A THREE LEAVES GILT-BRONZE KINGWOOD VENEER FOLDING SCREEN, BY FRANÇOIS LINKE, CIRCA 1903-1909, INDEX NUMBER 705 |

signed Linke on a border; (wears to the upholstery)

Payne, Christopher François Linke 1855-1946 The Belle Époque of French Furniture, pp. 159-160; pl. 170; pl. 190. Updated information on Linke can be seen in Payne, Paris, La quintessence du meuble au XIXe siècle, Éditions Monelle Hayot, 2018

The illustration of the catalogue is accurate. Good overall condition. The gilding of the mounts is tarnished and would benefit from a gentle cleaning. The upholstery has been removed on the illustrated side and there is still the pink silk panels underneath. The side at the reverse is still upholstered with cream silk damas which is distressed. Highly rare model with an impeccable provenance.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Linke's title for this screen in his hand-written price list confirms that it was intended to be seen as a part of the important group of twenty-four pieces of his furniture designed for the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900 that coincided with the Olympic Games bringing some fifty-one million people to the city. This is reinforced by the carefully scripted entry in the green registre 'Paravent LXV Pièce d'Exposition'. Unfortunately, due to the sheer man-hours needed to create such an array, his craftsmen only finished sixteen for the stand at the fair on time, including the small work table, lot 177 in today's sale, Linke's table À ouvrage "Coquille,". The items not ready in 1900 were exhibited as soon as possible over the next few years, starting with the Salon des Industries du Mobilier in 1902, the screen number 705 seemingly not shown until the World Fair at St. Louis in 1904. Although the outline and detail in this screen is clearly looking back to the traditional themes of rocaille that were first seen under the Regence in the 1720s, this style has become eternally linked with that of the reign of Louis XV and was the underlying theme of Linke's Gold Medal winning stand in 1900. However there is a clear evidence of the hand of Léon Messagé in the pieces exhibited and also in the present lot. Messagé had been an independent sculptor working in Paris in the 1880s designing for Roux et Brunet as well as Zwiener who was thought to be Linke's German 'master' in his early days in Paris in the 1880s. Messagé's undoubted talent as an inventive modernizer of the much loved Louis XV style which he so cleverly blended with contemporary art nouveau, was somewhat marred by his affinity to a chopin of wine. However Linke appears to have been able to harness the sculptors' talent and behaviour to produce a spectacular array of innovative and instantly recognisable furniture. 

The first evidence of a version of this screen being ready can be seen in a contemporary photograph of Linke's stand at the 1904 St. Louis World Fair.

It appears that only three versions of the original three-fold screen were made, 1903, 1907 & 1908, with a simplified version in 1909. Two larger four-fold versions were made to special order in 1918-1920. The Blue Daybook shows that the plaster models were started in July 1900 but the writhing dragon not finished until May 1901 by which time several master casts had been made. The total payment to Messagé and his team of three sculptors/modellers was 2,822 francs, more than 25% of the total cost of making the first screen. 

The present lot, coming as it does directly from the Linke family on the female line has never been restored. It and the companion table À ouvrage in today's sale were at the Linke family apartment in the late 1970s when occupied by, François Linke's daughter Caroline and his granddaughter, Genevieve on the Quai Henri IV, Paris.

Footnote courtesy of Christopher Payne.