A Louis XVI Style Gilt-Bronze-Mounted Mahogany Vitrine Cabinet

Object Description

A Louis XVI Style Gilt-Bronze-Mounted Mahogany Vitrine Cabinet, By François Linke, Paris.

The inset Brêche d’Alep marble top above a Vitruvian scroll mounted frieze with foliated swags and a plaque of playful putti. The glazed door and sides enclosing a mirrored back and pale green silk lined interior with three adjustable glass shelves. The door with a relief-cast gilt bronze plaque of Venus. On cabriole legs.

The lockplate stamped ‘CT. LINKE, SERRURERIE,PARIS’.

France, Circa 1890.

Object History

François Linke (1855-1946)

François Linke was the most celebrated ébéniste of the late 19th and early 20th-century Belle Époque period. His furniture is highly prized for its exceptional craftsmanship and refined design. Like many of his contemporaries, Linke produced pieces reviving the French historical styles of Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI. However, he also pioneered entirely new designs in collaboration with the sculptor Léon Messagé. Described as Le Style Linke, these creations blend Rococo exuberance with the fluidity of Art Nouveau and were unveiled to great acclaim at the 1900 Paris International Exhibition.

Object Literature

Payne, Christopher, ‘François Linke 1855-1946: The Belle Epoque of French Furniture’, Antique Collectors’ Club, (Woodbridge, UK), 2003.

Object Details