BY FRANCOIS LINKE, PARIS, LATE 19TH CENTURY

Among Linke's illustrious register of clientele was Egypt's King Fuad I, for whom the prolific ébéniste produced an example of the present pedestal for the King's study at Ras al-Tin in Alexandria. The refurbishing of this extraordinary palace was a unique opportunity for Linke, who was commissioned to supply a large portion of the furniture and decorations (C. Payne, François Linke, 1855-1946, The Belle Epoque of French Furniture, Woodbridge, 2003, pp. 287-291). A single pedestal of the same model was sold Christie's, New York, 20 April 2006, lot 125 ($38,400).