François Linke 1855-1946, Style Display Cabinet In Veneer And Gilt Bronze, Fbg St Antoine Late 19th Century

Elegant transitional style display cabinet in mahogany, veneer and floral marquetry, it opens with a glass door on the front, the whole enhanced with chiseled and gilded bronzes decorated with female masks, musical attributes, trophies, torches and quivers, young satyrs and friezes of laurel branches. Curved base, beveled glass on three sides, interior with two glass shelves, top in Aleppo breccia marble. Work of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine circa 1890-1900. Stamped twice with iron "Linke". The display case we are offering is in a rather remarkable state of preservation, the bronzes have been patinated by time, for a more flashy display case we can offer a complete cleaning on estimate.*François Linke is a French cabinetmaker of Austrian origin (born in 1855 in Pankraz in Bohemia, and died in Paris in 1946). He was undoubtedly the greatest Parisian cabinetmaker of his time. Having served as an apprentice in his hometown of Pankraz, in Bohemia, Linke settled in Paris in 1875 and created his own workshops at 170, rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine in 1881. There he produced furniture inspired by the different styles of the Ancien Régime.*By 1900, his reputation as one of the great masters of high-quality furniture was made. However, it was his participation in the 1900 Paris World's Fair that marked the peak of his career. In a setting of furnished rooms, Linke exhibited a collection of extraordinary pieces, including a Grand Bureau, which earned him a gold medal. Critics praised him, including Charles Dambreuse, who commented: "The Linke exhibition was the major event in the history of art furniture in the year 1900" (see C. Dambreuse, "Industrial Art at the Exhibition of Style Furniture - MF Linke", in Revue Artistique & Industrielle, Paris, July-August, 1900). The immense international success that Linke achieved at the 1900 exhibition gave him great financial stability, allowing him to establish himself in immense apartments on the prestigious Place Vendôme, but also to explore new, often distant markets by participating in numerous international exhibitions. Among these the Universal Exhibition of Saint-Louis in 1904 which earned him the gold medal again, the exhibition of Liège in 1905 and the Franco-British exhibition of London in 1908. He thus became the supplier of the greatest families throughout the world. Linke furnished the residences of sovereigns such as King Fouad I of Egypt, billionaires such as Raphael de Lamar in New York, the Bolivian tin king, Simon Patino or Count Devoto. Like his prestigious colleagues, Beurdeley or Dasson, Linke created many pieces of furniture inspired by the different styles of the 18th century. His most extraordinary pieces are a combination of the Louis XV style and the Art Nouveau style, giving them a very great originality. Linke owes much in this to his fruitful collaboration with the famous sculptor Léon Messagé.*In 1904, Linke was made an officer of Public Instruction, and in 1905 he was a member of the jury at the Liège exhibition.*After his successes at the Saint-Louis exhibition in 1904 and that of Liège in 1905, he received the highest French distinction, the cross of the Legion of Honour in 1906.Christopher Payne "François Linke 1855-1946 The Belle Epoque of French Furniture