Description
Francois Linke 1855-1946 Index No 1712
A fine quality, early 20th century Louis XVI style, mahogany & ormolu mounted ‘table de nuit’, by Francois Linke. The original breche violette marble top inset a reeded border with ormolu cross ties, above a mahogany lined frieze drawer and a single door enclosing a marble interior. The four panelled sides quarter veneered, standing on turned tapering fluted legs united by a shaped platform stretcher and toupee feet. Dressed in finely chased ormolu, retaining the original gilding. Corner garrya drop mounts inscribed ‘FL’ to reverse from the master moulds. The underside of the marble ‘1712’. A pencil inscription to the drawer ‘In 1712 Linke’
Height 32 1/2″ (82.5cm)
Width 17 3/4″ (45cm)
Depth 14 1/2″ (37cm)
French
Circa 1922
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. Today, as in the past, 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.The technical brilliance of his work and the artistic change that it represented has never been repeated.
