BY FRANCOIS LINKE, INDEX NUMBER 131, THE MOUNTS DESIGNED BY LEON MESSAGE, PARIS, CIRCA 1900

With its delicate cabriole legs and exquisitely chased mounts, this rare vitrine table is a fine example of Linke's collaboration with the sculptor Léon Messagé, with whom the ébéniste frequently partnered to create many of his most celebrated pieces. Linke produced a number of these charming display tables in 75 cm. and 100 cm. widths, the first of which was produced in the early 1890s and the last for the English retailer of Maple in 1919. (C. Payne, European Furniture of the 19th Century, Woodbridge, 2013, p. 247). Considered one of his favorite designs, Linke later re-envisioned the table as a jardinière in watercolor preparation drawings for an anonymous client, though no record exists in the Linke Archive which confirms the piece was ever executed (C. Payne, François Linke 1855-1946, The Belle Epoque of French Furniture, Woodbridge, 2003, p. 441, pl. 519.