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Few furniture styles speak of

elegance and opulence like

those of 18th century Paris. The

great Kings of France, namely LouisXIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI, each

ushered in a style of decorating that

reected their own personal tastes,

from extravagance of the rococo

to the restrained exuberance of the

neoclassic.

This was the time of the great

Parisian cabinetmakers, or ebenistes,

such as Andre-Charles Boulle ,

Francois Garnier, and Andre Gilbert,

whose furnishings were collected by

all of Europes royalty. These royal

furnishings can still be found in the

great palaces of France and across the

Continent, with few examples nding

their way to the open market. Those

rare pieces that do become available

often carry impressive price tags that

reach into the hundreds of thousands

of dollars.

So what is an avid Francophileto do if their budget falls a little

short of those lofty prices? Give up

their taste for high style Parisian

furniture? Fortunately, the answer is

a resounding no!

Looking Back, Moving Forward

The mid 19th century saw a renewed

interest in the styles and tastes of the

18th century, prompted in no small part

by Napoleon IIIs beautiful new bride,

Empress Eugenie de Montijo, whose

fascination with Marie Antoinette

led to the revival of the 18th century

styles. The Empress reputation for

extravagance bode well for a slateof talented Parisian cabinetmakers

who created extraordinary pieces for

the palace and country homes of the

Empress and her court.

Of course, it wasnt only the royals

of Europe who fueled the demand for

these 18th century interpretations.

The 19th century was a time of

tremendous growth in manufacturing.

The Industrial Revolution was in full

swing. The Gold Rush and the push

West made many Americans wealthy

and they looked to the fashion capital

of the world to furnish their lavish

estates. The Vanderbilts were among

the elite Americans who furnished

their homes with both 18th and 19th

century French masterpieces.

Among the favorite innovators of

this period were two furniture makers

whose works are widely acceptedas the nest of the period. And,

while many of their masterpieces

can fetch lofty sums that rival their

18th century predecessors, many of

their furnishings can still be found

with more modest price tags. Paul

Sormani and Francois Linke are

counted among a group of craftsman

who took their inspiration from the

18th century and created moder

interpretations to satiate the ne

tastes for the Louis XV and XV

styles. Experts agree that these tw

innovators created furnishings th

matched and even surpassed the

18th century predecessors in boquality, design and craftsmanship.

royaLtys Favorite: PauL sorMa

Paul Sormani is counted amo

the most important ebenistes of t

19th century, one of the few wh

truly mastered the Louis XV an

XVI styles. Italian by birth, Sorma

opened his rst shop in Paris in 18

A crowning achievement or Francois Linke

this monumental vitrine illustrates everythi

that made this cratsman amous. Taking

its cue rom the rococo style, this vitrine is

inused with an Art Nouveau panache. Link

collaborated with noted Parisian sculptor

Lon Messag to create the extraordinaryt

bronze mounts.

the aLLure oF 19th century

Parisian FurnitureBy BiLL rau, M.s. rau antiques

Lessons from the Masters Paul

Sormani and Francois Linke


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and quickly attracted the attention

of the young Empress Eugenie who

commissioned a number of pieces for

her Royal residences. The Empress

patronage, along with the accolades

and medals garnered at the 1855

Paris Exposition Universelle quicklycatapulted Sormani to the top. Another

medal at the 1862 London Exposition

conrmed the stellar status of the

Sormani workshop. The business

remained viable until 1934, although

Sormani himself died in 1877 leaving

his wife and son at the helm.

Sormani furnishings are

distinguished by the superior quality

of the bronze chasing and gilding and

the overall proportion and form. He

was also known for his extraordinary

inlay work and was often touted as the

artistic heir to Andre-Charles Boulle,

the late 17th century craftsman who

pioneered the technique of using

tortoiseshell, brass and ivory inlays

to create complex designs. Many of

Sormanis most important pieces

boast superb boulle work. MostSormani pieces are engraved on the

lockplate with the rms mark.

While the very nest pieces by Paul

Sormani often fetch six-gure prices,

they are comparatively less expensive

than their counterparts of similar

quality hailing from the 18th century.

Exquisite pieces can still be found for

under $25,000.

Francois Linke. a Marriage oF

styLes

Following Sormanis death, a new

cabinetmaking phenom set up shop

in Paris in 1881 and soon built a

reputation that would rival the great

Paul Sormani. Francois Linke, born

the second of 12 children in a small

village of Sudentenland, now the

Czech Republic, apprenticed to a

local cabinetmaker at the young ageof 13. His talents were obvious from

the start, and though he was penniless,

he set his sights on Paris, the worlds

epicenter of fashion and style.

Whereas Sormani stayed true to

the designs and lines of the 18th

century craftsmen, Linke approached

this revival of the Louis XV and

XVI styles with a little more artistic

license. It was the period of the Belle

Epoque, when France was at t

height of its fashionable inuenc

and Linke embraced the rococo sty

of his predecessors and infused it wi

a hint of the Art Nouveau.

Linkes ascent to real fam

and fortune came with the 190Exposition Universelle. Linke h

long sought not to merely reprodu

the works of his predecessors but

use their designs as inspiration. T

Exposition was his chance to shi

and he gambled his entire career o

it. His gamble paid off. His stan

was lled with commanding piec

the likes of which had never be

seen before and he was reward

with the coveted Gold Medal a

private commissions from royals an

industrial magnates from around t

world. So unique was the Linke sty

it was difcult to classify, and, so

became known as le style Linke.

In his quest to create haute lu

furniture, Franois Linke enlist

the talents of sculptor Lon Messa

to give life to his stylistic visi

in the form of exquisite sculpturgilt bronze mounts of the absolu

highest artistic merit. Fantastic

golden gures and scrolling g

embellishment became a hallma

of Linkes nest works. From t

monumental to the diminutive, eve

Linke piece is a masterwork of desig

form, and ornamentation.

Dont always look for a signature

distinguish a piece of Linke furnitur

Known as a cartonniere, this extraordinary

partners desk was crated by Paul Sor-

mani who took his inspiration rom a desin

by Simon Oeben, a renowned 18th century

urnituremaker. This monumental cartonniere

eatures superb marquetry, fne gilt bronze

mounts and a fgural clock.


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you wont always nd one. Many of

Linkes earliest works were unsigned

and only identiable by his telltale

attributes. In these cases, consult

with a Linke expert to determine if

this early piece is indeed an example

of his work. Later pieces often bearan engraved signature on one of the

bronze mounts or on a lockplate. But

beware, even signed pieces warrant

the consult of an expert to conrm

that Linke is the true maker.

Like Sormanis works, Linke

furnishings can bring prices in the

millions. But dont despair. There

are many ne Linke pieces that can

be had for under $50,000 and theyare wise acquisitions for collectors

looking for pieces that have a strong

potential for holding and increasing

their value.

study the Masters

Paul Sormani and Francois Linke

are considered the crme de la

crme of the French ebenistes of the

19th century, but they are certainly

not alone. There were a number ofexceptionally talented craftsmen

whose signed works are avidly

collected today. Even unsigned

works of high quality make smart

acquisitions for the collector. The key

to recognizing exceptional quality

Parisian furniture of this period is to

study the masters like Sormani and

Linke.

Pay close attention to the very nest

A remarkable gilt bronze embellished our

piece bedroom suite by Francois Linke ex-

hibiting the cabinetmakers signature style.

Linke revolutionized urniture design at the

turn o the 20th century when he introduced

a style that paid homage to the rococo vi-

sion o Louis XV designs and used it with a

rereshing Art Nouveau appeal.

Article courtesy of Bill Rau, M.Antiques. For more information

call (800) [email protected],

www.rauantique

pieces. Note how deeply the bronze is

chiseled on a ne Linke sideboard or

how nely detailed and well matched

the boulle work is on a Sormani

cabinet. Learn to recognize a nely

grained and polished surface like that

on a Sormani desk. Stand back andadmire the scale and proportion of

the gently scrolling legs of a delicate

table or the classic symmetry of a

Louis XVI style center table crafted at

the hand of Linke. Take what youve

learned from these masters and apply

it to your own search for exceptional

Parisian furniture and you will be

well satised.

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