A rare early François Linke bureau plat (c.1889, a masterwork of the Belle Époque by France’s most celebrated ébéniste. Originally from the Estelle Doheny Collection and sold at Christie’s New York (2001), it features A. Duval-signed ormolu mounts, Vachette Frères locks, and retains its original gilt-tooled red leather top. This exceptional desk is also highly believed to feature in Netflix’s award-winning The Crown (Season 4, Episode 9 – “Avalanche”), linking royal, cinematic, and design history in one extraordinary piece.
 
Provenance and Film History
A bureau plat of cinematic provenance, featured in The Crown, the acclaimed series depicting the British Royal Family, this desk unites the worlds of fine French cabinetmaking and modern cultural history. Originally part of the Estelle Doheny Collection, sold at Christie’s, New York, in 2001, catalogued as stamped Linke. Carrie Estelle Doheny (1875–1958), Papal Countess and noted philanthropist, was the second wife of oil pioneer Edward L. Doheny, whose early success developing Los Angeles’s first oil wells made him one of America’s earliest industrial magnates. A passionate collector and patron of the arts, Estelle Doheny assembled one of the finest private libraries and collections of fine and decorative art in the United States. Her philanthropy included funding the Doheny Library at the University of Southern California and numerous gifts to Catholic institutions, for which she was awarded the title of Papal Countess by Pope Pius XII in 1939.
 
Following her passing in 1958, much of her collection was held by the Carrie Estelle Doheny Foundation, remaining in storage and later displayed in institutional holdings until the landmark charity sale at Christie’s in 2001. This desk, recorded in that sale, thus represents not only an early Linke masterwork but also one of the few pieces to emerge from one of America’s most storied philanthropic collections.
 
The desk was subsequently acquired from a prop auction held by the Eccentric Trading Company, a long-established British supplier of authentic screen-used furnishings for film and television productions worldwide. Through detailed independent research, it is highly believed that this desk is the very same example featured in Netflix’s The Crown (Season 4, Episode 9 – “Avalanche”, 33 minutes and 13 seconds). Although the production company could not publicly disclose individual filming inventories, this conclusion is supported by the discovery of a newly recast rear handle, precisely replacing one missing in the on-screen appearance — a distinctive and verifiable detail providing the final link confirming the match.
 
In the scene, set at Highgrove House, the residence of Prince Charles, the desk occupies a central position between the dining and lounge areas during an anniversary dinner with Princess Diana. Its cube parquetry, ormolu mounts, and overall proportions correspond exactly with this example. Production notes indicate that brass fittings were deliberately dulled for filming, consistent with the softened tone of this desk’s mounts. Having served as a prop for approximately twenty-four years, it may also have featured in other productions — a testament to its enduring appeal and craftsmanship.
 
The Story of This Desk
Executed circa 1889, this bureau plat represents one of François Linke’s earlier works. The desk bears his workshop stamp on the upper right leg ormolu mount, with corner mounts signed A. Duval, and locks by Vachette Frères. Archival evidence confirms that Duval supplied mounts exclusively to Linke in 1889, establishing a precise production date.
 
The engraved “L” on the Linke stamp, located on the top of the front right mount, is particularly distinctive. Unlike the lettering seen on most later examples, the engraving style of this “L” precisely matches that found on an inkwell designed by Léon Messagé — the only recorded piece known to bear Léon Messagé’s personal engraving — as illustrated in Christopher Payne, The Belle Époque of François Linke. This discovery strengthens the attribution and suggests that this desk is part of the earliest phase of Linke’s collaboration with Messagé. The mounts themselves are executed in Messagé’s signature sculptural style, confirming this as an early Linke–Messagé collaboration of outstanding artistic and historical importance.
 
The carcass is constructed in softwood, veneered with kingwood and padouk in a beautifully executed cube parquetry pattern, and retains its original dark red gilt-tooled leather writing surface, bordered with a classical acanthus-leaf motif — a decorative hallmark characteristic of Linke’s early work. Two mounts — a handle and a key escutcheon — are later replacements, carefully recast to match the originals. Notably, the rear handle is newly recast, precisely matching the original form, and its replacement provides further confirmation of the desk’s appearance in The Crown. In the Highgrove House anniversary dinner scene, this very handle was visibly missing — a detail now verified upon inspection of the replacement mount and its casting marks on the reverse. Such breaks are typical in 19th-century furniture, where users often pulled on false or “dummy” drawers on the rear of partners’ desks, unaware they were purely decorative.
 
Hidden Compartments and Drawer Layout
The desk is further distinguished by its ingenious internal configuration, demonstrating Linke’s remarkable attention to both aesthetics and function. On the right-hand side sits a single, larger oak-lined drawer, contrasting with the two smaller oak-lined drawers on the left. This large drawer opens to reveal a lidded front section subdivided into a four-compartment grid, ideal for organising small personal items. Behind this lies an additional covered compartment with a push-back top, designed to conceal more valuable or private possessions. These thoughtful internal features illustrate Linke’s mastery of combining elegance with practical functionality, creating a piece that is not only visually stunning but also exceptionally purposeful.