A Louis XVI style gilt-bronze mounted mahogany cabinet by François Linke, index number 684, late 19th century, after Adam Weisweiler

Related literature :

C. Payne, François Linke, 1855-1946 - The Belle Epoque of French Furniture, Woodbridge, 2003, p. 247, pl. 262

According to Christopher Payne, the cabinet-on-stand bearing inventory number 684 was originally created by Beurdeley, before being copied and later modified into a complementary vitrine by François Linke. One example of both pieces was supplied to Elias Meyer for his Grosvenor Square mansion (see Payne, op. cit., 2003, p. 247, pl. 262 for a period photograph showing the furniture in situ). After Meyer's death in 1926, Linke repurchased the pieces, which were subsequently sold to the King of Egypt towards the end of the 1920s.

Similar models have appeared at auction, including one from the “Collection d’un Grand Industriel Portugais” sale at Hôtel Drouot, Paris, on 21 March 2012 (lot 63, sold for €66,000), and another at Christie’s, London, on 29 March 2007 (lot 84, sold for £57,600).

François Linke (1855–1946)

Born on June 17, 1855, in the small village of Pankraz, François Linke is considered perhaps the most important Parisian cabinetmaker of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Trained in what is now the Czech Republic, he moved to Paris in 1875 and established his own workshop in 1881 at 170, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, later opening a prestigious showroom at 26, Place Vendôme.

Linke’s business flourished, with his workshops producing luxurious furniture of exceptional quality, crafted from the finest materials. His international clientele, composed of wealthy patrons, played a key role in his growing reputation—especially following his highly acclaimed presentation at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, where he was awarded a gold medal. He also exhibited at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and in several other locations, including South America.

Linke remained active until the mid-1930s and passed away in 1946. In 1906, in recognition of his artistic achievement and commercial success, he was awarded France’s highest honor: the Croix de la Légion d’Honneur.