A LATE LOUIS XV ORMOLU-MOUNTED BLACK AND GILT-DECORATED VERNIS MARTIN MANTEL CLOCK

STAMPED 'ANT FOVLLET' AND 'JME', CIRCA 1760, THE MOVEMENT 19TH CENTURY

細節

A LATE LOUIS XV ORMOLU-MOUNTED BLACK AND GILT-DECORATED VERNIS MARTIN MANTEL CLOCK
STAMPED 'ANT FOVLLET' AND 'JME', CIRCA 1760, THE MOVEMENT 19TH CENTURY
With an armillary sphere finial and two female busts flanking a ribbon-tied garland mount above the white-enamelled circular dial signed 'Cronier A Paris' , the chapter ring with both Roman numerals and Arabic numerals and pierced gilt hands, striking on the half hour, on a bombe-shaped case, similarly mounted with a central door opening to a red and gilt-painted interior, and base of fluted columnar supports joined by swagged mounts, the front panels and side panels decorated with scenes of buildings and garden pavilions in landscapes, the works to clock inscribed 'MELAIT? LE DARGENT 1823 PONS', the dial possibly 19th century
29 in. (73.5 cm.) high, 11½ in. (29 cm.) wide, 5½ in. (14 cm.) deep

來源

[by repute] Fritch-Estrangin, Paris.
with Jacques Seligmann, Paris.
with Georges de Batz, New York.

拍品專文

Antoine Foullet, maître in 1749.

The design for this clock appears as no. 17 of the Livre de desseins in the Doucet Library where it is given to Foullet and described as Cabinet d'Ebénisterie longue piece de table chinoise and costing 144 livres for the gilt version (H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, vol. I, fig. 3.2.9). Foullet, who had an important stock of clock cases, also most likely had a commercial catalogue and could either make new cases or simply adapt existing ones.

Models identical to the present clock are illustrated in E. Niehüser, French Bronze Clocks, Atglen, PA, 1999, p. 243, pl. 150 and another was sold Christie's, London, 11 June 1992, lot 113.

An identical clock, with a slightly different sphere finial, was also advertised by Jean-Baptiste Diette, Paris, in Connaisance des Arts, September, 1964, p. 152.

The present clock belongs to a group of similar clocks, often with ram's head angles rather than the espagnolettes of the present version and other slight differences in the mounts. Many of these have cases made by Jean Goyer, maître in 1760. One is illustrated in S. Eriksen, Early Neoclassicism in France, London, 1974, no. 107 and another was sold Sotheby's Monaco, 24 June, 2000, lot 118.