A French gilt-bronze-mounted ebony inlaid harewood, burr wood, stained fruitwood and marquetry centre table by François Linke, after the model by Jean-Henri Riesener, Paris in Louis XVI style, circa 1900

the rectangular gilt-bronze-banded top with curved corners inlaid with the figures of Urania and Calliope above a frieze drawer, the reverse and sides with a marquetry panel inlaid with putti emblematic of the Arts and Sciences on tapering legs, each corner with an acanthus mount issuing scrolled acanthus and foliage, on toupie feet, stamped FL to the reverse of the mounts

In overall good conserved condition. Old very minor marks, chips and scratches to the top. There are some very minor restorations to marquetry and very slight bubbling to veneer in a few places. The mounts are well cast with very minor surface dirt and verde gris which can be easily cleaned off. With partially illegible inventory number underneath.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Comparative Literature:
Pierre Arizzoli-Clémentel,Versailles,Furniture of the Royal Palace, 17th and 18th centuries, Vol. 2, Dijon, 2002, pp. 92-96, no. 27.
Denise Ledoux-Lebard, Le mobilier français du XIXe siècle, Paris,1989, p. 439.
Christopher Payne, François Linke,1855-1946, the Belle Epoque of French Furniture, Woodbridge, 2003, where a selection from the glass negatives or clichés in the Linke Archive, illustrates an identical model to the offered lot, p.490, number 251.

This superbly executed centre table with finely cast gilt-bronze mounts and marquetry is based upon the mechanical table commissioned by Pierre-Elisabeth de Fontanieu, for his use in the Hôtel du Garde-Meuble, Paris, in 1771 by Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806), illustrated by Arizzoli-Clémentel, op. cit., p. 92, now in the Petit Trianon at Versailles. It was one of the first deliveries made by Riesener to the Garde-Meuble before he became its principal supplier in 1774. The top is decorated with the figures of Astronomy and Geometry, hence its name of `table of the Muses'.

The table was reproduced in the 19th and 20th centuries by leading cabinet-makers such as Linke and Beurdeley. The present lot by François Linke is listed under the index number 251.The first example by Linke is in Blue Daybook ranging from index number 1 to 390 dates to circa 1894. The table was available as a direct copy of the original example or with a marble top. There exists a watercolour design Index number 564 in the Linke Archive depicting Linke's modernization of the table using it a a writing desk  with the unusual feature of a built-in candelabrum attached to the gilt-bronze gallery.

See an identical table from A Private Collection, Important French Furniture and Decorations including Signed Furniture and other items from the Linke Family Private Collection, Volume I, Sotheby's, New York, 26th October 2006, lot 201 ($39,000).

François Linke (1855-1946):
Linke was born on 17^th June 1855 in the small village of Pankraz, in what is now the Czech Republic. He arrived in Paris in 1875 and set up an independent workshop at 170, Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine in 1881 and during this time he supplied furniture for other better established makers such as Jansen and Krieger. He later also had premises at  26, place Vendome. It is perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of Linke’s personal history that he produced such expensive and luxurious furniture of exquisite quality for the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle without any commission or any potential buyer in mind. He was unsurpassed for his individualism and inventiveness which was unrivalled by his contemporaries. A frequent collaborator for his designs was the celebrated sculptor Léon Messagé. 

He embarked on many important commissions in the years up to the outbreak of the first world war, making and designing furniture for leading industrialists and bankers. He is thought to have supplied furniture to the Kaiser. After the war, he took on the extraordinary commission to furnish the Ras al-Tin Palace in Alexandria for King Fuad of Egypt. He exhibited at the World’s Fair in St. Louis in 1904 and in other parts of the world including South America and received the Legion d'Honneur in 1906. He flourished and remained active until the middle years of the 1930's and died in 1946.