François Linke French, 1855 - 1946 A Louis XV style gilt bronze mounted kingwood console Paris, late 19th century, index number 153

surmounted by a brèche violette marble top, one chute signed Linke

Christopher Payne, François Linke 1855 – 1946 The Belle Époque of French Furniture, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2003, p. 55, the model illustrated

Overall in good condition and presentation with the usual minor hairline scratches and minute nicks to veneers and carcass consistent with age and use. Two small areas of restoration to the veneer on the inner legs. Tarnishing to gilt-bronze in places also consistent with age and atmospheric conditions through the years. The marble with the usual minute chips to edges, light scratches to surface consistent with age and use, due to placing object on top. The surface of the marble has several filled veins, the purple filler is visible, but is missing in some small areas. There is a chip detached from the proper left hand side back corner, it is present and available in a bag. We would advise the buyer to wax and French polish the veneers to nourish the wood and bring back the former color to this piece of furniture.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This original console table, with a mandolin player centering the stretcher and rococo acanthus mounts, although designed in the Louis XV style, is not fully developed in combining this style with the Art Nouveau style for which François Linke is renowned. Here Linke drew his inspiration from the extravagant Rococo creations of François de Cuvilliés (1695-1968) that can be seen in the engravings of Johann Michael Hoppenhaut in the 1750's.

Franҫois Linke (1855-1946) 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 independent workshops at 170, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine in 1881 and later also at 26, Place Vendôme. By the time of the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle, 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 afforded Linke a high degree of financial stability and allowed him to pursue new markets by exhibiting at subsequent international fairs. Like the inventories of contemporaries such as Beurdeley and Dasson, Linke's oeuvre included copies and adaptations of the distinct styles of eighteenth century important and royal French furniture. However his most extravagant exhibition pieces combined the Louis XV style with the new Art Nouveau style. Linke's frequent collaborator for his designs was the celebrated sculptor Léon Messagé.  In 1904, he was made Officier de L’ Iinstruction 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 (U.S.A.) 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.