Clock Signed “linke” Paris

Clock from the late 19th/early 20th century, made of white marble and gilded mercury bronze. Porcelain dial.
Measurements: Height 61 cm; Width 39 cm; Depth 20 cm.

François Linke. Pankraz (Bohemia), 1855 – Paris, 1946. An important French cabinetmaker and bronzesmith of Czech origin, he arrived in Paris in 1875, where in 1881 he opened his atelier in Faubourg Saint Antoine. Before achieving success, he worked for other famous cabinetmakers, which explains the absence of works signed by him in his youth. He attended the School of Decorative Arts to perfect his drawing; around 1885, his encounter with the sculptor Léon Messagé developed his creativity, and gave rise to a truly fruitful collaboration. In his very rich production he was inspired by the models of the Ancien Régime (Louis XV and Louis XVI), to create a very personal style that was closer to the taste of his time, creatively mixing the suggestions of the Regency and the Rococo with the fluid forms of Art Nouveau; he thus obtained sumptuous and refined works, built in precious woods, rich in exuberant decorations in gilded bronze, lacquers, inlays, which demonstrate his incredible mastery and extraordinary attention to detail. His participation in the Universal Exhibition of Paris in 1900 with a bureau designed by the sculptor Léon Méssagé, made in bois de violette (also called king's wood, a particularly precious rosewood), decorated with bronzes in Louis XV style, made him famous internationally, and procured him a very high-level clientele, such as King Fouad of Egypt, who commissioned over 1200 pieces of furniture and artistic objects over the years. He moved to the prestigious Place Vendôme and his success continued until the Second World War.