ITEM LOCATED IN FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, 33304, USA
Flat Desk : Height : 76 cm (30 in.) ; Length : 141 cm (55.5 in.) ; Depth : 81 cm (31.8 in.). Bookcase : Height : 160 cm (63 in.) ; Length : 151 cm (60 in.) ; Depth : 49 cm (19.3 in.)
Signed Linke on each
wood veneer, gilt bronze
Circa 1890
A Regence style bureau plat, in wood veneer, opening with three frieze drawers. Chiseled ormolu mounts representing acanthus leaves and satyr masks. Assorted bookcase, wood veneered, opening with two glazed doors framed by a wood ribbon. Bent sides with wood cube motif parquetry.
Francois 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 Vendome. 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 Leon Message 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 Message. At this occasion, the Revue artistique et industrielle commented that Linke s stand is the biggest show in the history of art furniture.
This flat desk and its matching bookcase are very close to François Linke’s personal furniture presented in his personal office (in François Linke (1855-1946), The Belle Epoque of French Furniture, Ch. Payne, back cover illustration)
Item located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, please contact us if you want to make an appointment to see the item.

Good condition