Fantastic Late 19th Century Gilt Bronze Mounted Centre Table by François Linke

A superb late 19th century gilt bronze mounted Regence style center table by François Linke The inset shaped marble top above a single drawer centered with a winged cherub head, t...

A Fantastic Late 19th/Early 20th Century Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze Mounted Commode By François Linke François Linke – Index no. 599 Brèche d’ Alep marble top above one long bronze mounted drawer, the center two drawers bronze mounted with floral wreath and bird, the base mounted with a tambourine and flowing curtains. Signed F. Linke to the right-hand chute, locked stamped Ct. Linke and the number 599. Pictured on Page 493 and Daybook Entry on Page 477 in “François Linke 1855-1946 The Belle Epoque of French Furniture” By Christopher Payne. Designed in 1900, this model commode was conceived en suite with a dressing table, index number 600, and a double bed, number 601. Although clearly started in 1899, a note in the Blue Daybook shows that the ciseleur enriched the chasing on the bronzes much later, in September 1902, and with a fleur de pêcher marble top costing 110 francs. Whereas two of the matching beds and dressing tables were made, Linke made five versions of this commode between 1899 and 1910, with one example made for the compagnie nationale de Buenos-Aires in 1908. Linke was born in Pankraz in Bohemia and was celebrated by the French as one of the greatest ébénistes of meubles de style at the turn of the century. He began his apprenticeship with a Bohemian master at the age of thirteen. Four years later, he toured Austria, settling and working in Vienna for two years. Linke arrived in Paris in 1875, and by 1881 he had established his own small workshop at 170 rue du Faubourg St. Antoine. Taking 18th century styles as his starting point and adapting earlier styles to contemporary taste, Linke produced fine quality furniture, steadily expanding his business during the next 20 years. He firmly established his reputation after receiving a gold medal at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1900 for his extraordinary Grand Bureau. He continued to use international fairs as a means of exploring new markets, exhibiting at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, the Liege in Belgium and the 1908 Franco-British exhibition in London. Linke’s highly original designs sprang from the Régence and Rococo styles but were imbued with something quite new – Rococo curves were laden with gilt-bronze sculptural mounts in the tradition of A.-C. Boulle (1642-1732) or Charles Cressent (1685-1758). Stylistically, the new designs still adhered to the Rococo; the novelty, however, was Linke’s fusion of the Rococo with the liveliness and the fluidity of the ‘art nouveau’. The Revue called Linke’s creations entierement nouveau, and continued to say that ‘Linke’s stand...

A rare and fantastic quality late 19th century Louis XVI style gilt bronze mounted inlaid marquetry and parquetry center table By Franc¸ois Linke. Franc¸ois Linke. The crossbanded oval top with central parquetry panel surrounded by floral and ribbon tie marquetry, above frieze with four drawers, bronze mounted tapering legs joined by a bronze mounted stretcher. Signed F. Linke to the top corner of one leg Back of lock stamped Ct. Linke and the number 402. Linke was born in Pankraz in Bohemia and was celebrated by the French as one of the greatest ébénistes of meubles de style at the turn of the century. He began his apprenticeship with a Bohemian master at the age of thirteen. Four years later, he toured Austria, settling and working in Vienna for two years. Linke arrived in Paris in 1875, and by 1881 he had established his own small workshop at 170 rue du Faubourg St. Antoine. Taking 18th century styles as his starting point and adapting earlier styles to contemporary taste, Linke produced fine quality furniture, steadily expanding his business during the next 20 years. He firmly established his reputation after receiving a gold medal at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1900 for his extraordinary Grand Bureau. He continued to use international fairs as a means of exploring new markets, exhibiting at the 1904 World’s Fair...

A late 19th century Louis XVI style gilt bronze-mounted mahogany cabinet by François Linke. Surmounted with a marble top, above a frieze and a bronze-mounted upper cupboard doo...

A wonderful late 19th century gilt bronze mounted parquetry envelope game table by François Linke François Linke – Index no. 523 The revolving top wi...

An exceptional Late 19th century Louis XV style gilt bronze mounted mahogany vitrine By François Linke A shaped marble top above a single central glazed door opening to a shelv...

A very fine French 19th/20th century Louis XV style oval gilt bronze-mounted mahogany, walnut and satinwood veneered parquetry occasional center table fitted with a frieze drawer, at...

French serving table by Francois Linke, Louis Quinze solid mahogany, slightly convex and concave-curved body, flanked by extended corner castors on tall, elegantly curved legs, belo...

A Louis XVI style parquetry centre table firmly attributed to François Linke Constructed in Kingwood, Tulipwood and Mahogany, with foliate inlay work, parquetry and Fine ormolu b...

A Fine Quality Ormolu Mounted Kingwood and Satiné Trellis Circular Center Table by François Linke Maker: François Linke (1855 - 1946) Origin: Paris, France Date: circa 1890’s S...

An Exceptionally Rare and Important Louis XV Style Gilt-Bronze Mounted Marquetry Inlaid Centre Table by François Linke, the Mounts Designed by Léon Messagé. Linke Index No. 930. Signed 'Linke' to the upper bronze moulding. Stamped 'FL' to the reverse of the bronze mounts. Stamped to the carcass 'Made in France’. Of exhibition quality this magnificent table has a fine marquetry inlaid top and sumptuous gilt-bronze mounts, designed and sculpted by Léon Messagé. The shaped gilt-bronze mounted serpentine top is finely inlaid with scrolling bois de bout floral marquetry, above an undulating frieze set to the front with a long drawer and centred by a female mask, the sides are mounted with exuberant scallop-shell mounts and the angles with lively and emotive female espagnolettes emblematic of Modestie and Coquetterie; the table is raised on cabriole legs terminating in shell-capped scrolled sabots. A rare example in Linke’s oeuvre, the table is a variation of a larger example index number 930, described by Linke as modèle riche, which included an elaborate stretcher with banner-bearing cherubs based on Léon Messagé's celebrated sculptural group 'La Source' (illustrated C. Payne, François Linke: The Belle Epoque of French Furniture, Woodbridge, 2003; p.172, Pl. 186). Linke workshop's cliché of the larger modèle riche is illustrated in C. Payne, François Linke: The Belle Epoque of French Furniture, Woodbridge, 2003; p.483. The exceptional sculptural mounts are characteristic of the very finest 19th Century furniture created through François Linke and Léon Messagé’s collaboration. Messagé’s enhanced Louis XV Rococo style embraces the asymmetrical lines of designers such as J.A. Meissonnier, to create lively and emotive figures linked by sinuous encadrement, but cleverly modernised to reflect the surge of popularity of the Art Nouveau. The female busts, referred to by Linke as Coquetterie et Modestie, although reminiscent of the paintings of François Boucher and Flaconet have moved on in their design from the classical espagnolette, introduced by Charles Cressent in the 18th century, to become something new and vital. Designed for the celebrated 'Commode coquille: Coquetterie et Modestie' (index 559), presented at his award-winning stand at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, (C. Payne, François Linke: The Belle Epoque of French Furniture, Woodbridge, 2003; p.142-144, pl. 151), Linke was obliged to purchase their design at a tremendous cost from Messagé. First castings began in 1897 and they proved fruitful for Linke, becoming a favourite mount, repurposed by Linke for use on a number of important designs. The larger version of the current table was intended to be displayed en suite with the commode but was not ready in time for the exhibition. It was first exhibited at the Salon des Industries du Mobilier in 1902, and again in Liège in 1905 (C. Payne, François Linke: The Belle Epoque of French Furniture, Woodbridge, 2003; p. 170-173). Available in three sizes, 132 cm x 72 cm, 138 x 75 cm and an even larger version (index no. 965) the design proved popular with Linke’s clientele, which included commissions supplied to Elias Meyer in 1909 (Illustrated C. Payne; p.243, pl. 258), Madame d’Astoreca in 1910, Antonio Devoto...

19th Century. French. Bronze-mounted. Signed Linke. Original marble top.