20th Century Chest of Drawers in Oak with Gilt Bronze after Linke

Finely chased, gilded fittings. Solid beech wood top panel mottled marble top above a pair of doors concealed by a laurel, seaweed and cane back water cascade down bowl and a dolphin amidst seaweed, applied with delicate scroll frames and stained floral lattice marquetry in the upper corners and on each lower corner with a floral ray.

This grandiose and opulent commode is Linke's second version (bis) of his famous 'Commode coquille: Coquetterie et Modestie', index number 559. The original model was linked to index number 553, 'Commode Louis XV Figaro (Scène du Barbier de Séville) , and together the two commodes formed an integral and important part of Linke's gold-medal-winning stand at the Paris Exposition of 1900, where they flanked his most monumental work, the Grande Bibliothèque. The 559 chest of drawers was delivered to Elias Meyer in London in September 1909 and after his death in 1925 it was sold on to King Fouad I of Egypt, who had already purchased the 553 model. The two dressers are currently in the Abdeen Palace in Cairo.

The original concept for 559 envisaged corner slides designed in high relief, more clearly reflecting the dresser's title, with coquetry exposing the breasts and slightly covering the modest. with the present variant, however, a design is achieved that is associated with the early days of Louis XV. is consistent, on whose style Linke this extremely successful variant is based. Here the angles become semi-androgynous Amorini and are slightly cropped to evoke traditional espagnolettes.