A Very Fine French 19th-Early 20th Century Louis XV Style Mahogany, Tulipwood, Parquetry and Ormolu Mounted Oval Gueridon Side Table with a Brêche Violette marble top, attributed to François Linke (1855-1946). The inset oval Brêche Violette marble top with a gilt-bronze surround, above a lozenge parquetry frieze with foliate ormolu mounts, with a drawer to one side, on cabriole legs headed by clasps and joined by an 'X'-shaped stretcher centered by a foliate finial, on scroll sabots. Unsigned. Circa: Paris, 1900.
François Linke (1855-1946) was one of the most celebrated ébénistes of his time. Born in Pankraz, Bohemia, Linke moved to Paris in 1875 and six years later established independent ateliers at 170, rue de Faubourg St. Antoine. As was the practice among contemporaries and noteworthy predecessors, such as Alfred Beurdeley and Henry Dasson, Linke initially produced furniture derived from styles popular during the 18th century ancien régime. By 1900, his worldwide reputation as an individualistic master of high quality furniture was already established. However, with a huge display, placing his extravagant pieces in room settings and winning the Médaille d'Or for his Grand Bureau, Linke's participation in the Paris 1900 exhibition was to be the pinnacle of his career, and prompted critics, such as Charles Dambreuse, to comment: L'Exposition de la maison Linke est le gros événement de l'histoire du meuble d'art en l'an de grâce 1900 (see C. Dambreuse, L'Art Industriel à l'Exposition de Meuble de Style - M. F. Linke, in Revue Artistique & Industrielle, Paris, July-August, 1900). Linke's international acclaim following the 1900 exhibition afforded him a high degree of financial stability, not only allowing him to establish a large showroom on the fashionable place Vendôme, but also to pursue new and further distant markets by exhibiting at other international shows. These included the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, where he was again awarded a gold medal, Liège in 1905 and the Franco-British exhibition in London in 1908. Some of Linke's early productions were neither signed or stamped.
Please click here to view another almost identical table on which, in turn, will make a great looking pair of side or end tables.
François Linke (1855-1946) born in Pankraz, Bohemia, is considered by many as the greatest Parisian cabinetmaker of his day, at a time when the worldwide influence of French fashion was at its height. The ancien régime has always been the greatest source of inspiration for artistic design in France and, influenced amongst others by the de Goncourt brothers, the Louis XV and Louis XVI styles were revived to wide popular appeal. During the Second Empire these styles were so eclectic that they became debased. Linke wanted to create a fresh new style and his association with the enigmatic sculptor Léon Messagé resulted in a highly original series of designs, based on the rococo style fused with the latest fashion in Paris, l’art nouveau. This style, known as le style Linke, was received with critical acclaim at the 1900 exhibition and remains popular today amongst the worldwide clientele for Linke’s exquisitely made furniture.
The book, with 140,000 words of text and over 700 photographs, many previously unpublished and drawn from Linke’s own archive and private collections, has ten chapters showing the development of this exacting and prolific man’s life work. It traces his early life and apprenticeship and his comfortable family life in Paris, culminating with the award of the Légion d’honneur. Appendices on Metalwork and Wood add to the technical expertise of this book, giving a unique insight into the workings of any cabinetmakers recorded to date.
Jan's & Co. Fine French Antiques, Inc. wishes to thank Mr. Christopher Payne for allowing us to publish his biography as well as all the above information about François Linke.
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