Object History
Defined by its exquisite inlay-work of precious timbers and finely wrought gilt-bronze mountings this commode is exemplary of François Linke’s production. In the tradition of the finest ébénistes of the period Linke derived the model from an eighteenth century forebearer, Jean-Henri Riesener, who was ébéniste de Roi to King Louis XVI of France. Riesener’s commode is preserved in the château de Fontainebleau and part of France’s national art collection. Riesener’s commode was so admired and famous in the nineteenth century that the great ébénistes of the day replicated it with phenomenal exactitude. Replicas are recorded firstly by Charles-Guillaume Winckelsen and his successor Henry Dasson, and later in the nineteenth century by Alfred Beurdeley, as in the case of the present example, François Linke.
A popular model in Linke’s oeuvre, he produced a number of variations in different sizes, under index numbers 10, 104, 886, 1036 and 1437. The present example is Index no. 10 which at 170 cm wide is identical to the original Reisener model. Linke had himself acquired the rights to make this commode by purchasing a set of patterns for this model from the workshop sale of the ébéniste Cueunières in November 1902 for 209 francs.
The importance of the model in the canon for French furniture cannot be overstated. The central marquetry panel is a still-life of a vase and ewer beside a basket overflowing with fruit. It is an allusion to the mythological excesses of Bacchus. This is part of the neoclassical design of the whole which has come to characterise what is referred to as ‘the Louis XVI style’. The distinctive repetition of stylised rosette and interlaced lattice work parquetry, punctuated by fine floral marquetry panels and gilt-bronze mounts, is redolent of some of the most celebrated examples of Riesener’s oeuvre. Related commodes by Riesener famously include an example returned to Versailles in 1999 following its acquisition at auction in London for a record price of £7 million.
With reference to other nineteenth century versions of this important model, this example by François Linke is most highly prized by collectors because Linke’s name, as the most famous ébéniste of the Belle Epoque, adds considerable cachet and therefore value.
