CIRCA 1780

Raised on a richly-mounted marble plinth, cast with distinctive volutes to its sides, and surmounted by a variety of decorative elements, this model of clock is based on a design traditionally attributed to Vion and composed by Duplessis, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Variations of this model were particularly popular within royal circles; a clock basically identical to the present lot but with the trophies of war slightly modified into trophies of love and with movement and dial by Sicot Girardin and Caranda, respectively, is believed to hail from the château de Versailles, see P. Kjellberg, La Pendule Française, Paris, 1997, p. 176, fig. A. Another clock of this model surmounted by an urn and raised on bleu turquin marble base by the fondeur Jean-Jacques Lemoyne and with a movement by Robert was confiscated from the Marquis de Sérent, governor to the Comte d'Artois' children, while Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette and Mesdames Victoire and Adélaîde also owned similar clocks. Yet another similar clock, thought to have come from the French Royal Collections in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, with movement by Robin, see H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel et al., Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich 1986, Vol I., p. 226, fig 4.1.2. A clock also with a white marble base and movement by Montjoye, is in the Swedish Royal Collection at Drottningholm, see B. von Malmborg, Slott Voch Herresäten i Sverige, De Kungliga Slotten, Malmö, 1971, pp. 160 and 213. It is interesting to note that all of the above clocks have a royal or semi-royal provenance. Indeed, a very similar clock, decorated with cooing doves and delivered by Robin for the Comte de Provence, Louis XVI's brother, at the Palais de Luxembourg, circa 1782-83, was sold Christie's New York, 24 November 1998, lot 14.
François Vion is recorded in Paris, rue Quincampoix as a ciseleur in 1786. He was best known for his clock-cases, particularly for lyre-form clocks and a distinguished model depicting Sorrow, or "The Weeping Woman", see J.D. Augarde, Les Ouvriers du Temps, Geneva, 1996, p. 243. Vion produced cases for the foremost clock-makers of the period, including the Lepaute workshop, the partnership of the brothers Jean-Andr (maître in 1759) and Jean-Baptiste (maître in 1776), and for Nicolas-Alexandre Folin, called Folin l'an (maître in 1789).
Spelled both Le Paute and Lepaute, this celebrated dynasty of horlogers was founded by Jean-André in 1740. He settled in Paris and was appointed horloger du Roi with lodgings in the Luxembourg Palace. His innovative ideas, such as the échappement repos of 1753, as well as his writings, including an impressive Traité d'Horlogerie, published in 1755, earned him the title maître and lodgings at the Louvre by 1759. His brother, Jean-Baptiste (1727-1802), also became horloger du Roi and succeeded him in the Galeries du Louvre lodgings in 1775 after taking over the business in 1774. Jean-Baptiste retired in 1789, giving way to his two nephews.