F. Linke, State Console Table, France, Circa 1890

Height : 90 cm ; Width : 180 cm ; Depth : 63.5 cm

Beautiful, stately Regency-style console table carved from gilded wood. The base rests on four double-curved legs, whose movement is accentuated by abundant carving of veined acanthus leaves. These plant motifs follow the curve of the wood and extend into robust scrolls, giving the piece an impression of controlled suppleness and monumentality. The piece is stabilized by an X-shaped brace, whose sinuous arms meet at the center via volutes forming a large, finely carved palm, revealing here the full dexterity of its cabinetmaker.

The gilded wooden band, ingeniously openwork in a rigorously symmetrical composition characteristic of the Regency style, displays a rich floral decoration where the material is perfectly mastered. Vigorous acanthus scrolls punctuated by cascades and garlands of flowers run beneath the rim of the top. In the center, a mascaron featuring a gentle female face carved in high relief emerges from the flowers. The piece is topped by a molded “Fleur de Pêcher” marble top with a scalloped edge.

Biography :

François Linke, born in 1855 in Bohemia (Czechoslovakia), worked as a cabinet-maker in Paris from about 1882 until his death in 1946. In 1900, at the apex of his career, he opened a new shop at the famous Parisian place Vendôme. He specialized in Louis XV and Louis XVI style furniture: all pieces were beautifully mounted with gilt-bronze ornaments, and he received numerous commissions. Later Linke decided to collaborate with the well-known sculptor Léon Messagé and integrated new lines and shapes announcing the “Art Nouveau” style. His great success is definitely the 1900 Universal Exhibition where he was awarded the gold medal for his extraordinary kingwood desk, designed by Messagé. At this occasion, the “Revue artistique et industrielle” commented that “Linke’s stand is the biggest show in the history of art furniture”.