A Louis XVI style ormolu-mounted carrara marble rotary clock

CIRCA 1880

Details

A Louis XVI style ormolu-mounted carrara marble rotary clock
Circa 1880
The urn-form clockcase with pinecone finial and twin entwined-serpent handles, set with Roman hour dial and Arabic minute dial, flanked to one side by Cupid and to the other by the attributes of Minerva, on a plinth set with rectangular relief plaques depicting various Roman gods, on a Vitruvian scrolled base with toupie feet, the works inscribed J. Chartier/Horloger/Paris
29¼ in. (74.3 cm.) high; The base: 10¼ in. (26 cm.) square

Lot Essay

This clock is based on a dual-patinated 18th century original, an example of which is part of the collection "Au Balancier de Cristal" (see Tardy, La Pendule Française, Paris, 1974, Vol. II, p. 388). A similar clock, circa 1775-1790, with movement signed by Lepaute, is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Bequest of Ogden Mills). Founded by Jean André Lepaute, the firm was one of the most distinguished clockmakers of the 18th century. Incorporating horizontal numeral rings into their clocks was apparently a specialty of the Lepautes.

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