François Linke 1855 - 1946 A GILT BRONZE MOUNTED KINGWOOD AND SATINÉ TRELLIS AND BASKET WOVEN PARQUETRY CIRCULAR CENTER TABLE Paris, circa 1890s

the frieze fitted with one drawer.

Christopher Payne,  François Linke 1855 – 1946 The Belle Époque of French Furniture, Antique Collectors Club, Woodbridge, 2003, p. 234, pl. 731. for an example of a table now attributed to Linke with the same mounts and style of veneer.

Overall in good condition. With a later glass top, the guards of which have left approximately six small marks.
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.

Linke made a wide range of small tables which were perfectly suited for the new social conditions and limited space of the  Paris bourgeoisie at the end of the nineteenth century.  Linke himself commented at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle that they were taking orders for and selling many small tables.  Surprisingly for such a popular model there is no individual photograph of the present lot in Linke's photographic archive although it can be seen in the enfilade of rooms in one of the Linke showrooms at the Place Vendome.  This photograph shows that the present lot was available before 1903; it is most probably a very early Linke model of the 1880s when no photographs were taken and sketches in Linke's pocket book were crude or simply non-existent.  The model for the present lot may be an adaptation of the Louis XV model number 146 in a Louis XV/Louis XVI Transitional style.  The mount to the frieze, with a bacchic female mask held by cornucopia is on a table en chiffonniere attributed to Weisweiler in the Wallace Collection (F328) with mounts by Rémond, circa 1784-9, and on the pair of tables also by Weisweiler  circa 1785-7 (F318/319).  It is believed that Dominique Daguerre the marchand mercier owned the models of the mounts and that Rémond executed them because the mask is also found on a chest of drawers in the Royal Collection stamped by Carlin.  The original master models of both mounts are now held in the Linke Archive.

Catalogue note courtesy of Christopher Payne