Lot Essay
The model of this clock is illustrated in the Recueil de desseins. Models de pendules, années 1755-1780, plate 100 under the mention: Vaze Dauphine et Jet d'Eau. Marble base.
This model was very popular and reproduced throughout the late 18th century. In fact, the 1787 inventory of all the clocks in Louis XVI's Versailles flat mentions one that was on display in his baths cabinet. It was notably sold at Christie's in London on 4 July 2013, lot 22.A similar clock is in the Château de la Fasanerie in Germany. Another by Le Paute de Belle Fontaine is in the Château de Fontainebleau.According to Tardy, this clock symbolises the abduction of Dionysus-Bacchus, who was transformed into a lion in order to drive the sailors into the sea, where they turned into dolphins.
This model was very popular and reproduced throughout the late 18th century. In fact, the 1787 inventory of all the clocks in Louis XVI's Versailles flat mentions one that was on display in his baths cabinet. It was notably sold at Christie's in London on 4 July 2013, lot 22.A similar clock is in the Château de la Fasanerie in Germany. Another by Le Paute de Belle Fontaine is in the Château de Fontainebleau.According to Tardy, this clock symbolises the abduction of Dionysus-Bacchus, who was transformed into a lion in order to drive the sailors into the sea, where they turned into dolphins.