JULIEN LE ROY, CIRCA 1760
Details
A LOUIS XV ORMOLU QUARTER-REPEATING MINIATURE CARTEL TIMEPIECE
julien le roy, circa 1760
The white enamel Roman and Arabic chapter disc signed Julien Le Roy in the center with finely pierced and chased ormolu hands, pendulum regulation square above XII, the movement with circular brass plates with instep flat base, four back-pinned baluster pillars, verge escapement with silk-suspended pendulum, pull quarter repeat on two bells fixed to the backplate engraved Julien Le Roy à Paris, the well proportioned case cast as a foliate cartouche with pierced brass sound frets to the sides and pendulum viewing glass beneath the dial
13in. (34cm.) high
julien le roy, circa 1760
The white enamel Roman and Arabic chapter disc signed Julien Le Roy in the center with finely pierced and chased ormolu hands, pendulum regulation square above XII, the movement with circular brass plates with instep flat base, four back-pinned baluster pillars, verge escapement with silk-suspended pendulum, pull quarter repeat on two bells fixed to the backplate engraved Julien Le Roy à Paris, the well proportioned case cast as a foliate cartouche with pierced brass sound frets to the sides and pendulum viewing glass beneath the dial
13in. (34cm.) high
Provenance
Bonhams, London, March 30, 1994. $9,500
Literature
Julien LeRoy, 1686-1759, was born at Tours and by the age of thirteen had already made his first clock. By the age of seventeen he was established as apprentice to Le Bon in Paris. There the story goes that so quick and adept was he at his work that he made and finished a repeating watch in just eight days!
At twenty six he had attained his Mastership and was later made clockmaker to the King in 1739. His inventions included turret clocks, equation clocks and pull repeat mechanisms.
LeRoy was an innovative clockmaker and would never just copy other clockmaker's work and reap the benefits.
His friendship with Henry Sully and his senior clockmaker William Blakey led to a large induction of high quality English and Dutch clockmakers to Parisian workshops. Indeed it is perhaps fair to say that hitherto French clockmaking was far from the high standards that were being set by their English counterparts. LeRoy's foresight was therefore one that could be translated as having been the man to lay the foundations for French excellence from the middle of the 18th century and onwards
At twenty six he had attained his Mastership and was later made clockmaker to the King in 1739. His inventions included turret clocks, equation clocks and pull repeat mechanisms.
LeRoy was an innovative clockmaker and would never just copy other clockmaker's work and reap the benefits.
His friendship with Henry Sully and his senior clockmaker William Blakey led to a large induction of high quality English and Dutch clockmakers to Parisian workshops. Indeed it is perhaps fair to say that hitherto French clockmaking was far from the high standards that were being set by their English counterparts. LeRoy's foresight was therefore one that could be translated as having been the man to lay the foundations for French excellence from the middle of the 18th century and onwards