BY FRANÇOIS LINKE, MOUNTS DESIGNED BY LEON MESSAGE, INDEX NO. 620 (BIS), CIRCA 1900

The present pair of commodes draw heavily on Linke's celebrated furnishings for the 1900 and 1905 Paris and Liège exhibitions. Linke's famous Commode Louis XV Figaro: Scène du Barbier de Séville (index number 553) and Commode coquille: Coquetterie et Modestie (index number 559) informed Linke's signature style at the 1900, featuring expressive mounts designed by the sculptor and frequent collaborator, Léon Messagé. The designs ultimately became the cornerstone of the cabinetmaker's gold medal stand aand inspired subsequent forms, such as the present lot. Messagé's designs for the dolphin bursting from bulrush and central mask of the wily Count Almaviva were almost certainly part of Linke's purchase of the renderings from the sculptor circa 1897. Though acquired at a tremendous cost, the purchase proved fruitful for Linke and the mounts, including the busts of Coquetterie et Modestie, have long been considered favorites of the celebrated cabinetmaker.
The first entry for this specific form of commode appears in the Linke Blue régistre in 1898, with a production cost of 1,026 francs, and retailed at 1,400. Linke created variations of this commode, some simpler in ornamentation such as the example illustrated in C. Payne, François Linke: The Belle Epoque of French Furniture, Woodbridge, 2003 p. 417.