François Linke French, 1855 - 1946 A large and fine gilt bronze mounted kingwood and quarter-veneered satine vitrine Paris, early 20th century, index number 966

signed F. Linke to the mount overlaying the proper right hand glazed door

The glass-fronted vitrine became popular in Paris in the 1880s and was one of the first items that Linke made in his workshop when he started in Paris in 1881. Called by Linke a vitrine, armoire or a bibliotheque, the three uses appear to be almost interchangeable in his parlance. Due to the high costs of manufacture, the first models he made were single door until his first double-door example in circa 1900-1901. Indeed his detailed records show that in his early years in the 1880s Linke sold the vitrines without glass, as it was too expensive for him to purchase. 

A similar large three door vitrine, possibly a variation of index number 521, with elaborate marquetry panels on the flanking doors, was sold Sotheby's New York 19th April 2013 lot 75 ($125,000).

Footnote courtesy of Christopher Payne.