THE MOVEMENT BY ETIENNE LENOIR, CIRCA 1745-49

Details

A LOUIS XV ORMOLU STRIKING CARTEL CLOCK
THE MOVEMENT BY ETIENNE LENOIR, CIRCA 1745-49
The asymmetric foliate, C-scroll and rocaille cast case surmounted by a sunray flanked by a bust of Diana, a winged hound to the other side and a goat at the apron, struck twice with the ‘C’ couronné poinçon, the white enamel dial with Arabic minutes, Roman hours and signed .ETIENNE.LE NOIR. / .A PARIS., with gilt hands, the twin-barrel movement with tic-tac escapement, silk suspension and counterwheel strike to bell, the chamfered square plates joined by five pillars, signed Etienne Le Noir A Paris
22 ¾ in. (58 cm.) high; 14 ½ in. (37 cm.) wide

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Amelia Walker Director, Specialist Head of Private & Iconic Collections

awalker@christies.com +44 20 7389 2085

Lot Essay

This clock is similar to a small group of closely related examples, which were executed by Jacques Caffiéri around 1745-'50, who often used the sun-ray cresting motif. Several of these are stamped with the 'C' couronné poinçon, the tax mark on any alloy containing copper used between March 1745 and February 1749. This provides an approximate date for the present example. A cartel clock with similar cresting signed by Caffieri is illustrated in H. Ottomeyer & P. Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, vol. I, p. 116, fig. 2.5.9.

Etienne II Lenoir (maître in 1717) and his son Pierre-Etienne (maître in 1743) worked together from 1750 to 1771. They sold a great number of clocks throughout Europe and in 1759 their stock was valued at more than 28,000 livres. Their clock cases were made Cressent, Latz, Caffiéri, Saint-Germain and Osmond. Springs were supplied by the Richards, Buzot and Masson; enamel dials by Martinière and Decla.

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