at a very young age, he became devoted to the medium, mastering his well known style characterized by curves, interlacing patterns, and sharp points in the early 1920s. By the 1930s he was a fixture in the homes of that era's wealthy French elite. The artist’s level of craftsmanship and intriguing designs single him out as one of the most unique and expressive voices of the French Art Deco. Signed.