Description
François Linke 1855-1946
Index number 94
A fine rosewood & ormolu mounted table vitrine. The bevelled glazed top with ormolu trim, opening to reveal the original velvet lined interior. The shaped sides each with inset glazed panels, the four slender cabriole legs mounted with acanthus cast knees and sabots. Retaining the original gilding to the finely cast and chased mounts. Lockplate with original key, lock stamped ‘CT Linke Serrurerie Paris 94’.
Height 28 2/4″ (73cm)
Width 27 5/8″ (70.2cm)
Depth 16 3/8″ (40.5cm)
French
Circa 1900
François Linke was undoubtedly the most important Parisian ébéniste of his time. Having served an apprenticeship in his home town of Pankraz, Bohemia, Linke arrived in Paris in 1875 and set up an independent workshops at 170, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine in 1881 and later also at 26, Place Vendôme.
By the time of the 1900 Exposition Universelle, working with Léon Messagé, the celebrated sculptor, Linke’s worldwide reputation as a master of high individualism and inventiveness was already established and unmatched by his contemporaries. His success at the 1900 Exhibition Universelle afforded Linke a degree of financial stability and allowed him to pursue new markets by exhibiting at subsequent international fairs.
At the turn of the century, Linke had moved from reproducing works by the ‘old masters’ to develop his own unique style, combining elements of the rococo with the latest fashions in art nouveau, to create what became termed ‘le style Linke’. Linke’s work was met with critical acclaim at the 1900 Exposition Universelle, Paris, where he was awarded a gold medal.
In 1904, he was made Officier de l’Instruction publique, and in 1905 he was called to be a member of the Jury of the Liège exhibition. Following his stands in the St.Louis (USA) exhibition in 1904 and the Liège exhibition in 1905, Linke was decorated with the highest distinction of France, the « Croix de la Légion d’Honneur », on October 11, 1906.
