François Linke French, 1855 - 1946 A rare gilt bronze-mounted kingwood, satiné, satinwood and fruitwood marquetry table étagère Paris, circa 1923, variant to index number 610

one chute signed F. Linke, the front and back each fitted with a sliding serving shelf

Christopher Payne, François Linke 1855 – 1946 The Belle Époque of French Furniture, 2003, p. 145, pl. 152 and p. 494.

Overall in good condition and presentation with the usual minor hairline scratches and minute nicks to veneers and carcass consistent with age and use. Tarnishing to gilt-bronze in places also consistent with age and atmospheric conditions through the years. Bottom tier with some vertical scratches, can be professionally sanded down for restoration.
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.

According to the information in the Linke registre, the present lot may well be a unique commission for Ethel Pissis, the American divorcé from San Francisco who married François Linke’s second son Charles in March 1931. Like many American’s at the time and now, the Pissis family were great Francophiles and both Ethel’s father and grandfather spent considerable time in Paris in the 1920s. Dr. Jose Pissis was one of the most influential and prolific architects in San Francisco at the peak of his fame at the time of the earthquake and subsequent fire of 1904 and the family ordered a series of pieces from Linke including what must surely be the present lot, Commande 2463, started in 1923. Marked in the Linke registre as ‘suivant indication spéciales, 2 tablettes tirants, deux dessus marqueterie pas de plateau glace’ it would seem to be a very specific order and probably unique, made at a cost of 7,275 French francs. First made between in 1904, this was one of Linke’s most sought after models, the more common example titled ‘Table Louis XV régence violette et quadrilles satiné, avec filets, plateau glace mobile, entrejambe Cupidon’ . In typical Linke manner he uses the same corner chutes and upper supports with intricate foliate mounts following the serpentine frieze, the chutes also repeated on a table number 168. An earlier variation of this type of table was made by Linke as index number 610, with a removable glass tray top and no stretcher. The supports for the top were also used on number 610, exhibited at the Gold Medal winning Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900.

Footnote courtesy of Christopher Payne.