Francois Linke was born in Pankraz in Bohemia in 1855 and arrived in Paris when he was 20. He was one of the most significant cabinet/furniture makers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He displayed his work at the Great Exhibition in Paris in 1900, where his “Grand Bureau” won a Gold Medal. The central theme of his furniture is the sculptural language of forms in a modernised Louis XIV style with a touch of the contemporary “art nouveau”. Linke is known for his high level of quality which elevates him above the work of his contemporaries. Literature: Christopher Payne, 'Francois Linke 1855–1946'.