BY FRANÇOIS LINKE, INDEX NUMBER 1605, PARIS, EARLY 20TH CENTURY

A virtuoso mélange of 18th century form and 19th century exuberance, this exquisite commode is among the most unique creations in the œuvre of the celebrated cabinetmaker, François Linke. Its unusually curvaceous silhouette, rich central panel of a landscape with a radiant sunburst and grotesque-form frieze mounts distinguish the cabinet from much of Linke’s work. The model was first made by cabinetmaker Georges-François Alix (1846-1906), who was known to have designed his own pieces of furniture which were celebrated for their precise construction and rich marquetry panels (D. Ledoux-Lebard, Le Mobilier français du XIXe Siècle, Paris, 1984, p. 25.) Alix also made bronzes for Linke, and bequeathed his bronze models to the famed École Boulle in Paris, suggesting that his œuvre continued to be referenced by his Parisian confreres after his death (D. Ledoux-Lebard, op. cit., p. 25).

In his study of Linke’s work, Christopher Payne illustrates a cliché – index number 1605 – of a nearly identical commode by the master, known as a Meuble Soleil, (C. Payne, François Linke: The Belle Époque of French Furniture, Woodbridge, 2003, p. 436.) Payne indicates that Linke purchased a completed version of this model from Alix, and went on to make at least four similar commodes himself (C. Payne, op. cit., p. 436). A pair of nearly identical commodes by Linke sold Sotheby’s, London, 2 October 1998, lot 280 (£125,000).