THE CASE STAMPED ST. GERMAIN AND JME, THE MOVEMENT SIGNED HENRY PADEVAL, MID-18TH CENTURY,

Elected as a maître-fondeur on 15 July 1748, Jean-Joseph Saint-Germain (1717-1791) enjoyed the privilege of an ouvrier libre - enabling him to act both as an ébéniste and bronzier. He frequently supplied cases cast with animal forms, allegorical figures and nature inspired designs to the leading clockmakers of Paris. Among them was le Roy workshops, Etienne Lenoir and Jean-Philippe Gosselin. By the beginning of his retirement, around 1776, Saint-Germain had well-earned the reputation of being one of the most celebrated bronziers of his time. J. D. Augarde, Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain: Bronzier (1719-1791), L'Estampille/l'Objet d'Art, December, 1996, pp. 63-82.