H: 57 in / 145 cm | W: 55 in / 139 cm | D: 18 in / 45 cm
Description
A Bois Citronnier Meuble d'Entre Deux
By François Linke
Constructed from satiné quarter-veneered bois citronnier, with rosewood crossbanding and ormolu mounts, the rectangular cabinet of slight breakfront proportions supported on tapering feet, the central lemonwood door dressed with a bronze mask of Apollo and a running guilloche frieze, the flanking doors and sides veneered in conforming manner; above, the pink marble platform supported on a moulded top applied with a laurel leaf. Signed "F. Linke."
France, circa 1900
François Linke (1855-1946) is considered to be one of the finest ébénistes and bronziers of the 19th century at a time when the worldwide influence of French fashion was at its height.
Specialising in the style of the ancien régime and modifying the proportions of the eighteenth century to suit the smaller Parisian apartments, he was an exhibitor at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900, where he was a Gold Medal winner par excellence for his extraordinary and innovative display. His worldwide reputation as a master of high individualism and inventiveness earned him the highest distinction of France, the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur.
