François Linke 1855 - 1946 A LOUIS XV STYLE STAINED BEECHWOOD AND PARCEL GILT NINE-PIECE SALON SET Paris, early 20th century

comprising a settee, two armchairs and six side chairs, all pieces stamped LINKE.  Original silk velvet brocade upholstery now heavily deteriorated. 

All pieces of sitting furniture are sturdy, but overall with the usual chips and nicks to frames. Loss to gilt highlights towards frames. The upholstery can be considered a total loss and will need to be replaced.
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.

Seating furniture from the Linke workshops is the most complex part of his output to analyze.  He produced a wide range of salon sets in all the major styles, including Louis XIV , Louis XV and Louis XVI styles as well as pieces in Gothic Revival and even Art Deco.  However, the records for the production of these pieces are not as complete, most likely because the bulk of Linke’s training and trade was in cabinet-making.  Seat furniture production was an entirely different specialization that required specific training and a lengthy apprenticeship separate from cabinet-making.  It had changed very little since the eighteenth century:  chair makers, or menuisiers en meubles. worked in the traditional manner in beechwood, almost exactly as they had one hundred years ago.  Certainly, Linke would have possessed extensive knowledge of chair making and applied his typical exacting standards, as is evident in the present lot, but it is almost certain that the seating sold by Linke was produced by craftsmen who rented bench space in his workshops.  This occurrence would further explain the fact that Linke’s normally meticulous records are not as thorough for this type of material. 

A photographic record of the present lot has not been located in the archives, however this is not an unusual occurance:  special commissions often failed to be recorded due to the haste associated with custom orders.   A second explanation for the lack of a photograph is that the extraordinarily expensive material necessitated that the pieces be upholstered in a separate workshop, where it would have gone directly to the client before Linke had a chance to photograph it.  The closest comparison to a design recorded in the archive is a chair, index number 2457 which does not display the charmingly exaggerated rococo waist present on the back of the present lot, nor the parcel gilt highlights on the sculptural detail which imitate gilt bronze.

Catalogue note courtesy of Christopher Payne.