BY FRANÇOIS LINKE, THE MOUNTED DESIGNED BY LEON MESSAGE, INDEX NUMBER 610 (BIS), PARIS, CIRCA 1900-1910

Details

A FRENCH ORMOLU-MOUNTED KINGWOOD, BOIS SATINE AND EBONY TEA TABLE
BY FRANÇOIS LINKE, THE MOUNTED DESIGNED BY LEON MESSAGE, INDEX NUMBER 610 (BIS), PARIS, CIRCA 1900-1910
The serpentine molded upper-tier with lift-off glazed tray supported by four cherubic tritons and pierced trellises supported by dolphins, the lower tier above a shaped-frieze set with masks and trophies emblematic of the seasons, on cabriole legs, the support to the glass tray signed F. Linke
37 in. (94 cm.) high, 32 in. (81.5 cm.) wide, 22 ¾ in. (58 cm.) deep

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Lot Essay

Linke's index no. 610 bis belongs to a series of excessively popular tables à thé produced by the firm during the early 20th century. The original design - 'Table à thé Louis XV' - was first conceived in conjunction with fifteen other models to be displayed in Linke's award-winnfing stand at the 1900 Paris Exposition universelle and effectively showcased the collaboration between the sculptor, Léon Messagé (C. Payne, François Linke: The Belle Epoque of French Furniture, Woodbridge, 2003, p. 143).
The present variant, referenced as 610 bis, appears less frequently than its simplified counterparts, and the elaborate pierced bronzes supporting the removable tray relate most closely to those on Linke's 'Table à thé Régence', index no. 1477, supplied to Nussinoff in 1907 and Elias Meyer for his Grosvenor Square residence in 1909 (op. cit p. 239).

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