Lot Essay
This Charles X ormolu mantel clock, celebrating Love's triumph, has its spherical case, wreathed with palms amongst Roman acanthus, standing on a Roman-altar pedestal. The latter's bas-relief of Cupid and Psyche echoes that of the clock-face, which depicts their marriage wreathed by roses, sacred to Venus and a Zodiac ring. The scene of the bas-relief is based on a painting by François-Pascal-Simon Gérard (1770-1837), dated 1798, which is now in the Louvre.
The Protestant s'Jacob family originates from Châteaudun in Normandy and is first registered in Delft in Holland, in 1663, where René s'Jacob was engaged in the cloth trade. One of his descendants was Josua s'Jacob (1774-1842), who was Lieutenant-Colonel of the Rotterdam Civic Guard until 1823, when he was promoted, probably to the rank of colonel, and received this mantel clock from his officers. The most celebrated member of this family in the late 19th century was Josua s'Jacob's great-nephew, Frederik Bernhard s'Jacob (1850-1935), who held the office of mayor of Rotterdam between 1893 and 1906. (Nederlands Patriciaat, 29 (1943), p.209 and p.215)
A closely related mantel clock was sold anonymously, Christie's London, 10 december 1987, lot 43.
See illustration
The Protestant s'Jacob family originates from Châteaudun in Normandy and is first registered in Delft in Holland, in 1663, where René s'Jacob was engaged in the cloth trade. One of his descendants was Josua s'Jacob (1774-1842), who was Lieutenant-Colonel of the Rotterdam Civic Guard until 1823, when he was promoted, probably to the rank of colonel, and received this mantel clock from his officers. The most celebrated member of this family in the late 19th century was Josua s'Jacob's great-nephew, Frederik Bernhard s'Jacob (1850-1935), who held the office of mayor of Rotterdam between 1893 and 1906. (Nederlands Patriciaat, 29 (1943), p.209 and p.215)
A closely related mantel clock was sold anonymously, Christie's London, 10 december 1987, lot 43.
See illustration