A Louis XIV Carved and Giltwood Centre Table by François Linke, after the model by Jules Degoullons, Circa 1900

This table is almost identical to a console attributed to the court sculptor Jules Degoullons (c.1671 - 1738) and supplied to Charles-Henri II de Malon de Bercy (1678–1742) at the Château de Bercy in Paris. Originally constructed in 1658 on the right bank of the Seine for Malon de Bercy's father by the architect François Le Vau and with gardens by Le Nôtre, the château was modified from 1702-1713, and Degoullons, who had previously collaborated with Verbeckt at Versailles, worked with André and Mathieu Legoupil, Marin Bellan and Pierre Taupin to supply all the carved furniture and interior boiseries. Due to the expansion of Paris in the 19th century and the construction of the Gare de Lyon railway station, the château was pulled down in 1860 and its contents auctioned over four days. Napoléon III acquired the Degoullons console for the Mobilier National, and it was transferred to the Louvre in 1901 (OA 5049; illustrated in G. B. Pallot,Le Mobilier du Musée du Louvre, Dijon 1993, Vol. II, pp. 36-39).

Numerous copies have been made of the model, presumably after the table entered the Louvre's collections and became better known. François Linke's workshops produced at least two versions, as one was supplied to one of his most important clients, Elias Meyer at 16 Grosvenor Square, London (illustrated in situ in Christopher Payne, François Linke (1855-1946) The Belle Epoque of French Furniture, Woodbridge 2003, pp.244-45 plates 259-60 and C. Payne, Paris Furniture: The Luxury Market of the 19th Century, 2018, p.135). This may be the table stamped Linke sold Christie's East, New York, 24 May 1993, lot 338, as its central frieze cartouche on the longer side is plain, which corresponds to the table visible in the old photographs of the Meyer interiors, whereas on the offered table the cartouche has carved decoration.

Other examples to appear on the market, all unsigned, include Christie's London, 15 March 2012, lot 86 (GBP 39,650); Sotheby's New York, 20 April 2009, lot 39 ($46,875); and Christie's London, 12 November 2020, lot 295 (GBP 23,750)