François Linke (1855-1946)

Well-known for his top-quality furniture, the 1900s cabinetmaker still holds great appeal.

The curator at the Château de Fontainebleau since 2016 has no shortage of plans, from restorations to exhibitions and promoting the legacy of François I.

Painted when the artist was not yet famous, this seaside subject puts people at the center of the composition.

The bold shape and virtuoso bronzes of this Louis XV-style cartonnier powerfully evoke the craftsmanship of the late 19th-century’s greatest cabinetmakers, François Linke and Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener.

This portrait of Claude Le Blanc (1669-1728) reveals early 18th-century customs.

In 1956, the year they met, this painting sealed the friendship between the abstract artist and the Senegalese writer and politician.

A specialist in the 18th century, but curious about other eras, François Hayem is parting with the fruit of a lifetime of research and finds at Drouot.

Bronzes by great modern sculptors had a central place in this sale, where 18th-century vedutismo also took the spotlight.

The allure of this painting—with its hidden double meaning—is a marvellous illustration of chinoiserie in the age of Louis XV, which took delight in fantasizing about Asia.

Recently rediscovered, this painting of a young soldier from the Napoleonic period had even more appeal than expected.