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Rare Gilt-Bronze Mounted Marquetry Pedestal Desk by François Linke, circa 1900
About the Item
A rare gilt bronze mounted marquetry pedestal desk by François Linke.
French, circa 1900.
Linke Index Number 711.
Linke title ‘Bureau LXV à 8 pieds’.
Stamped to the inside of the locks 'CT LINKE/ SERRURERIE/PARIS'
This rare pedestal desk has a shaped rectangular top with leather inset top above a frieze with three drawers. The central drawer above a kneehole and to either side pedestals each with a cupboard door.
A notable feature of Linke's work, perhaps even more of a guarantee than a signature, is his use of a concave scallop-shell or coquille, which features on the backboard of the kneehole. The distinctive shell, as designed by Linke's sculptor Léon Messagé, is held by delicate tendrils of acanthus implying the shape of a crab.
François Linke (1855 - 1946) was the most important Parisian cabinet maker of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and possibly the most sought after cabinet maker of his period.
He was born in 1855 in the small village of Pankraz, in what is now the Czech Republic. Records show that Linke served an apprenticeship with the master cabinetmaker Neumann, then in 1875 at the age of 20 he arrived in Paris where he lived until he died in 1946.
It is known that the fledgling Linke workshops were active in Paris in the Faubourg St. Antoine as early as 1881, and during this time he supplied furniture for other more established makers such as Jansen and Krieger.
The quality of Linke's craftsmanship was unsurpassed by any of his contemporaries and reached its peak with his spectacular Stand at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900, where his Grand Bureau took the Gold Medal. He gambled his fortune and reputation on this Stand, exhibiting several breathtaking items of furniture with sculptural mounts of the most exceptional quality and proportion. His gamble worked and his reputation was established to such an extent that Linke continued to be the pre-eminent furniture house in Paris until the Second World War.
As the Art Journal reported in 1900 on Linke's Stand:
'The work of M. Linke ... was an example of what can be done by seeking inspiration amongst the Classic examples of Louis XV and XVI without in any great sense copying these great works. M. Linke's work was original in the true sense of the word, and as such commended itself to the intelligent seeker after the really artistic things of the Exhibition. Wonderful talent was employed in producing the magnificent pieces of furniture displayed....'
The formation of Linke's distinctive style was made possible by his collaboration with the sculptor Léon Messagé.
Together Linke and Messagé designed furniture for Linke's 1900 exhibition Stand, with exuberant allegorical figures cast in high relief, that exemplified Linke's ability to seamlessly merge the different mediums of wood carving, bronze and marquetry into a dynamic unified whole.
Today Linke is best known for the exceptionally high quality of his work, as well as his individualism and inventiveness. All of his work has the finest, most lavish mounts, very often applied to comparatively simple carcasses. The technical brilliance of his work and the artistic change that it represented were never to be repeated.
Bibliography:
Payne, Christopher. François Linke, (1855 - 1946), The Belle Époque of French Furniture, Antique Collectors' Club, (Woodbridge, UK), 2003.
Meyer, Jonathan. Great Exhibitions - London, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, 1851-1900, Antique Collectors' Club, (Woodbridge, UK), 2006; pp. 298 - 300.
LeDoux - Lebard, Denise. Les Ébénistes du XIXe siècle, Les Editions de l'Amateur, (Paris), 1984; pp. 439-43.
Revue Artistique & Industrielle, (Paris), July-August 1900.
Coral Thomsen, D. (ed), The Paris Exhibition 1900, The Art Journal, 1901; p.341.
- Creator:François Linke (Cabinetmaker)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.32 in (77 cm)Width: 58.27 in (148 cm)Depth: 24.41 in (62 cm)
- Style:Louis XV (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:Bronze,Wood,Gilt,Marquetry
- Place of Origin:France
- Period:Late 19th Century
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1900
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Brighton, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: B716111stDibs: LU1028014631931
François Linke
François Linke, the most important French ébéniste of his time. Born in Bohemia in 1855, Linke moved to Paris in 1881 where he established his now-famous workshop and showroom. Linke's superior work spread quickly through France and he soon eclipsed even the finest furniture houses of Paris. Today, Linke is counted among the most important furniture makers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and his work is dearly coveted by collectors. Linke is celebrated for designing highly innovative furnishings by infusing the Rococo style with the Art Nouveau trends of Paris and this Louis XV style desk exemplifies his highly original style.
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