Important Louis XVI Style Commode by F. Linke, France, circa 1890

A rare double-side Louis XV style flat desk, made of veneered wood, opening with three drawers decorated with a beautiful flower motif end-cut wood marquetry. With fine chased and gi...

Pair of Louis XVI style commodes attributed to Krieger, in veneered wood and gilded bronze ; opening with three drawers, including one on the belt forming a writing desk and concealing two small side drawers. The commodes are decorated with an interlacing marquetry set with a double net on a green tinted wood background decorated in its center with florets. Rich ornamentation of chiseled and gilded bronzes decorated with acanthus friezes on the belt and garlands of flowers and frieze of posts at the corners, molded frames of water leaves on the side panels. They rest on four fluted feet surmounted by Corinthian capitals, and with a Griotte marble top. These commodes are inspired by those created by Jean-François Leleu delivered by order n° 32 of May 1st, 1773, with a third commode kept in London (Wallace Collection) for the bedroom of the Princesse de Condé at the Palais Bourbon in Paris. The central diamond, originally inlaid with a lily flower pattern, was changed during the Revolution. The pair is now exposed in the Petit Trianon in Versailles (see photo n°1 attached). Jean-François Leleu (1729-1807), Parisian cabinet-maker, began his career as an apprentice in Jean-François Oeben’s workshop. Installed on the chaussée de la Contrescarpe, he became Maître ébéniste in 1764 and moved to rue Royale-Saint-Antoine. He worked for an aristocratic private clientele, including the prince de Condé for whom he delivered furniture between 1772 and 1777, or the comtesse du Barry...

Large veneered wood flat desk attributed to G. Durand, opening with three frieze drawers. Mounted with Rocaille style chiseled ormolu representing shells, foliage and flower garlands. Raised on four cabriole legs ornamented with chiseled ormolu. This flat desk is inspired by the one executed by the cabinet-maker Joseph Baumhauer, which was offered by King Louis XV to Empress Elisabeth...

Stamped twice A Beurdeley a Paris on the crosspieces. Elegant Louis XV style double-side desk in lacquered wood and gilded bronze. It is adorned on all sides, in foliated bronze car...

An important Louis XVI style gilt bronze-mounted commode, after the model by Jean-Francois Leleu by François Linke. French, circa 1910. Linke index number: 1127. Linke title: 'Commode Louis XVI, Bois d'amarante et de rose.' Signed ‘Linke’ to the right-hand side chute. This distinguished commode is quarter veneered in mahogany with bois de violette banding and boxwood stringing. It is furnished with finely cast gilt-bronze mounts and surmounted by a brèche violette marble top. It appears that Linke bought the rights to make this commode from the Vente Cueunières in 1902, although there is no trace of it being made by him until the summer of 1908 and there is no entry in the Blue Daybooks for this model. The green registres have two pages devoted to the making of the commodes, the first at a cost of 1,540 and 40 centimes, with eight more made in the intervening years, the last, a pair, in 1927 with the cost price escalating to 8,529 francs. The registre is not entirely clear, but it appears that Clément Linke, father and son, made the locks for this model. The cabinetmaking was exclusively by Guntren who took 496 hours per commode, paid 85 centimes in 1908 rising to 5 francs 75 cents for the last pair. Linke priced this commode at 3,000 French francs, noting in his book 'original est de Leleu est à Trianon.' The original commode by Leleu, on loan from the Petit Trianon, is shown in a line engraving in the retrospective part of the Exposition de l' Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, 1882, De Champeau & Others, 'Les arts du bois,' pub. Quantin, 1883, p. 80. The commode entered the Petit Trianon in 1867 on the occasion of an earlier exhibition dedicated to the memory of Marie-Antoinette, organised under the patronage of the Empress Eugénie. Jean-François Leleu A pupil and later collaborator with Jean-François Oeben, Jean-François Leleu became maître on the latter’s death in 1763. His work can be divided into two concurrent but distinct styles: the first owing more to the legacy of Oeben, being of large, solid forms, more noble in style; the second, although retaining the clean, definite lines of the first, being an exercise in elegance and understatement. It is this second style for which Leleu is chiefly remembered and which the present commode, with its lightly bombé form and restrained frieze mounts, is a principal example. Literature: Payne, Christopher. François Linke, 1855-1946, The Belle Epoque of French Furniture, (woodbridge, UK), 2003; p. 502, for the black and white cliché of index number 1127 Meyer, Jonathan. Great Exhibitions, Antique Collectors club, (Woodbridge, UK), 2006; p. 298 - 300. Pradère, Alexandre. French Furniture Makers; p. 340, fig. 398; and P. Arizzoli-Clementel. Versailles Furniture...

A fine quality late 19th Century French Louis XVI style, bombe fronted, marble top commode. Having wonderful rococo influenced gilded ormolu mounts and handles, monopodia supports to...

Bronze, gilded or partly dark patinated. Marble plate, over three frying chunks and a large two-thirds chimney door, with amaranth, bergahorn and colorful fruitwood inserted front an...

An exquisite and extremely high quality French 19th century Louis XVI st. Mahogany, exotic wood, ormolu and white Carrara marble commode. The three drawer chest is raised by impressi...