225

European Clocks

  • Upload
    tchkpal

  • View
    265

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 1/225

Page 2: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 2/225

European clocks

IN  THE J PAUL GETTY MUSEUM

Page 3: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 3/225

Page 4: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 4/225

Gillian

  Wilson

David   Harris  Cohen

Jean   Neree Ronfort

Jean-Dominique Augarde

Peter  Friess

T H E J . P A U L G E T T Y M U S E U M . L O S A N G E L E S

EUROPEAN CLOCKS

I N  T H E J . P A U L G E T T Y M U S E U M

Page 5: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 5/225

Page 6: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 6/225

C O N T E N T S

F O R E W O R D

v i i

P R E F A C E

  A N D A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S 

i x

A B B R E V I A T I O N S

x i

C A T A L O G U E

1

B I O G R A P H I E S

1 6 3

G L O S S A R Y O F

  M O V E M E N T

  T E R M S

2 0 5

I N D E X

2 0 7

Page 7: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 7/225

  his page intentionally left blank

Page 8: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 8/225

F O R E W O R D

T H I S C A T A L O G U E   appears

 ju st as we  prepare  to open a

new Getty Museum, whose attractions include sixteen

galleries for French furniture and decorative  arts—a

k i n d

  o f museum-wit hin-a-mus eum in w h i c h  our remark

able coll ection can

  finally

  be shown in the manne r it

deserves.  Designed by  T h i e r r y  Desp ont i n collab oratio n

w i t h

  Richard Meier,  these  galleries and panel ed rooms

w i l l  incorporate clocks as a prominent feature, as they

were in rooms of the eight eenth century. To visitors of

our  century, when time is mostly  t o l d  by prosaic -looking

devices, the clocks o f the Ba roq ue, Rococo, and Neoclas

s i ca l periods are a cont inu al surprise a nd deli ght, not  o n l y

f o r  their beauty but especially for their ingenious fusion

o f

  the mechanical, the decorative, and the metaphorical.

Th e new galleries are above all the achiev ement o f

G i l l i a n

  W i l s o n ,  author of this book. It is  f i t t i n g  that she

should

  be the cataloguer of the Getty's clocks. Not

  o n l y

was every one bought on her  i n i t i a t i v e , but her knowledge

o f the ma kers, especially of the  cases, is exten sive. She has

made  certain that this catalogue  treats  both the  case-

makers and the movements, and

 Jean

  Neree Ronfort and

Jean-Dominique Augarde

 have

 undertaken new

 research

i n t o the lives of the clock-makers.

I

  am  t h a n k f u l  for the  w o r k  of all those  at the Getty

Museum  and Getty Trust Publications Services who con

t r i b u t e d  to the ma kin g of this book, in particul ar the late

D a v i d  Co hen, Associate Curat or of Decorative  A r t s .  As

f o r  G i l l i a n

  W i l s o n

  herself,

  w i t h o u t

 whom there  w o u l d  be

neit her catalogue n or collecti on, I am grateful for her

keen eye and  m i n d ,

  w h i c h

  are bound to impress the

reader  throughout the book.

John Walsh

D i r e c t o r

v n

Page 9: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 9/225

  his page intentionally left blank

Page 10: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 10/225

P R E F A C E  A N D

  A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

T H I S C A T A L O G U E   is a revised and enl arged edi tio n of

French  Eighteenth-Century

  Clocks

  in the

 J .   Paul

  Getty Museum,

p u b l i s h e d  in 1976. It describes and  discusses  nineteen

Fre nch clocks and two Ger ma n clocks in the coll ecti on,

w h i c h  were acquired between the  years  1971 an d 1988.

The clocks range in  date

  f r o m

  approximately 1680 to

1798. They were acquired  p r i m a r i l y  for the superior

q u a l i t y

 o f their

 cases,

 an d in thr ee instances, fo r the qual

i t y  of the larger piece of furniture in  w h i c h  they are set.

T h e  m a j o r i t y  of the clocks  possess  f i n e  movements, and

w h i l e  the clocks are no longer kept in w o r k i n g  order the

movements are described and  i l l u s t r a t e d . A section is de

v o t e d

  to the biographies o f the clock-makers and enam-

elers represented in the  c o l l e c t i o n , and an index of names

o f

 p ri ma ry makers and prev ious owners is pro vid ed.

Th e entries fo r six o f the clocks (nos. 15 -20 ) were

w r i t t e n  by the late  D a v i d  Cohen, who died in October

1 9 9 2 .

 The remaind er were  w r i t t e n b y

  G i l l i a n

  W i l s o n .  The

catalogue entries f or the long-case musica l clock

  w i t h

  a

mov emen t by J.-F. Domi nic e (no. 5 ) and the ninet eenth -

cen tur y clock on a pedestal (no. 21) were  w r i t t e n i n collab

o r a t i o n

  w i t h Jean

  Neree Ronfort.

Peter Friess pro vid ed the text and diagrams describ

i n g

  the mov ements, a nd the biogr aphies o f the clock-

makers and enamelers were  w r i t t e n  by

  Jean

  Neree

R o n f o r t  and Jean-Dominique Augarde, as was the  i n t r o

d u c t i o n   to this section. Bruce Hoadley  i d e n t i f i e d  the

various woods,

  w h i l e B r i a n

  Co nsidi ne, Joe Godla, an d

G o r d o n

  Ha nl on of the Museum's conservation depart

ment provided  i n f o r m a t i o n  on matters of c o n d i t io n  and

c o n s t r u c t i o n .

Th e phot ogra phs were taken by Jack  Ross  and the

b o o k

  was designed by  K u r t  Hauser.

  W i t h

  great patience

N i n a

  Banna typed and retyped the manuscript,  w h i c h

was edited by Cynthia Newman Bohn.

I

  w o u l d l i k e  to thank Wi nt hr op Edey for his  c o n t r i

b u t i o n

  to the catalogue. I t was he who discovered and

deci pher ed ma ny of the inscriptio ns on the movement s

and revealed the signatures  o f the enamelers on the backs

o f

  some o f the dials.

  Jean

  Neree Ronf ort and

  Jean-

D o m i n i q u e Augarde contributed much invaluable  i n f o r

m a t i o n  on the clock

  cases

  and generously allowed me

access

  to the pho tog rap hic archives at the Centre de

Recherche His tor iqu e sur les Maitres Ebenistes. Hen ry

H a w l e y  read the manuscrip t and contribute d a num ber

o f

  useful suggestions.

M a n y other colleagues have contributed  i n f o r m a t i o n

t o

  this catalogue. They include: Daniel A l c o u f f e,  Musee

d u  Lou vre , Paris;

  W i l l i a m

  J. H. Andrews, the  D a v i d  P.

W h e a t l a n d

 C urat or of the

  C o l l e c t i o n

  o f

 H i s t o r ic a l

  Scien

t i f i c  Instruments, Harvard  U n i v e r s i t y ;  Dr .  W i n f r i e d

Baer, Schloss Charlottenburg,

  B e r l i n ;

  Christian Baulez,

Musee d u Chate au d e Versailles, France; Sir Geoffrey de

B e l l a i g u e ,  Surveyor of the

  Queen's

  Works of Art,

  L o n

d o n ;

  Dr. Burkhardt Gores, Schloss Kopenick,  B e r l i n ;

Rosamund

  G r i f f i n ,  James.

  A. de Rothschild

  C o l l e c t i o n ,

Waddesdon Manor;  Peter  Hughes, Wallace  C o l l e c t i o n ,

L o n d o n ;  Patrick LePerlier, Paris; the late Robert Marsh,

L o s

  Angeles; the late Dr. Bruno Pons, Ecole Nationale

d u  Pat rimo ine, Paris; and Ale xan dre Pradere, Sothe

by's, Paris.

I w o u l d  also  l i k e to thank the two assistant curators of

the depar tme nt o f decorative arts, Charissa B rem er

D a v i d  and Jeffrey Weaver, for their help and

  assistance.

A b o v e  a l l , I am indebted to Theo dore

  D e l l ,

 who read

th e

  final

  manu scr ipt in great detail, corre ctin g many

I X

Page 11: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 11/225

mistakes a nd co ntr ibu tin g new

  i n f o r m a t i o n .

  His advice

was freely given during the formation of the collection

and his extensive photographic archive has always

  been

available to me.

T o J. Paul Gett y I give than ks fo r his inte rest an d gen

erosity,

  w h i c h

  l ed to the acquisi tion of fourte en of the

clocks before his death i n 1976, and for ma kin g it possible

f o r  the Museum to continue to

  b u i l d

  the collection since

that date.

G i l l i a n

  W i l s o n

October 1995

x P R E F A C E

 AND

  A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

Page 12: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 12/225

A B B R E V I A T I O N S   U S E D I N T H I S C A T A L O G U E

A . N .

A r c h i v e s N a t i o n a le ,  Paris

A r c h i v e s B r a t e a u

M a n u s c r i p t s d e p o s i t e d a t t h e C o n s e r v a t o i r e N a t i o n a l d e s

A r t s e t M e t i e r s ,  Paris

A r c h i v e s d e la Seine

A r c h i v e s d e l a

  Seine, Paris

A u g a r d e 1 9 8 4

A u g a r d e , J . - D . " L ' a t e l i e r d e F e r d i n a n d B e r t h o u d : s es

f o u r n i s s e u r s e t s es c l ie n t s , "   Ferdinand Berthoud, 172J—

i8oy: Hor loger mecan icien du Roi et de la Marine.   L a C h a u x -

de-Fonds,  1 9 8 4 .

A u g a r d e 1 9 8 6

A u g a r d e , J . - D .  "Jean-Joseph  d e S a i n t - G e r m a i n ( 17 1 9—

1 7 9 1 ) : B r o n z e a r b e i t e n z w i s c h e n R o c a i l l e u n d K l a s s iz is -

m u s , " i n O t t o m e y e r a n d P r o s c h e l ,  Vergoldete Bronzen.

M u n i c h ,  1 9 8 6 .

A u g a r d e 1 9 9 6

A u g a r d e , J . - D .  Les Ouvriers du temps: La pendule a Paris  de

Louis

  XIV a Napoleon premier.  Geneva,

  1996 .

B a i l l i e

  1 9 2 9

B a i l l i e ,   G . H .  Watchmakers and C lockmakers of the World.

L o n d o n , 1 9 29 . R e v . e d . , 1 9 6 3 .

B a l l o t  1 9 1 9

B a l l o t ,

  M . - J .  Charles Cressent, Sculpteur, Ebeniste et Collec-

tionneur.

  Paris,

  1 9 1 9 .

B a u l e z 1 9 8 9

B a u l e z , C . " L a  Pendule  a l a G e o f f r i n , M o d e l e a

  succes,"

LEstampille   2 2 4  ( A p r i l  1 9 8 9 ) .

B e l i a r d  1 7 6 7

B e l i a r d , F . Reflexions sur VHorloger ie en general et  sur les  Hor -

logers

  du Roi en particulier.

  T h e H a g u e , 1 7 6 7 .

B e l l a i g u e 1 9 7 4

B e l l a i g u e , G . d e .   The James A . de Rothschild Collection a t

Waddesdon Manor, F urn i ture, Clocks and   Gil t  Bronzes.  L o n

d o n , 1 9 7 4 .

B l a k e y 1 7 8 0

B l a k e y , W .  LArt  de faire les ressorts de Montres, Suivi de la

maniere de

 faire

  lespetits ressorts de repetitions & les ressorts spi-

raux.

  A m s t e r d a m , 1 7 8 0.

B r e m e r D a v i d e t a l . , Decor ative Arts

B r e m e r D a v i d , C . , e t a l .

 Decor ative Arts: An Illustrated Sum

mary

  Catalogue of the Collections of the J .   Paul Getty Museum.

M a l i b u ,  1 9 9 3 .

C a r d i n a l 1 9 8 4

C a r d i n a l , C .

  Catalogue des

  Montr

 es du Musee du Louvre.

V o l .  1 , La c ollection O livier.

  Paris,

  1 9 8 4 .

C a r d i n a l 1 9 8 7

C a r d i n a l , C , a n d  Sabrier, J . - C .

  La dynastie des LeRoy, Hor -

logers

  duRoi.

  T o u r s , 1 9 8 7 .

X I

Page 13: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 13/225

G a l l o n 1 7 7 6

G a l lo n , M . Machines et Inventions approuvees par VAcademie

Roy ale des Sciences depuis son etablissementjusqu'a present avec

leur description.

  Paris,

  1776 .

GettyMusJ

Th e   J .   Paul Getty Museum Journal

G u i f f r e y  1915

G u i f f r e y ,

  J .

  Histoire de VAcadem ie de Saint-Luc.

  A r c h i v e s d e

l ' A r t

  Francais,

  N o u v e l l e

  Periode,

  v o l . 9 .

 Paris,

  1915 .

Histoire   + year

Histoire

  de VAcademie Roy ale des Sciences.

  A n n u a l p u b li c a

t i o n   t h r o u g h o u t t h e  e ighteenth  c e n t u r y .

Lalande

  1803

Lalande,J .

  d e .

  Bibliographic astronomique.  Paris,

  1803 .

L e R o y 1 7 3 7

[ L e  R o y , J . ] S u l l y , H .

  Regie artif icielle du Temps. Traite de la

Division naturelle & artificielle du Temps, des Horloges et des

Montres de differentes constructions, de la maniere de les con-

noitre & de les regler avecjustesse. Par Mr. Hen ry Sully, Horlo-

ger de Monseigneur Le Due d 'Orleans. De la Societe des Arts.

Nouvelle Edition corrigee

  £sf

 augmentee  de quelques Memoires

sur VHorlogerie, par M.Julien le Roy, de la meme Societe.

  Paris,

Lespinasse  1 8 8 6

Lespinasse,

  H . d e .

  Les metiers et corporations de la Ville de

Paris.

  Paris,

  1 8 8 6 .

Liste

  1748

Liste  des Maitres Horlogers de la Ville et Fa ubourgs de Paris avec

la

  Da tte de leurs Receptions, et leurs Demeures, pour lAnnee

MDCCXLVIII.

Liste

  + year

Liste

  alphabetique d es

 Noms

  et Demeures connues de Messieurs

les Maitres Horlogers de la Ville, Fauxbourg et Banlieue de

Paris.  . .

O t t o m e y e r a n d

  Proschel,

  Vergoldete Bronzen

Ottomeyer,  H . , a n d

  Proschel,

  P., eds.  Vergoldete Bronzen:

Die Bronzearbeiten des Spatbarock und Klassizismus.  M u n i c h ,

1986 .

Pradere,  Les Ebenistes

Pradere,  A .

  Les Ebenistes F ranqais de Louis XIV a la Revolu

tion.

  Paris,

  1989 .

R a i l l a r d 1 7 5 2

R a i l l a r d , C .

  Statuts des Maitres-Horlogers de la Ville  Fau

bourg de

 Paris.

  Paris,

  1752 .

R o n f o r t 1 9 8 6

R o n f o r t , J . N .

  'Andre-Charles

  B o u l l e : d i e B r o n z e a r b e i -

t e n u n d  seine  W e r k s t a t t i m L o u v r e , " i n O t t o m e y e r a n d

Proschel,

  Vergoldete Bronzen.

  M u n i c h , 1 9 86 .

R o n f o r t 1 9 8 9

R o n f o r t , J . N . "Science  a n d L u x u r y : T w o A c q u i s i t io n s b y

t h e J .  Paul  G e tt y M u s e u m , "  Th e   J .   Paul Getty Museum

  Jour

na l

  17 ( 1989) .

Sassoon  a n d W i l s o n ,

 Decorative Arts: A Ha ndbook

Sassoon,

  A . , a n d W i l s o n , G .  Decorative Arts: A Ha ndbook of

the Collections  of   the  J .   Paul Getty Museum.

  M a l i b u , 1 9 8 6 .

Tablettes

  1775

Chantoisseau,

  R . d e .

  Supplement

  aux Tablettes Royales de

Renommees  et dIndications . . .

 Paris,

  n . d . [ 1 7 7 5 ] .

Tablettes

  1 7 9 1

Chantoiseau,

  R . d e .  Tablettes de

  Renommee

  ou du Vrai Me-

rite. . . Paris,

  1 7 9 1 .

T a r d y 1 9 8 0

T a r d y .

  Bibliographic Genera le de la Mesure du Temps.  Paris,

1980 .

Tessin  1963

Tessin

  [ P r o s c h w i t z ,

  Gunnar

  v o n ] .

  Tableux de Paris et de la

Cour de Fra nce, 1739—1742, Lettres Inedites de   Carl  Gustafi

comte de Tessin.  Paris,

  1963 .

T h i o u t 1 7 4 1

T h i o u t , A .

  Traite d'Horlogerie Mechanique et Pratique.  Paris,

1 7 4 1 .

V e r l e t ,  Les Bronzes

V e r l e t , P .

  Les Bronzes dores francais du

  XVIII

6

  siecle.  Paris,

1987 .

W i l s o n ,  Clocks

W i l s o n ,  G .  Frenc h Eighteenth-Century Clocks in the J . Paul

Getty Museum.  M a l i b u , 1 9 7 6 .

W i l s o n ,  Decora tive A rts  ( 1 9 7 7 )

W i l s o n ,

  G .

  Decorative Arts in the

 J .

  Paul Getty Museum.

  M a l

i b u ,  1977 .

Xll

A B

 B R E V I A T I O N S

1 7 3 7 .

Page 14: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 14/225

C A T A L O G U E

Page 15: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 15/225

Long-case  Clock

(Regulateur)

Fre nc h (Paris); circa 1680—1690

Movement by Antoine (I) Gaud ron

( c i r c a  1640-1714) (see

  B i o g . ,

p .  174);

 case

 a t t r ibuted to And re-

Charles Boulle (1642—1732)

H E I G H T :  8 ft.  1

 V ie

  i n .  (246.5 cm)

W I D T H :

  1 ft. 6V2 in . (48 cm)

D E P T H

  : 7 Va in . (19 cm)

8 8 . D B . 1 6

D E S C R I P T I O N

Th e clock is made i n two princi pal parts: the case  and

th e  pedestal whic h supports i t and  houses  the weights and

the pendulum. The rectangular clock

 case

 is sur moun ted

b y  a cushion-shaped pedi ment

  w i t h

  an open  g r i l l  which

houses  th e  b e l l .  The fr on t corners o f this ped imen t are

supported by detached  columns resting on canted blocks.

The main

 areas

  o f  the front and

  sides

 o f  th e

  case

 are  fitted

w i t h

 panes o f glass. The rema in ing  surfaces  are

  veneered

w i t h

  a gro un d of tortoiseshell  i n l a i d

  w i t h

  pewter and

brass

  in the  f o r m  of int ert win ing leafy scrolls, tendrils,

penda nts, swags of husks, a nd rosettes.  The marquetry of

the columns depicts  t w i n i n g  vines. The

  case's

  gilt-bronze

mounts include a  g i r l  seated  on the back of a goat, to

w h o m   she

  feeds grapes,

  and flam ing urns on the pedi

ment ; Cor in th ia n capitals atop the colum ns; and collars

and mol din gs of alte rna ting florets a nd

  leaves

  f raming

th e  glass panes.  T h e  d i a l  is of engraved  g i l t  bro nze set

w i t h  enameled nu me ra l plaques. Below the  d i a l  is a  g i l t -

bronz e figure o f Ti me ,  seated  and supporting the  d i a l

w i t h

  his rais ed arms . To his ri gh t is an hourglass an d an

over tu rned urn  s p i l l i n g  coins, to his

  l e f t

  a profusion of

objects symbo lizin g the liber al arts  ( f i g .  la) . The  p l i n t h  on

w h i c h  Time sits is inscribed:  Solem Audet  Dicere  Falsum  (It

dares  the Sun to  t e l l  a  l i e ) ,  and  Gaudron  JParis.

The upper  stage of the  pedestal  swells at the

  area

  o f

the glazed vi ewi ng hole, whi le the low er is overlaid at the

top by a lamb req uin (fig. lb) ; the whole  rests  on a high

stepped  base.  The front and  sides  of the  pedestal  are

veneered,  l i k e  the clock itself,

  w i t h

  marquetry of  brass

and pewter o n a gr ou nd o f tortoiseshell , whic h takes  the

f o r m   of leafy scrolls, husks,  swags a nd  pendants,  tendrils,

2

Page 16: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 16/225

Page 17: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 17/225

4 LONG-CASE CLOCK

1A

1B

Page 18: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 18/225

rosettes,

  and, at the

  sides,

  bows (fig.

  I C ) .

  The intricate

s c r o l l i n g  composition around the

  v i e w i n g

  hole  emanates

f r o m

  lion's

 heads

  placed on either side. At the top of this

c o m p o s i t i o n ,

  a  b i r d  i n  f l i g h t  a ttempts to catch a butte rfl y

( f i g .  i d ) . Suspended below the lam bre qui n is an elaborate

tassel-like marquetry composition.

  S i m i l a r l y

  conceived

compositions decorate the

  sides

  of the pedestal. Pewter

s t r i n g i n g   frames

  these

 panels

  and defines the profiles of

th e

  case.

A

  gilt-bronze molding encircles the

  v i e w i n g

  hole and,

i n   th e

  f o r m  o f  f r i n g i n g ,  edges

 the lambr equ in. At the tops

o f  the two

  stages

  of the pedestal, and at the top of the

stepped ebony-veneered  base  are broad horizontal

  g i l t -

bronze mold ings . A t the back of the clock case is a hinged

door that provides  access  to the movement; the

  f r o n t

  o f

the upper

  stage

  of the pedestal is also hinged to give

access  to the weights for

  w i n d i n g .

  T h e

  carcase

  is con

str ucte d of oak, alder, waln ut, an d fir.

M A R K S

The face, below the  d i a l , is signed

  Gaudron

  JParis  and

i n s c r i b e d   Solem Audet

  Dicere

  Falsum.

  The movement is

signed

  Gaudron

  JParis  ( f i g .  le) and there are repair marks

o n

  the great wheel,

 P. Sauvage   Janvier   1950.

C O M M E N T A R Y

I t

  is very probable that the

  o r i g i n a l

  i nte nti on was to

cover the rectangular

  d i a l

 plate

  w i t h

 black or dark red

  v e l

vet. Man y exi sti ng clocks of this pe ri od are thus deco

rated. For

  some reason

  the plate was instead gilded and

s t i p p l e d

  and provided  w i t h  an elaborately

  chased

  central

zone. It

  w o u l d

  also

  seem

  that the plate, though contem

porary, was not

  made

  for the

  present  case.

  A viewer of

n o r m a l

  height cannot see the

  L a t i n

  inscription beneath

th e  d i a l ,  nor the signature of Gaudr on.

  B o t h

  are hidden

b y

  the frame of the

  glass

  panel.

The inscript ion

 Solem Audet  Dicere  Falsum

  is a version

o f  a quotation  f r o m  V i r g i l ' s  Georgics  (1.463) : "Solem quis

dicere falsum  audeat"  (Who

  w o u l d  dare

  to

  c a l l

  the Sun

untrue?).

1

  The altered

  L a t i n  phrase

  was probably used

f o r

  th e

  first

  time in Pierre Le Moyne's book on emblems,

D e  VArt des Devises

  in 1666, where it

 appears

  w i t h  a pen

d u l u m  clock w i t h  c y c l o i d a l

 cheeks.

2

 Th e text explains that

the pendulum clock, a 1657 invention by Christiaan Huy-

gens,

  runs so accur ately th at it can be used to demon stra te

th e

  i r r e g u l a r i t y

 o f the

  sun's  o r b i t .

3

M a n y  of the decora tive element s on the clock—the

detached columns wo und   w i t h  ivy, the large gilt-bronz e

mount beneath the  d i a l ,  and the  f o r m  and marquetry of

th e

  pedestal—are

  fo und on a numbe r o f mantel and

long-case clocks, all of

  w h i c h

  are veneered  w i t h  tortoise-

s h e l l ,

  brass,  and pewter and contain movements by such

L O N G - C A S E C L O C K  5

1C

Page 19: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 19/225

I D

6 LONG-CASE CLOCK

Page 20: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 20/225

w e l l - k n o w n   late seventeenth-century makers as An to in e

Gaudron, Pierre DuChesne, Balthazar

  M a r t i n o t ,

  and

Jacques  T h u r e t.

4

T h e

  case

 itself, on the basis of the design of the mar

q u e t r y ,  can be attributed to Andre-Charles

  B o u l l e .

  The

panels at the  f r o n t  and the  sides of the lower

 stage

 of the

pedestal a re very sim ila r i n desig n to those fo un d on t he

f r o n t

  and  sides  of a pair of

  stands

  in the

  V i c t o r i a

  and

A l b e r t  Museum,  w h i c h  are also attributed to

  B o u l l e .

5

  A

piece of paper fo un d

  w i t h i n

  th e

  carcase

  of one of

  these

is   date d 1693,  g i v i n g  a  terminus ante quern  for their

manufacture.

The small

  b i r d

  chasing a

  b u t t e r f l y

  is found, both in

premiere   and contre-partie marquetry, on a pair  o f  c o f f e r s  i n

the Getty Muse um. These are

  o f

 th e

 same  f o r m

  as a coffer

made by Boulle for the Daup hin ,  w h i c h  is described in

d e t a i l

  i n the latter's inven tor y o f 1689.

6

  The repeating

t r e f o i l

  marquetry on the

  base appears

  i n a  s l i g h t l y  more

c o m p l e x   f o r m  on the above-mentioned coffers as  w e l l  as

o n   a table attributed to  B o u l l e , also i n the Getty M us eum

c o l l e c t i o n .

7

  The moun t in the  f o r m  o f a  g i r l  feeding a

goat

  w i t h  grapes

  is also found, paired

  w i t h

  a  s i m i l a r l y

seated  boy, on firedogs

8

  and, in patinated bronze, as

paper weights.

9

O T H E R E X A M P L E S

T h e closest comp ari so n that may be made is to a clock

n o w  in the Ecole Nati onale Superieure des Bea ux- Art s.

1 0

T h e  case,

  w i t h

  a few minor differences, is of the  same

design and

  bears

 marquetry of the

  same

  pattern, though

i n  reverse. T hi s clock was cit ed i n the 1718 pos thu mou s

i n v e n t o r y  of Louis

  X I V ' s  possessions,

  where it is de

scribed

 as

  f o l l o w s :

N o.   18 Une pendule de dix huit  pouces de haut, mar quant

le s secondes, faite par du Chene, les cadrons sont de  cuivre

dore

 sur velours noir. La bdete de marqueterie de cuivre  et

d'etain  su r  fond   ecaille,  ayant chaque  coin une colonne de

meme marqueterie d'orde corynthien dont les hazes et

chapiteaux  sont  cuivre dore; le haut est  o rme  et termine

pa r

  un dome. La pendule, portee sur un scabellon aussi de

ladite  marqueterie, de cinqpieds un pouces de haut

11 

I t  was again listed in the  r o y a l  in ven tor y of 1792,

whe re it was descr ibed as "ouvrag e de  B o u l l e ."

1 2

  I n 1797

i t  was

  sent

  to the Academie de Peinture et de Sculpture

( l a t e r

 nam ed t he Ecole des Beaux- Arts ), but on that occa

s i o n  i t was mere ly descr ibed as "le corps e n est decore a la

maniere de  B o u l l e . "

1 3

  Another clock, nearly identical to

the Getty example

  w i t h

  a movement by Gaudron,  d i f f e r

i n g p r i n c i p a l ly  i n tha t its figure o f Ti m e is reverse d, was

reco rde d at auct ion in the late nine teen th cen tur y.

1 4

M O V E M E N T

Brass and  i r o n ,  partly blued

Note: The number in parentheses represents the number of

teeth on each wheel. These numbers are repeated again in the

drawings  of  the movement.

The movement

  ( f i g .

  i f ) consists o f two trains dri ven

b y  weights mounted on an

  endless

  rope. The clock runs

f o r  one week. The going

  t r a i n

  powers three

  hands

  that

i n d i c a t e  hours (in ro ma n numerals) and minut es (in ara-

b ic

  numerals) on the main  d i a l  and

  seconds

  (in arabic

numerals) on a subsidiary  d i a l .  A n ope nin g below the

number  V I  shows the day of the mo nt h. Th e clock strikes

the hours and  h a l f  hours on the  same  be l l .

The going  t r a i n  is connected to the

  s t r i k i n g

  t r a i n  by

an endless-rope  w i n d i n g  mechanism and has one wheel

f o r  th e  endless  rope (72) and three

  p i n i o n

  wheels (6/64-

8/60-8/30), the last being the  escape wheel. The

  t r a i n

  is

regulated by an anchor  escapement

  ( r e c o i l

  escapement)

i n

  connection

  w i t h

  a

 seconds

 pendu lum . Th e arbor of the

L O N G - C A S E

  C L O C K  7

1 E

Page 21: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 21/225

t h i r d

 wheel holds the cannon  p i n i o n  (32), w h i c h is part o f

th e  m o t i o n

  w o r k

  (32 -32/6-7 2), and the minu te hand.

Th e hou r wheel (72) holds the ho ur hand . Th e ca nnon

p i n i o n   (32) rotates once every ho ur ; it has two pins t hat

release  th e  s t r i k i n g  t r a i n  every  h a l f  an d  f u l l  hour. The

escape  wheel holds the second hand; another wheel (24)

o n  the back of the ho ur wheel drives the wheels (24 /48 -

1/31) that show the day of the m on t h on the  f r o n t  of the

d i a l .

 Wh en a mo nt h has

  less

 tha n th irt y-on e days, this cal

endar has to be set  f o r w a r d  manu all y to the  first  o f  th e  f o l

l o w i n g  mon th .

T h i s  type of

 s t r i k i n g

  t r a i n has a count wheel

  ( l o c k i n g

p l a t e ) .

  It has one wheel for the  endless-rope  mechanism

(72) ,

  three  p i n i o n wheels (8/72-6/66-6 /60), and a

 f ly

  vane

(6 ) .  Th e second whe el (8/72) has twe nty -fou r pins that

move the  s t r i k i n g  hammer as

  w e l l

  as the wheel (12) that

drives

 the co unt whe el (45).

S t r i k i n g

  t ra in

1

 F  Thre e-q uart er view of the mo vemen t.

P U B L I C A T I O N S

" A c q u i s i t i o n s  1988,"  GettyMusJ  17 (1989 ), p. 140, no.

66  ( i l l ) .

P R O V E N A N C E

Jean D ur ie r [de ale r], Paris, circa 1945. Private collec

t i o n , Burgundy. A l a i n  M o a t t i  [dealer], Paris. Acq ui re d by

the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1987.

8 LONG-CASE

 C L O C K

Page 22: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 22/225

N O T E S

1.   I am grateful to  M a r k  Jentoft-Nils en for locating the

quote in  V i r g i l ' s

  Georgics

  and for pro vid ing the correct

translation.

2 .  K. Maurice ,  Fine  Antique Clocks  of  the i yih to the igth Century

( M u n i c h ,  1990), pp. 25-2 7.

3. A med all ion struc k circa 1700 for the clock-makers'

  g u i l d

expresses  a simi lar idea. I t bears  th e  phrase

  Solis

  mendaces

arguit horas  (I t [the pend ul um clock] monit ors the

  decep

t i v e

 hour s of the day), Mau ric e (note 2), pp. 25- 27.

4 .

  Examp les of clocks of the  same  model bearing a large

  g i l t -

bronze mount  beneath  th e  d i a l :  mantel clock  w i t h  a move

ment by  DuChesne  (sold at Christie's, Lon do n, Octob er

13, 1983, lot 24); long-case  clock  w i t h  a movement by Mar-

t i n o t  (sold at Sotheby's, Mon aco , December 4, 1983, lot

106); mantel clock  w i t h  a moveme nt by Gau dro n (Freder

i c k

  V i c t o r i a

  and Son,  I n c . ) ,  French  Clocks in North American

Collections,   exh. cat. (Ne w  Y o r k ,  Frick Collection, 1982-83),

no. 28;  long-case clock  w i t h  a movement by Gaudron

  ( p r i

vate collection),

 i b i d . ,

  no. 27; mantel clock  w i t h  a move

me nt by N . Han et (sold on the Ge rm an ma rket, 1993),

K uns t  und Antiquitdten  (June  1993), p. 79.

Exampl es o f clocks  w i t h

 pedestals

 of similar  f o r m  and

decoration: a long-case  clock  w i t h  a replaced mo vement, in

the collection of the duke o f Buccleuch, Bou ght on House,

Nor tha mpt ons hir e (the viewi ng hole has  been  filled  w i t h  a

marq uetr y plaque bearing the Monta gu cypher); a long-

case clock  w i t h  a movement by Langlois  v i r t u a ll y  identical

to the Buccleuch example, althou gh  w i t h  contre-partie  mar

quet ry (K rae mer & Cie, Paris, 1992); a long-case clock  w i t h

a tete de poupee  hoo d housin g a movem ent by Th ur et

  ( f o r

m e r l y   w i t h  the Parisian  dealer  Marc Revil lon d'Apre val),

Connoisseur   (September  1957), p.

  L I V ,

  and S. Faniel and

P. Levallois , Les Dix-septieme

  siecle

 frangais  (Paris, 1958),

p .  121, fig. 6.

Examp les o f clocks  w i t h  s imilar de tached  columns:

a clock in the  Schloss  Rohrau, Niederosterreich, Aus tr ia ,

H .  Kreisel , Die Kunst des deutschen Mobels  ( B e r l i n ,  1970),

v o l .  2, fig. 395 (the  f o r m  an d mar que try o f this clock's  case

an d  pedestal  are similar to  those  of the Getty Museum 's

c l o c k ;  the clock is pres umab ly Fren ch and n ot Aust ri an as

stated;  the maker of the mov eme nt is not given) ; a lon g-

case clock  (Fersen  [dealer], Monte Carlo), advertisement in

C onnais sance  des Arts  62  ( A p r i l  1967), p. 1 (this clock's  f o r m

and decoration are  also simi lar to the Museum's clock. Th e

maker of the movement is not known ); a mantel clock  w i t h

a movement by DuChesne  (Paris, Musee des Arts Decora-

t i f s ,  inv. D. 14383).

5.  Jones  Coll ecti on (inv. 1025—1882), G. Wilso n, "Boul le, " The

Journal of  the Furniture History Society  8 (1972), pp. 47-69.

6.  8 2 . D A . 209.1—2, G . Wi lso n, Select ions  from the Decorative Arts

in   the J .  Paul Getty Museum  ( M a l i b u ,  1986), pp. 12—13, no. 6.

7. 83.D A.2 2, Bre mer David et al., Decorative  Arts,  p. 46,

no. 58.

8.  Sale, Akr am Oj jeh , Sotheby's, Monaco,

 Ju n e

  25- 26, 1979,

l o t  172;  Messrs Nir et-M inet & Coutau-Begarie , Hotel

D r o u o t ,

  Paris, Decembe r 1, 1989, no. 119; Keck Collec

t i o n , Sotheby's,  New  Y o r k ,  Decem ber 5- 6, 1991, lot 188;

an example in the  possession  of Krae mer & Cie, Paris,

1990; and in the Petit Tr ia no n. For the last, see D. Led oux -

Lebard,  Versailles: Le Petit Trianon  (Paris, 1989), p. 167,

%  3452.

9. Sold, Ader , Picard, Tajan, Hot el George  V, Paris, Decem

ber 11, 1988, no. 66.

10. J. N. Ronfort , "Le

  M o b i l i e r

  royal a  l 'epoque  de Louis  X I V , "

LEstampille

  180

  ( A p r i l

  1985), pp. 38, 39,

  i l l .

1 1 .  A . N . ,  0*3335.

12.  A . N . ,  O

2

  388a, f ol . 203.

13.  A . N . ,  A J

5 2

  5 8 , f o l .  30.

14.  Sale,  Thomassin  Freres,  Douai , Nov emb er 19—23, 1883,

l o t  1 , Theodo re  D e l l  archives. I n the  catalogue i l lustra t ion,

the pedim ent of the clock

 case

  housing the

  b e l l

 is missing.

L O N G - C A S E  C L O C K  9

Page 23: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 23/225

W a l l

  Clock

(Pendicle

  d'alcove)

French (Paris); circa 1710

Case attr ibut ed to And re-Char les

B o u l l e

  (1642-1732); maker of the

later Englis h movem ent un kn ow n

H E I G H T :

  2 ft. 4 in . (71.1 cm)

W I D T H :

  11Y 4 in. (28.6 cm)

D E P T H :

  4V2 in . (11.4 cm)

7 3 . D B . 7 4

D E S C R I P T I O N

Th e cloc k is in the  f o r m  o f a  l y r e .  Th e upp er corners

are set

  w i t h

  ram's  heads  f r o m  which depend  floral  pen

dants  and a garland  ( f i g .  2a). Below the  d i a l  is an andr og

ynous mask, fram ed by lau rel  branches  tied below

  w i t h

a rib bon kn ot (fig. 2b). Th e  finial  of the clock  case  takes

th e  f o r m  o f a ber rie d kno p, while the clock terminates be

l o w   i n a larger be rri ed kno p, enclosed by scrolling leaves.

T h e  flat  surface o f the  case  is

 veneered

  w i t h

  a panel of

blue painted horn, set  w i t h  an engraved  brass  t r e l l i s ,

each square o f w h i c h  is  filled

  w i t h

 a four-petaled  brass r o

sette.

  T h e

  sides

  of the clock are decorated  w i t h  a central

rib bo n- bo un d ro d flanked by foliate strips. Br oa d  acan

thus

  scrolls  encase  the lower part of the lyre at the front

and  sides.

The hol low case  contains, at its widest part, a black

ened woo d box of confo rming

 shape,

 composed o f pieces

o f

  white oak, Euro pean walnut, and apple or  pear.  Its

brass doo r is hi ng ed an d latch ed. I t is ope n below to allow

f o r

  the swing of a pe nd ul um and pier ced thrice above  to

a l l o w   fo r passage o f the  arms  o f three  b e l l  hamme rs, now

m i s s i n g .

  T h e

  sides

  of the clock are pierced to accommo

date  the strings that, when pulled,  w o u l d  once have acti

vated a repe atin g mechan ism.

C O M M E N T A R Y

T h e  present  mov emen t is not orig ina l to the clock,

w h i c h  once  house d a repe atin g movemen t, a useful

device that enabled one to learn the time at night, in the

absence  o f  l i g h t.

1

  This type of clock, without a striking

t r a i n ,

 was kno wn as  apendule d alcove  and was intended for

use in a bed ro om .

l O

Page 24: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 24/225

Page 25: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 25/225

  A

A

  possibl e source fo r the desig n of the

  case

  may be

f o u n d

  in a sketch in the Musee du Louvre  f r o m  Charles

L e Brun's studio.

2

 I t shows a  l y r e

  w i t h

 goat's heads o f very

s i m i l a r  f o r m ,

  s uppor ted by two

  p u t t i .

  The sketch was for

a lead fo unt ain gro up made by Pierre Le Gros in 1 673-74

f o r  th e Theat re d 'Eau at Versailles. Th e fountains wer e

d i s m a n t l e d   i n the 1750s, an d the gr ou p is now in the

N a t i o n a l

 Gallery of

 A r t ,

 Washing ton, D.C.

3

 A n engraving

b y

 Jean

  I Berain of about 1690 for painted ornament at

the Tuil eries includes a  l y r e bearing the heads o f  g r i f f i n s;

4

however, in art of this peri od representations of lyres

bearin g animal's heads are extremely rare.

O T H E R E X A M P L E S

A

  clock of the  same  model is in the  V i c t o r i a  and

A l b e r t Museum, London .

5

 Its moveme nt is signed

  " M y n -

u e l , "

6

  an d it was acqui red by that mu seu m i n 1865.

A n o t h e r

  clock of the

  same

 design, but

  w i t h

  its

  finial

  in the

f o r m

  of a closed bud and the upper

  area

  of blue horn

o v e r l a i d

  w i t h

  l y r e  "strings," is in the Musee des  A r t s

D e c o r a t i f s ,

  Paris.

F.J.  B r i t t e n  illustrates another simil ar clock in  Old

Clocks

  and Watches and their  Makers  (6th ed.

  [ L o n d o n ,

1 9 7 1 ] , p. 467 , fig. 610),

 w h i c h

 belonged, at the time o f  the

first  e d i t i o n  (1899), to the Marquis of

 H e r t f o rd .

7

  I t has a

closed-bud

  finial

  and a decorated fr ame for the

  glass

cover.  B r i t t e n  states  that the move ment is by Th ur et .

8

A

  clock and a matc hin g barom eter of this

  f o r m

  were

s o l d  by Monsi eur M .

  R i k o f f

  i n Paris (Galerie Georges

P e t i t ,

  December 4—7, 1907, lot 255).  A g a i n ,  the design

d i f f e r e d  i n the closed-bud

  finial

  and the decorated r i m of

th e  glass  cover. The panels of horn were decorated

  w i t h

larger

 brass

 rosettes

 set at the crossings

  o f

 th e

 brass

  t r e l l i s ,

and th e dials were fo rm ed of one plaque of enamel.  N e i

ther th e dials no r the movements o f the clock and b aro m

eter were signed.

I n  1977 Kr ae me r & Cie (Paris)  possessed  two

  w a l l

c l o c k s

  o f this model . Each bore a white enamel plaque

between the ram's  heads,

  w h i c h

 was inscribed  T H U R E T .

O n   one example the marquetry of blue horn and  brass

was i n  contre partie.  A lyre -sha ped clo ck, possibly this

m o d e l ,  was owned by Paris de Mon tm ar te l, who die d in

1766. I t hu ng i n his bed cha mbe r and was descri bed as

b e i n g

  "Une petite pendule . . .

 dans

  sa boete en forme de

l y r e

 de bronze dore en or

  m o u l u . "

9

A

  clock o f the  same mo del is described i n the

  sale

 o f

the collec tion of the comte de Luc (Lieut enant General

des Armees d u Roi and Go uve rne ur de la Citadelle de

M a r s e i l l e s )

1 0

 on Dec embe r 22, 1777, lot 49, as  f o l l o w s :

Une  Pendule, le mouvement a

  repetition fait par

  Julien

le

 Roy, la boite de

 Boule,

  de bronze  dore,  en

  cartel

representant

  une

  lyre,

 a tete de belier sur chaque angle

du

  haut, & a panneau de mosaique, sur le devant,

renfermant un medaillon a deux faces  tournant a pivot,

Vu n representant  le portrait de

 Louis

  XIV, Vautre  celui

d 'Henr i

  IV, mascaron au-dessous du cadran & les cotes

regul ierement

  ouvrages.

11 

The a ttr ibution here  of the

  case

  to Andre-Charles

B o u l l e

 is inte rest ing, bu t it shou ld be reme mbe red that by

the late eighteenth century this famous  ebeniste's  name

was sometimes used to describe pieces ma de i n his style or

was given to pieces decorated

  w i t h

  a marquetry of horn,

s h e l l ,

 an d

  brass.

 Th e medal lion port rait of Henry I V and

L o u i s  X I V  may have been set between the ram's

  heads.

A n o t h e r

  clock o f the

  same

 mo de l was sold in Paris by

the comte de Choiseul-Praslin

  ( M a r c h

  12, 1866, lo t 121)

and described thus: "Cartel du temps de Louis  X I V ,  en

bronze dore, en forme de  l y r e .  I I presente a sa partie in-

ferieure un mascaron tete de femme et a sa partie  supe-

rieure des

  tetes

 de belier."

A n o t h e r

  version of the clock,

  w i t h

  a movement by

J. F. Laisse, was sold by Bou rge ois Freres, at Lem per tz,

C o l o g n e ,

  on October 25, 1904, as lot 829. On this exam

p l e ,  the ram's  heads  at the top corners were replaced by

female winged busts, and the knop at the bottom by a

shaped  p l i n t h , thus co nverti ng the

  w a l l

 clock i n t o  a man

t e l

 clock.

12  W A L L  C L O C K

Page 26: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 26/225

E X H I B I T I O N S

De t r o i t  In s t i t u t e  o f  Ar t s ,

  1972-1973.

P R O V E N A N C E

Th e  col lect ion  o f  L o r d H i l l i n g d o n  at  V e r n o n  House ,

E n g l a n d .

  Sold  by the  t rustees  o f  L o r d H i l l i n g d o n ,  Chr i s

tie's,  L o n d o n ,  J u n e  29, 1972, lo t 56.

  F ren ch

  an d  C o m

pany, Ne w  York,  1972.

  Purchas ed

 by J.

  Pau l Get ty

 in 1972.

N O T E S

1.   For a desc rip tio n of this device, see A. Smi th, ed.,  The

Country

  Life

  International Dictionary  of

  Clocks

  (London,

1979)> PP- 1 72- 173 -

2 .

  A. Marie , Naissance de Versailles, he  C hateau—Les   Jardins,

v o l .

  1 (Paris, 1968), pi. L i (Louv re, Cabinet des  Dessins,

i n v .  30162.8190).

3. C. Seymour, Jr., "Versailles' Fountai ns, two sculptures

f r o m

  th e  The a t r e  d'Eau in Ameri ca," Gazette des Beaux-Arts

(Oct ober 1942) pp. 41—52, fig. 5.1 am gr atef ul to Chris-

tophe Leriba ult for bri ngi ng this article to my attention.

4 .  In v. 130—1865. See N . Lang loi s, Ornemanspetits dans les

appartemens des

  Tuileries,

  dessinez et gravezpar Berain  (Paris,

circa 1690).

5. A . de  Cha mpe a ux ,  Portefeuille des arts decoratifs,  vol . 5

(Paris, 1886-97), pl- 3

2 2

-

6. Th e clock-maker Louis  M y n i i e l  (circa 1675—1742) was

active bet wee n 1693 and 1742.

7. See H . Bouil het,

  LOrfeverie

  f ranqaise  (Paris, 1908), p. 5,

whe re t he own er o f the clock is give n as Ric har d Wallace.

8.  Jacques  Thur et (died 1739)  succeeded  his father

  Isaac

  as

clock-maker to Louis X I V and to the Observatoire i n

1694. He  also inhe r i t ed  f r o m  his father the pri vileg e of

possessing lodg ings i n the Lou vr e, and he was related to

Andre-Charles Boulle , for whose  clock

 cases

 he  seems  to

have

 often provid ed movements.

9. R. Dubois- Corneau,   Paris  de Montmartel  (Paris, 1917), p.

243, quote d i n S. Eriksen,   Early  Neo-Classicism in  France

( L o n d o n ,  1974), pp. 345- 346.

10. Th e comte de Luc was the ille giti mate son of Louis  X I V .

He so closely res emb led his fat her t hat he was kn ow n as

" d e m i - L o u i s . "  I am grateful to Jean-Do miniq ue Aug arde

f o r  this information.

1 1 .  I am grateful to The odo re  D e l l  for this information.

2 B

W A L L

  C L O C K

  13

Page 27: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 27/225

M o d e l  for a

M a n t e l C l o c k

Fre nch (Paris); circa 1 700- 1715

Name o f maker unkn ow n

H E I G H T :  2 ft. 7 in . (78.7 cm)

W I D T H :  1 ft. 8V2 in . (51 cm)

D E P T H :  9 V 2 in . (24.2 cm)

7 2 . D B . 5 2

D E S C R I P T I O N

Th e mod el is

 made

 ent i rely o f ter ra cotta  w i t h  enamel

numeral plaques and a  r i n g o f g i l t bronze around the  d i a l .

T he elabo rate d eco rat ion consists of a trell ised dom e set

above a d r u m  g i r d l e d  w i t h

  acanthus

  and strapwork. Pen

dants

  o f  f r u i t  an d flowers ext end do wn the dr u m to the

f o u r  up per corner s of the rectangul ar

  case,

 o n  w h i c h  are

m oun t e d

  vases.

 T h e

  f r o n t

  corners are canted and set  w i t h

female herms bearing  baskets  o f  f r u i t  on their  heads.

S i m i l a r

  her ms are fo un d at the back o f the clock. Fou r

clawed

  feet sup po rt large scrolls on  w h i c h  are pe rch ed

winged  beasts  (fig. 3a). The ir webbed and clawed fore

feet rest on plinths,  w h i l e  their bifurcate tails extend

d o w n

  the outer surface  o f  the scrolls, to cross and tw ine at

thei r  bases.

Occupy ing the lowe r pa rt o f the clock, below the

  d i a l ,

is a chariot drawn by four

  horses.

  I t carries Pluto wh o

clasps

  Prosperine to him . He r arms are outstretched and

her hair is  flying  ( f i g .  3b).

T h e

  sides

  of the clock are dec orat ed

  w i t h

  shells in

arched coves, above

  tasseled

  lambrequins. The lobed

lower  p r o f i l e

  o f the cl ock is set  w i t h

  acanthus

 leaves

  and a

s t y l i z e d

 shell  ( f i g .  3c).

The clock

 rests

 o n a

 shaped

  p l i n t h . T he back is  h o l l o w

an d there is no doo r  ( f i g .  3d).

M A R K S

None

Ill

4

Page 28: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 28/225

Page 29: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 29/225

3A

C O N D I T I O N

T h e  o r i g i n a l  contents of the  f o u r  vases at the upp er

corners of the clock are missing . Th e vases may have he ld

flames.

T h e

  heads

  of the

  beasts

  at the back

  l e f t

  and  f r o n t

r i g h t  have br ok en off, as has the head o f the

  l e f t

  f r o n t

horse.  B o t h  the

  horses

  on the  l e f t  have lost their hooves,

and the

  f r o n t

  horse on the

  r i g h t

  has lost its

  r i g h t f r o n t

h o o f .

 Th ree corners o f the

  p l i n t h

  are chipped.

W h e n

  the cl ock was acqui red i t was  f i t t e d

  w i t h

  a

detachable terra-cotta

  f i n i a l

  in the  f o r m  of the  g r i e v i n g

Demeter, crowned

  w i t h

  a wreat h of wheat (f ig. 3e).

T h o u g h

  it is app rop ria te t o the iconogr aphy of the clock,

t h i s

  finial

  is of nineteenth-century  date  and is not dis

p l a y e d   w i t h  i t .

 It is

  l i k e l y

  that the  o r i g i n a l

  finial

  was i n the

f o r m  o f Father Ti me

  w i t h

 his scythe, perhaps  s i t t i n g on a

g l o b e , or a figure re pre sen ti ng Fame.

C O M M E N T A R Y

I t  is probable that this clock was  o r i g i n a l l y  intended

as a model,  w h i c h w o u l d  have been shown to a client for

a p p r o v a l .

  V e r y

  few French eighteenth-century furniture

models exist today, and those that do were nearly

  al l

  made

f o r  the approval  o f  M a r i e -A n t o i n e t t e.

1

 Th ey are always o f

m i n i a t u r e

  scale  and m ade o f wax, or wax and paper. It is

possible that this unique

  f u l l - s i z e

  clock model,  w h i c h

dates  to about 1700, was made f or Louis X I V or a mem

ber of the French co urt.

I t

  is extremely

  d i f f i c u l t

  to attribute the  w o r k  to any

one sculptor. I n the in ven tor y taken o f the objects

destroyed in the disastrous

  fire

  that swept through the

logement  o f Andr e-Ch arle s Boul le in the Lou vre in 1720,

m e n t i o n  is mad e o f "Mo del s of wax an d ter ra cotta m ade

b y

  Bou lle and his chi ld ren in the course o f thei r profes

s i o n . "

2

  Seventy-five clocks are also listed as having been

bu rne d, a nd i t is quit e possible that the

  r o y a l

  cabinet

maker could have been responsible for the  fine  w o r k

e x h i b i t e d  on this piece. On the oth er han d, model s by

Francois Gir ar do n were also destroyed i n that

  fire.

3

  He

was a neighbor of Boulle's in the  logement  of the Louvre,

and i t is conceivabl e that a scul pto r of such emine nce

c o u l d

 have made this model.

Th e figures o f Plu to an d Pros erpi ne are s omewhat

s i m i l a r

  to those found on a marble

  r e l i e f

  by Robert Le

L o r r a i n e (1666—1743) in the park at Versailles. Executed

i n

  1696—99, th e

  r e l i e f

 was on a pedestal for the  Enlevement

de

  Proserpine  by Girar don.

4

  Th e sculptor  Jean  Cornu

(16 50- 171 0) has also been suggested as the aut ho r of this

c l o c k . Germa in  B r i c e , i n his D escription  de Paris  (1698 and

1 7 0 6 ) ,

 writes:  I I  [C or nu ] travaille a present a des

  boetes

de pendule enrichies de figures de bronze  d 'une  grand

beaute." I n 1699 Cor nu deli vered an elaborate clock to

C o l b e r t ,

  w h i c h was in the  f o r m  of an allegory of the

  Peace

o f  R y s w i c k .

5

  A l t h o u g h  it is te mp ti ng to give this extremel y

s c u l p t u r a l

  piece to the han d of one of the pr om in ent

sculp tors o f the day, it is u n l i k e ly that any  firm  a t tr ibution

w i l l  ever be ma de. I t is, howe ver, poss ible to give as a

source for the Pluto and Proserpine group an engraving

b y Daniel

  M a r o t ( f i g .

  3 f) .

6

 W h i l e the posi tion of the limbs

o f

  the protagonists are  d i s s i m i l a r — P l u t o balances  h i m s e l f

w i t h

  his

  f o o t

  firmly

  pla nted on the raised  f r o n t  of the

c h a r i o t ,

  clasping the wind swep t Proserpine a rou nd her

waist—the gr oup , in reverse, shows simi lar agitat ion and

c l o t h i n g .

  T h e  p r i n t

  appears

 to be  based o n a draw ing by

Jean  (I ) Berai n (1640-1711 ),

  w h i c h

  was engraved as the

f r o n t i s p i e c e

  for the 1680 publ icat ion of Jean-Baptiste

L u l l y  and P hilipp e Quinault 's opera  Proserpine.

1

  The

s c u l p t u r a l

 style of the winged beasts  at the lower corners

may be com par ed t o that of one o f the dragons made by

an unknown sculptor of the school of Versailles for the

Bosquet du Labyri nthe (1672-74). It is known that Jean-

Baptiste

  T u b i ,

  Etienne Le Hongre, Pierre Le Gros, and

the brot hers Gasp ard an d Balthazar Marsy wor ked on

these

  thir ty-ni ne founta ins

  i l l u s t r a t i n g

  Aesop's fables at

V e r s a i l l e s ,

 bu t it is not possible to distin guis h amo ng t heir

c o n t r i b u t i o n s.

8

T h e

 presence  o f

  w i n d i n g holes is

 p u z z l i n g .

 T h e

  edges

o f  the enamel numeral plaques have been carefully

l6   M O D E L  F O R A

  M A N T E L

  C L O C K

Page 30: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 30/225

g r o u n d  down to make room for them. Such precision

w o u l d  surely have been

  necessary  o n l y

  i f the  c l o c k  once

contained a movement . The

  same

 applies to the  presence

o f

  an aperture for the regulati on of the pen dul um. It has

been suggested that the

  c l o c k

 may have been

  f i t ted with

  a

movement at a later date, and the  w i n d i n g  holes bored

i n t o  the face at that

  t i m e .

H e n r y

  Hawl ey, in his revi ew o f the 1976 catalogu e of

the Getty Museum's clocks, was of the  o p i n i o n  that this

c l o c k  model was made in the nineteenth century as an

actual  case.

  He recommended that the terra cotta be

tested by means  of thermoluminescence. This was done,

r e s u l t i n g  in a rat her b roa d dati ng between the seven

teenth and eig hteenth century.

O T H E R E X A M P L E S

W h i l e  a number of clocks of this period

  e x h i b i t

domed tops,

  vases

 of flames, and scrolled lower corners

suppor t ing  female herms, no single  c l o c k  seems  to have

s u r v i v e d

  that has winged

  beasts

  set in this pos iti on, or,

indeed,

  w i t h

  a gro up of Pluto and Pros erpine i n a horse-

d r a w n

  chariot. But what must have been a

  s i m i l a r c l o c k

app ear ed at auc ti on at Christ ie's on Febr uar y 13, 1899, as

l o t  48 ,

  w h i c h

  is described, but not  i l l u s t r a t e d ,  in the

  sale

catalogue: "A Loui s X I V bracket clock, i n scroll-shaped

B o u l l e

  case  mo u n te d

  w i t h

  Plut o and Proserpine , an d

other chasing, and borders of o r m o l u ,  and surmounted

b y a  figure  o f Fame and bracke t en suite—50 inches  h i g h . "

The closest in design is a mantel

  c l o c k

  at the Chat eau

de  C h a n t i l l y , w h i c h  stands  on the mantelpiece of the

Cham bre de Mon sieu r le Prince .

9

 It has a dom ed top

  w i t h

M O D E L

  F O R A

  M A N T E L

  C L O C K

  17

3 B

Page 31: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 31/225

f e m a l e

  herms

  a t t h e c a n t e d c o r n e r s . W i n g e d f e m a l e  busts

replace  t h e  beasts,  a n d t h e l a rg e g i l t - b r o n z e m o u n t b e l o w

t h e d i a l i s o f a f e m a l e f i g u r e o n a w i n g e d  horse.

A

  s o m e w h a t s i m i l a r c l o c k w a s s o l d

  f r o m

  t h e c o l l e c t i o n

o f

  t h e R t . H o n . V i s c o u n t E m l y n , S t a c po l e, Y o r k s h i r e

( S o t h e b y ' s , J u l y 1 3 , 1 9 6 2 , l o t 1 9 3 ) . I t bears  a f igu r e r e p

r e s e n t i n g

  Fame,

  f in i al s c o n t a i n i n g f l am e s a t t h e f o u r

upper corners

 above  c a n t e d f e m a l e h e r m s . B e l o w t h e d i a l

A p o l l o  is s h o w n i n a f o u r - h o r s e c h a r i o t .

P U B L I C A T I O N S

G .

  W i l s o n , " T h e J . P a u l G e t t y M u s e u m , 6

d m e

  p a r t i e ,

L e s M e u b l e s B a r o q u e s , "   Connaissance des Arts  ( M a y 1 9 7 5 ) ,

p .

  1 0 9 ,  i l l . ;  B . F r e d e r i c k s e n , H . L a t t i m o r e , a n d G . W i l s o n ,

Th e

  J .   P aul Get ty Museum

  ( L o n d o n , 1 9 7 5 ) , p . 1 8 5 ,  i l l . ;

  W i l

s o n ,

  Clocks,

  p p . 8— 1 1 , n o . 1 ,  i l l . ;  W i l s o n ,  Decorat ive Arts

( 1 9 7 7 ) , p . 9 , n o . 6 ,  i l l . ;  H . H a w l e y , " B o o k R ev i e w s ,"  The

Decorative

  Arts Newsletter

  ( S u m m e r 1 9 7 7 ) , p . 1 3 ; G . W i l s o n ,

Selections from the Dec orative Arts in the J .   Paul Get ty Museum

( M a l i b u ,  1 9 8 3 ) , p p . 1 4 - 1 5 , n o . 7 ,  i l l . ;

 Sassoon

 a n d W i l s o n ,

Decorative   Arts : A Hand book,  p . 3 6 , n o . 7 6 ,  i l l . ;  P . V e r l e t ,  Les

Bronzes,  p . 1 6 4 , f ig . 2 0 0 ; C . B r e m e r D a v i d e t

  a l . ,  Decorat ive

Arts,

  p p . 8 2 - 8 3 , n o . 1 2 8 ,  i l l .

E X H I B I T I O N S

N e w

  Y o r k ,

  M e t r o p o l i t a n M u s e u m o f A r t ,

  " M a g n i f i

cent

  T i m e - K e e p e r s ,"

  January

  4 - M a r c h 2 8 , 1 9 7 2, n o . 6 7 ;

D e t r o i t I n s t i t u t e o f   A r t s ,  1 9 7 2 - 1 9 7 3 .

P R O V E N A N C E

D a l v a B r o t h e r s , N e w   Y o r k .  Purchased  b y J . P a u l

G e t t y i n 1 9 7 2 .

18

M O D E L

  F O R A  M A N T E L  C L O C K

3 C

3 D

Page 32: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 32/225

N O T E S

1

.

  S e e , f o r

  instance,

  t h e w a x m o d e l o f a j e w e l

  cabinet

  made

f o r

  M a r i e - A n t o i n e t t e i n 1 7 7 0, J .  Niclausse,  " T h e  Jewel

Cabinet  o f t h e D a u p h i n e M a r i e - A n t o i n e t t e , "  Th e  Journal  of

the Walters Art Gallery  1 8 ( 1 9 5 5 ) , p p . 6 9 - 9 1 .

2 . T h e  comple te  i n v e n t o r y is p u b l i s h e d i n A . d e M o n t a i g l o n ,

"Documents

  s u r

  Pierre

  e t A n d r e - C h a r l e s B o u l l e ,  ebenistes

d e L o u i s  X I I I  e t L o u i s

  X I V .

  I n c e n d i e d u

  chantier

  d u Sr .

B o u l l e , " Archives de   I 'ArtFrangais  7  (Paris,  1 8 5 5 - 5 6 ) , p p .

3 3 4 - 3 4 9 -

3.   I b i d . ,  p . 3 4 7 .

4 . M . B e a u l i e u ,   RobertLe

  Lorrain,

  1666-1743  ( N e u i l l y - s u r -

Seine,  1 9 8 2 ) , p . 1 0 2 , p i .  V I I ,  f i g . 1 0 .

5 . I a m g r a t e f u l t o Jean Neree  R o n f o r t f o r t h is  suggestion.

6 . T h e e n g r a v i n g ,

  represent ing

  F i r e , is on e o f a se t o f th e

F o u r

  Elements.

  I t w a s p r o d u c e d i n H o l l a n d a n d w a s

p r i n t e d c i r c a 1 7 0 3 .

7 . T h e d r a w i n g b y B e r a i n i s i n t h e  Musee  de s A r t s  Decora-

t i f s ,

  Paris  (i n v . C D . 2 0 1 ) .

8.   The Splendid Century: French Art

  1600—iyi5,

  e x h . c a t .

( N a t i o n a l G a l l e r y o f

  A r t ,

  W a s h i n g t o n , D . C . , i 9 6 0 ) , p . 6 5 ,

f ig . 114 .

9 . I l l u s t r a t e d i n A . G u e r i n e t ,  Le Chateau de Chantilly

  (Paris,

1 9 0 0 ) , p . 9 .

M O D E L

  F O R A

  M A N T E L

  C L O C K 1 9

3 E T e r r a - c o t t a f ig u re o f  Demeter,  w h i c h

f o r m e d t h e

  finial

  o f t h e c l o c k w h e n i t w a s

a c q u i r e d i n 1 9 7 2 . T h e f ig u re

  dates

  f r o m

t h e  n ineteenth  c e n t u r y a n d is n o l o n g e r

d i s p l a y e d  w i t h  t h e c l o c k .

3F D a n i e l M a r o t ,  F ire ,  e n g r a v i n g ; o n e o f a

series,  " T h e F o u r

  Elements,"

  w h i c h w a s

p r i n t e d i n A m s t e r d a m c i r c a 1 7 0 3 .

Page 33: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 33/225

M a n t e l C l o c k

Frenc h (Paris); circa 1715- 1725

M o v e m e n t by Paul

 G u d i n

  (active

c i r c a 1739-1755) (see

  B i o g . ,

p .

  176); case a t tr ibut ed to Andr e

Charles

  B o u l l e

 (1642 -1732)

H E I G H T :  3 ft. 4 in.  (101.6  cm)

W I D T H :  1 ft. 8 in . (50.8 cm)

D E P T H :

  1134 in . (29.8 cm)

7 2 . D B . 5 5

D E S C R I P T I O N

T h e  c l o c k  has an arched top and  rests o n a base

  w i t h

f o u r  short st raigh t legs. Above is mo un te d a

  f lying g i l t -

bronze  c u p i d . B e l o w  the  d i a l  a large gilt-bronze  figure  o f

T i m e

  recli nes on a swag o f tasseled drap ery. H e hold s

a l o f t  a balance i n his  r i g h t  hand  ( f i g . 4c).

Th e side (fi g. 4a) and  f r o n t  surfaces o f the  case  are

veneered

  w i t h

  tortoiseshell, brass,  and ebony. A  recessed

panel of blue horn , decorated

  w i t h

  a brass

  t r e l l i s

  enclos

i n g rosettes, is set belo w the

  d i a l .

 The legs are veneered on

a l l

  f o u r

  sides

  w i t h

 bl ue hor n inset

  w i t h

 p enda nt scrolls of

brass.  Gil t-br onze mol din gs frame all the profiles of the

c l o c k  and its legs, as

  w e l l

  as  f o r m i n g  the feet. There is a

b l a n k  gilt-b ronze cartouch e beneath the

  d i a l .

 The hipp ed

sides o f the  c l o c k are set at the  f r o n t

  w i t h

 gilt-bronze acan

thus scrolls.

T h e carcase o f the

  c l o c k

 is

 o f

 blackened

  w h i t e

 oak and

w a l n u t .  I t is

  fitted

  at the back

  w i t h

  a hinged and latched

wooden  door.

M A R K S

Th e central plaque of the  d i a l  is painted in black

G U D I N

  LE  J E U N E  A P A R I S .  T he  m o v e m e n t  is simila rly

engraved in cursive script

 Gudin le jeune  APARIS  ( f i g .

 4b).

C O M M E N T A R Y

W h i l e  th e

  d i a l

 of the

  c l o c k  appears

  to be contempo

r a r y

  w i t h

  th e

  case,

  the movement is not. The blank

  g i l t -

bronze cartouche beneath the face may once have borne

an enamel plaque inscribed

  w i t h

  the name o f the m aker

o f

  th e  o r i g i n a l  movement. The present movement by

G u d i n  seems

 to have been mou nt ed in the case later in th e

V

2 0

Page 34: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 34/225

Page 35: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 35/225

22  M A N T E L

  C L O C K

4 A

Page 36: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 36/225

4B

e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y , a n d a t t h a t t im e G u d i n ' s  name  was

p a i n t e d o n t h e c e n t r a l e n a m e l p l a q u e .

T h e r e i s a d r a w i n g r e l a t e d t o t h i s c l o c k a t t r i b u t e d t o

A n d r e - C h a r l e s B o u l l e i n th e M u s e e d es A r t s D e c o r a t i fs ,

P a r i s .

1

  I n i t , t h e c u p i d is s h o w n c a r r y i n g a l o n g - h a n d l e d

s c y t h e w h i c h i s m i s s i n g

  f r o m

  t h e G e t t y M u s e u m ' s c l o c k .

2

T h e c l o c k i s s h o w n r e s t i n g o n a

  w a l l

  b r a c k e t . O n l y o n e

c l o c k

  o n a b r a c k e t o f t h i s d e s i g n

  seems

  t o

  have

  s u r v i v e d .

3

T h e d r a w i n g

 also

  s h o w s

  masks

 a t t h e

  sides

 o f  t h e

  case,

  a n d

a

  d i a l

 cast w i t h  d a n c i n g

 babies

  i n r e l i e f . T h e a t t r i b u t i o n o f

t h e d r a w i n g to B o u l l e is s t r e n g t h e n e d b y t h e  appearance

o f  a s i m i l a r c l o c k i n P i e r r e M a r i e t t e ' s p u b l i c a t i o n o f

B o u l l e 's e n g r a v e d d e s i g n s .

4

  H e r e , a c l o c k o f t h e

  same

shape,  w i t h  t h e

  f l y i n g

  c u p i d b u t l a c k i n g t h e f ig u re o f

T i m e ,  s i t s o n a

 serre-papier

  a c c o m p a n y i n g a

  bureau plat.

T h e f i g u r e o f T i m e is t a k e n   f r o m  a w o o d c u t t h a t h a s

been

 a t t r i b u t e d t o N i c o l o V i c e n t i n o ( f i g .  4 d ) .

5

 T h i s w o o d

c u t , i n t u r n ,  seems  t o  have been made  f r o m  a finished

s t u dy b y G i o v a n n i A n t o n i o d e  Pordenone  ( 1 4 8 4 - 1 5 3 9 )

6

f o r

  a f r es c o p a i n t e d b y h i m c i r c a 1 5 3 3 o n t h e

  facade

  o f

  t h e

Palazzo d ' A n n a o n th e G r a n d C a n a l i n V e n i c e .

7

I t

  i s k n o w n t h a t B o u l l e h a d a l a r g e c o l l e c t i o n o f p r i n t s

a n d d r a w i n g s b y t h e  hands  o f m a n y  masters,  w h i c h w e r e

d e s t r o y e d i n t h e

  fire

  t h a t sw e p t t h r o u g h h i s l o d g i n g s a n d

w o r k s h o p at t h e L o u v r e i n 1 7 2 0 .

8

  I t i s q u i t e p o s s i b l e t h a t

h e

  possessed

  t h e w o o d c u t a f t er P o r d e n o n e .

I n  a n i n v e n t o r y d r a w n u p a f te r B o u l l e 's d e a t h i n

1 7 3 2 , i n t h e s e c t i o n d e v o t e d t o b r o n z e m o u n t s , i s t h e

  f o l

l o w i n g   e n t r y : " U n e  boete  c o n t e n a n t l e s m o d e l e s d e l a

p e n d u l e d e M r . D e s m a r a i s d o n t l e T e m p s c o u c h e e st d e

M r .

  G i r a r do n  pesant  ensemble  v i n g t - t r o i s l i v r e s , prises  a

r a i s o n d e q u a t r e f r a n c s l a  l i v r e  . . ."

9

Jean-Pierre

  S a m o y a u l t b e l i e v e s t h a t t h i s m o d e l o f

c l o c k  i s o f t h e  same  f o r m  a s t h e o n e u n d e r d i s c u s s i o n a n d

assumes

  t h a t M r . D e s m a r a i s i s N i c o l a s

 Desmarets

  ( 1 6 4 8 -

1 7 2 1 ) , n e p h e w o f C o l b e r t .

1 0

  T h e i n v e n t o r y d e s c ri p t io n

suggests  t h a t t h e m o d e l w a s  first

  made

  f o r D e s m a r e t s , a n d

i f   this is so ,  i t w a s perhaps  p r o d u c e d d u r i n g t h e t i m e w h e n

h e w a s C o n t r o l e u r G e n e r a l d e s  Finances  b e t w e e n 1 7 0 8

a n d 1 7 1 5 .

C l o c k s o f t h i s d e s i g n , o f w h i c h m a n y s l i g h t l y o r

w i d e l y d i f f e r i n g   v e r s i o n s s u r v i v e , w e r e  made  o v e r a

p e r i o d

  o f t w e n t y o r m o r e  years,  a n d i t w a s a n e x c e e d i n g l y

p o p u l a r m o d e l . T h e i n v e n t o r y ' s d e c l a r a t i o n th a t F r a n c oi s

G i r a r d o n

  ( 1 6 2 8 - 1 7 1 5 ) p r o d u c e d t h e m o d e l o f T i m e is

n o t s u r p r i s i n g — m o d e l s i n w a x a n d p l a s te r b y t h e s c u l p t o r

a r e l i s t e d i n t h e i n v e n t o r y t a k e n o f t h e o b je c ts d e s t r o y e d

a f t e r t h e 1 7 2 0

  fire

  i n B o u l l e ' s l o d g i n g s i n th e L o u v r e . I t i s

p o s s i b l e t h a t G i r a r d o n   also possessed  t h e w o o d c u t a f t e r

P o r d e n o n e .

T h e c l o c k appears  i n t h e b a c k g r o u n d o f a n u m b e r o f

p a i n t i n g s , e sp e c i a ll y i n th e w o r k s o f

  Jean-Francois

  d e

T r o y  ( 1 6 7 9 - 1 7 5 2 ) . T h e e a r l i e s t r e p r e s e n t a t i o n

  w o u l d

seem

  t o b e a p o r t r a i t o f G a b r i e l B e r n a r d d e R i e u x ( 1 6 8 7 -

1 7 4 5 ) , y o u n g e r s o n o f t h e   f inancier  S a m u e l B e r n a r d .

1 1

T h e p a i n t i n g m a y b e d a t e d a f t e r 1 7 1 4 , as t h e y o u n g m a n

i s s h o w n w e a r i n g t h e b l a c k  robes  o f a c o u n c i l l o r o f t h e

P a r l e m e n t d e P a r i s , a p o s t h e

  assumed

  i n t h a t

  year.

  I t is

p o s s i b l e t h a t t h e c l o c k w a s i n f a c t t h e p r o p e r t y o f t h e B e r

n a r d  f a m i l y .  T h e m o d e l  appears  a g a i n i n d e T r o y ' s  The

Garter,

  w h i c h w a s e x h i b i t e d a t t h e S a l o n o f 1 7 2 5 .

1 2

  Per

haps  d e T r o y h i m s e l f o w n e d t h e c l o c k , o r , h a v i n g t a k e n a

d r a w i n g

  o f i t w h e n p a i n t i n g R i e u x , h e s i m p l y

  used

  i t

a g a i n . T h e c l o c k i n th e s e c o n d p a i n t i n g h a s t h e  same  d i s

t i n c t i v e

  base,

  t h o u g h

  here

  i t i s s h o w n p l a c e d o n a b o o k

case, r a t h e r t h a n o n t h e  serre-papier  o f a  bureau plat.

I n

  A Reading from

  Moliere,  d a t i n g

  f r o m

  a b o u t 1 7 2 8 ,

t h e c l o c k appears  a g a i n , b u t here  t h e p o s i t i o n o f  T i m e  has

been

  c h an g e d , a n d  w i t h  h i s r a i s e d

  arms

  h e s u p p o r t s t h e

d i a l

 above

 h i m as

  i f

  i t

  w e r e a g l o b e .

1 3

  T h i s w a s p r e s u m a b l y

a r t i s t i c l i c e n s e , a s n o  cases  o f t h i s m o d e l a re k n o w n  w i t h

T i m e

  i n t h a t p o s i t i o n .

1 4

O T H E R  E X A M P L E S

N u m e r o u s m o d e l s o f t h i s c l o c k e x i s t . C l o se s t t o t h e

M u s e u m ' s e x a m p l e i s o n e   o f  t w o i n t h e W a l l a c e C o l l e c t i o n ,

L o n d o n .

1 5

  T h a t c l o c k l a c ks t h e

  tassels

  o n t h e s w a g o f

d r a p e r y b e l o w T i m e a n d t h e s c a l l o p sh e ll s a t t h e t o p s o f

M A N T E L

  C L O C K

  23

Page 37: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 37/225

4

c

4 D   N i c o l o V i c e n t i n o ,  Time,

 w o o d c u t

  ( A r t

 Ins t i tu te

  o f  Chicago,  i n v . 1 9 6 5

. 2 2 ) .

2 4

  M A N T E L  C L O C K

Page 38: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 38/225

the shor t legs; there are also significa nt differe nces i n the

design of the marq uetr y. Th e move ment is by

  Jacques

T h u r e t  ( 166 9-1 739 ). A second, closely rel ate d clock in

th e

  Neues

  Palais at

  Sans

  Souci,

  w h i l e

  having the

  same

body and marquetry

  panels

  as fo un d on the Museum 's

c l o c k ,  differs in two apparently unique ways.

16

  The cupid

above, instead of

 c l u t c h i n g

  Time's scythe, holds a feather

p l u c k e d

  f r o m

  his

  w i n g .

  T im e himsel f holds his scythe.

T h i s

  new arrangement

  seems

  to be a ninete enth- centur y

i n v e n t i o n .

1 7

  Her e, Love has no longe r conqu ered Ti me

b u t  mere ly attempts to slow do wn its

  speed.

  Th e oth er

unu sua l fea tur e o f this clock is the ext ensi on of the dial's

glass

  cover below the face to

  a l l o w

  for the

  v i e w i n g

  of the

p e n d u l u m .  A second clock of this model in the Wallace

C o l l e c t i o n

  has a

  f l a t

  base—possibly i nt en de d to be posi

t i o n e d

  on a

  cartonnier

—and contai ns a mov eme nt by

Claude Mart inot ,

 w h i c h

  is signed "C. Ma rt in ot aux Gal

leries du Louvre 1726. "

18

 Ano the r similar version, resting

o n  the uppe r section of a

 cartonnier

  and  w i t h  a movement

signed "1723 by Mart ino t, " was on the Paris marke t in

1965.

1 9

  Yet othe r notable versions, probably intend ed f or

car tonniers

  or   serre-papiers,  incl ude one  w i t h  a movement

by

  Charles Le Bo n in the Musee des Antiqu ite s, Roue n ,

2 0

and another  w i t h  a case veneered  w i t h  kingwood parque

t r y

  and a move men t sign ed by Ju li en Le Roy at Wa ddes-

d o n  Manor .

2 1 

A  s l i g h t l y d i f f e r i n g

  version has a semicircular barom

eter

 set into the swag of drapery, and a moon

 phase

 aper

ture above the  d i a l .  I n these cases the  area  containing the

d i a l

  and the moon

  phase

  is oval in

  shape,

  and so is the

glass

  that covers  i t .

2 2

S t i l l

 more c omplex variants bearing the reclini ng

  fig

ure of Time exist. One, in the Gulbenk ian  Foundation,

L i s b o n , was  made  for Cardinal Otto boni .

2 3

 W h i l e

 of basi

ca l ly t he

  same  f o r m ,

  i t

 bears

 on its

  p l i n t h

  an additional

  f i g

ure of a winged cupid supporting a medallion  w i t h  a

r e l i e f

  por tr ai t of the card inal ; above the c lock is a winge d

figure  o f

  Fame

 h old ing a shield emblazoned  w i t h  th e

  car

dinal's arms and t wo cupids ho ld in g up his

 tasseled

  hat. It

is

  dat ed 1712.

T h e  same  figure o f

  Fame

  w i t h  a shield surmounts a

c l o c k of this mod el that for ms the uppe r section of a

  regu-

lateur  made

  in 1717—18 for the comte de Toulouse and

n o w

  in the Musee du Louv re .

2 4

 The cresting

 here perhaps

represents

  Fame

  triumphant over Time. A mantel or

table clock of this

  series,

  moun ted  w i t h  the arms of the

E l e c t o r  o f Bavari a on its stele-like superst ructur e and

housing a movement by Thuret, is in the Zahringer Mu

seum in Baden-Baden.

2 5

T w o  distinct models of Ti me are fo und on  these

c l o c k s . T h a t

  w h i c h

  appears,  for instance, on the Wallace

C o l l e c t i o n ' s  Ma rt in ot clock o f 1726 has the fingers o f the

l e f t ha nd he ld straight and not bent into a  fist.  T h e  w i n g  is

longer and

  sweeps

  farther out at the

  base.

  Th e draped

c l o t h

 does not so  f u l l y  cover the thighs, and it does n ot

  f i l l

a gap between the legs. It has been  suggested  that the

o r i g i n a l

  Gi ra rd on mod el was destroyed i n the 1720  fire,

and that this second model was

 made

 to replace  i t .

2 6

 But as

we have

  seen,

  the Girardon model

  s t i l l

  existed in 1732.

Nevertheless, the model

 w i t h

  the extended fingers may be

a later version, and clocks bearing it may   w e l l  have been

made

  in the later

  decades

 of Boulle's long

 career.

M O V E M E N T

Brass

 and

  i r o n ,

 pa rtly blued

Note: The number in parentheses represents the number of

teeth on each wheel. These numbers are repeated again in the

drawings

  of  the movement.

The movement  ( f ig . 4e) consists  o f  three trains driven

by

  mainsprings;

  each

  tra in runs f or about two weeks. Th e

g o i n g   train provides power for the

  hands,

  w h i c h

  indicate

the hours i n ro ma n numerals a nd the minutes in arabic

numerals on the main

  d i a l .

  The clock strikes every  f u l l

hour on one large

  b e l l

  and

  each

  quarter hour on two

smaller bells.

Th e goi ng tr ai n has one rota tin g barr el (84),

  w h i c h

holds the mainspring and four

  p i n i o n

  wheels (14/80—

8/72—6/66—6/29), the last being the  escape  wheel. This

t r a i n  is regulat ed by a cr own wheel (verge

  escapement)

 i n

connection  w i t h  a pendulum. The pendulum can be

adjusted

  w h i l e

  the clock is running by

  l i f t i n g

  or lower ing

it s

  s i l k

  suspension. The second wheel holds the cannon

p i n i o n

  ( 36), a par t of the mo ti on

 w o r k

  (36-36/6-72), and

the min ute hand . The h our wheel (72) holds the h our

hand. The cannon

  p i n i o n

  (36) rotates once every hour; it

has four pins that  release t he

  s t r i k i n g

  trains every quarter

o f  an hour.

M A N T E L

  C L O C K  25

Going t ra in

Page 39: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 39/225

T h i s c l o c k h a s t w o s t r i k i n g

  t r a i n s .

  T o t h e r i g h t o f t h e

g o i n g t r a i n i s t h e s t r i k i n g t r a i n f o r t h e  quarters  o f a n

hour .  T o t h e l e f t o f th e g o i n g t r a i n i s t h e s t r i k i n g t r a i n f o r

t h e  hours.  B o t h  trains  u s e l o c k i n g

  plates  ( c o u n t  wheels).

T h e s t r i k i n g t r a i n f o r t h e  quar ter  hours  ha s a r o t a t i n g

b a r r e l ( 8 4 ) , w h i c h   holds  t h e m a i n s p r i n g , f o u r p i n i o n

wheels

  (14/52-8/72-6/60-6/48)

  a n d a f ly

  vane

  ( 6 ) . T h e

t h i r d w h e e l ( 8 / 7 2 ) h a s t w e l v e  pins that move  t h e s t r i k i n g

hammer.

  E v e r y

  f u l l

  hour  t h e l o c k i n g  plate  o f t h i s t r a i n

releases t h e s t r i k i n g t r a i n f o r t h e  hours.  T h e  second  s t r i k

i n g

  t r a i n  also  ha s a r o t a t i n g b a r r e l ( 8 4 ) , w h i c h  holds  the

m a i n s p r i n g , f o u r p i n i o n  wheels

  (14/80-7/70-7/66-6/48),

a n d a f l y vane  ( 6 ) . T h e t h i r d w h e e l ( 7 / 70 ) h as t e n pins that

move  th e s t r i k i n g

  hammer.

S t r i k i n g t r a i n f o r t h e

  hours

4E   T h r e e - q u a r t e r  v i e w o f t h e  movement .

E X H I B I T I O N S

Paris,  H o t e l  George  V , "Haute  J o a i l l e r i e d e  France,"

June

  11-20,  1 9 7 1 . D e t r o i t I n s t i t u t e o f A r t s ,  1972-1973.

N e w Y o r k , F r i c k C o l l e c t i o n ,

  French Clocks in North Ameri

can Collections,  November  1982-January

  1 9 8 3 , no . 3 8 ,

  i l l .

p . 4 6 .

P U B L I C A T I O N S

B .

  Fredericksen,  H . L a t t i m o r e , a n d G . W i l s o n ,  The

J .

  Paul

  Getty

  Museum   ( L o n d o n , 1 9 7 5 ) , p . 1 5 0 ,

  i l l . ;

 G .

  W i l

s o n , " T h e J .  Paul  G e tt y M u s e u m ,

  6

6 m e

  p a r t i e , L e s  Meubles

Baroques,"

  Connaissance des Arts

  ( M a y 1 9 7 5 ) , p . 1 0 6 ,

  i l l . ;

W i l s o n ,  Clocks,  p p .  22-25,  n o . 4 ,  i l l . ;  W i l s o n , Decorative Arts

( 1 9 7 7 ) , p . 1 6 , no . 1 7 ,  i l l . ; A . S m i t h , e d . ,  The Country  Life

International Dictionary

  of

  Clocks

  ( L o n d o n , 1 9 7 9 ) , p . 9 0 , f ig .

6 ; W. Edey, French Clocks in North American Collections  ( N e w

Y o r k ,

  1 9 8 2 ) , p . 4 6 , n o . 3 8 ; M . D .  Schwartz,  " B o u l l e

  Fur

n i t u r e , "   Art and Antiques  ( A p r i l  1 9 8 3 ) , p . 7 5 ,  i l l . ;  W .  Edey,

" T i m e f o r B o u l l e , "

 House and G arden

  ( M a r c h 1 9 8 5 ) , p . 8 2 ,

i l l . ;

  Sassoon

  a n d W i l s o n , Decorative Arts: A Handbook,  p . 3 6 ,

n o . 7 8 ,

  i l l . ;

  R o n f o r t 1 9 8 6 , v o l . 2 , p . 4 7 8 ;

  also

  v o l . 1 , p . 4 0 ,

i l l . ;

  C .

  Bremer

  D a v i d e t a l . ,

  Decorative Arts,

  p p .

  85-86,

no . 1 3 2 .

2 6

M A N T E L

  C L O C K

S t r i k i n g t r a i n f o r t h e

  quar ters

  o f a n  hour

Page 40: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 40/225

P R O V E N A N C E

G r a f  Janos  P a l f f y ; s o l d , B a d  Pistyan  (Czechoslova

k ia ) ,  June  3 0 - J u l y 1 , 1 9 2 4 , l o t 2 8 5  ( i l l . ) .  Etienne  L e v y  8c

C i e ,  Paris,  1 9 7 1 .

  French

  a n d

  Company,

  N e w Y o r k , 1 9 7 2 .

Purchased  b y J .  Paul  G e t t y i n 1 9 7 2 .

N O T E S

1.   O t t o m e y e r a n d  Proschel,  Vergoldete Bronzen,  v o l . 1 , p . 3 8 ,

f i g .

  1 . 2 . 1 .

2 . W h e n t h e c l o c k w a s s o l d f r o m t h e c o l l e c t i o n o f

  G r a f

 Janos

P a l f f y

  i n 1 9 2 4 , t h e i l l u s t r a t i o n i n t h e  sale

 catalogue

  s h o w e d

t h a t t h e

  scythe

  w a s t h e n  s t i l l  w i t h  t h e c l o c k .

3 . E x

  c o l l .

  S i r V a l e n t i n e A b d y , P . V e r l e t ,  French Furniture and

Interior

  Decoration   of  the 18th Century  ( L o n d o n , 1 9 6 7 ) ,

p.   2 0 2 , p i . 1 7 3. S o l d ,

 Sotheby's,

  M o n a c o , June  22—23,

1991,101519.

4 . A n d r e - C h a r l e s  ¥>ou\\e, Nouveaux Deisseins de Meubles et Ouv-

rages de Bronze et de Marqueterie Inventes et graves par Andre-

Charles Boulle  ( P a r i s , n . d . ) , p i . 4 ;  reproduced  i n J . -P .

S a m o y a u l t ,  Andre-Charles Boulle etsa famille  (Geneva,  1 9 7 9 ) ,

p .

  217 , f i g . 9 .

5.

  The Genius of Venice

  1500—1600, e x h . c a t . ( R o y a l A c a d e m y

o f  A r t s , L o n d o n , 1 9 8 3) , p p . 3 3 5 - 3 3 6 , n o . 3 5 .

6 . E x   c o l l .  D u k e o f D e v o n s h i r e ; s o l d , C h r i s ti e 's , L o n d o n ,

M a r c h 7 , 1 9 8 4 , l o t 3 6 . I l l u s t r a t e d i n O t t o m e y e r a n d P r o

s c h e l ,  Vergoldete Bronzen,  v o l . 2 , p . 4 7 5 , f ig . 4 .

7 . A d r a w i n g o f t h e  facade  is i n t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f P r i n t s a n d

D r a w i n g s at t h e V i c t o r i a a n d A l b e r t M u s e u m , L o n d o n .

8 . T h e i n v e n t o r y o f  objects

  destroyed

  i n B o u l l e ' s  fire,  i n c l u d

i n g

  a l l t h e w o r k s o f a r t , i s  reproduced  i n A . d e M o n t a i g l o n ,

"Documents  s u r  Pierre  e t A n d r e - C h a r l e s B o u l l e , ebenistes

d e L o u i s  X I I I  e t L o u i s  X I V .  I n c e n d i e d u  chantier  d u Sr .

B o u l l e , " Archives de VArtFrancais   7 (Pa r i s , 1855— 56) ,

P P - 3 3 4 - 3 4 9 -

9 . Q u o t e d i n J . -P . S a m o y a u l t ,   Andre-Charles Boulle et sa   famille

(Geneva,  1 9 7 9 ) , p . 1 3 7 , n o . 1 7 . S ee  also  p p . 1 4 , 1 4 7 .

1 0 . S a m o y a u l t  (note  9 ) , p . 1 7 2 , n . 1 2 1 .

1 1 .

  P . H u n t e r - S t i e b e l ,

  ChezElle, ChezLui,

  e x h . c a t .

  (Rosenberg

&   S t i e b e l , I n c . , N e w Y o r k , 1 9 8 7 ) , p . 1 4 , f ig . 3 .

1 2 . E .

  Fahy

  a n d F . J . B . W a t s o n ,  The Wrightsman Collection  ( N e w

Y o r k ,  1 9 7 3 ) , v o l . 5 , p p . 2 8 0 - 2 8 3 , n o . 2 9 .

1 3 . P . V e r l e t  (note  3 ) , p . 1 0 5 , p i . 7 1 .

1 4 . H o w e v e r , a d r a w i n g b y G . M . O p p e n o r d i n t h e  Cooper-

H e w i t t M u s e u m , N e w Y o r k ( in v .

  1911.28229),

 shows  a

  fig

u r e o f T i m e i n t h i s p o s i t i o n . Se e O t t e r m e y e r a n d   Proschel,

Vergoldete Bronzen,  v o l . 1 , p . 3 4 .

1 5 . F . J . B . W a t s o n ,  Wallace Collection Catalogues, Furniture  ( L o n

d o n , 1 9 5 6 ) , p p . 2 0 - 2 1 , p i . 4 7 , n o . F 4 3 . A s im i l a r m o d e l

w i t h  a m o v e m e n t b y L o u i s  M y n i i e l  w a s s o l d a t

  European

F i n e A r t s L i m i t e d , H o n g K o n g ,  A p r i l  1 3 , 1 9 8 1 , l o t 1 4 7 .

1 6 . R . D o h m e ,  Moebel aus den koeniglichen Schloessern zu Berlin

undPotsdam   ( B e r l i n , 1 8 8 9 ) , p i . 1 5 . T h e  face  i s s i g n e d

" H e n r y

  I l l a i r e ,

  B e r l i n . " T h e m o v e m e n t i s n o t s i g n e d .

1 7 . A c c o r d i n g t o U s e  Baer,  t h e q u a l i t y a n d g i l d i n g o f t h e

feather  d i f f e r s c o n s i d e r a b l y f r o m t h e  o ther  g i l t - b r o n z e

mounts

  o n t h e c l o c k a n d i s n o t t h o u g h t t o be a u t h e n t i c .

1 8 . W a t s o n   (note  1 5 ) , p p . 1 8 - 1 9 , p i . 4 7 , n o . F 4 1 .

1 9.   Palais  G a l l e r ia ,  Paris, June  1 1 , 1 9 6 5 , l o t 2 9 .

2 0 . S a m o y a u l t

  (note

  9 ) , p . 227 , f i g . 19a .

2 1 .  G . d e B e l l a i g u e ,

  The James A . de Rothschild Collection at W ad-

desdon Manor: F urniture, Clocks and Gilt Bronzes

  ( L o n d o n ,

1 9 7 4 ) , v o l . 1 , p p . 4 8 - 5 0 .

2 2 . P r i v a t e c o l l e c t i o n , S a n  Francisco,  a n d B a r o n G u y d e R o t h

s c h i l d : J . R i c h a r d s o n , " L e S t y l e R o t h s c h i l d , "

  House and

Garden

  ( A p r i l  1 9 8 4 ) , p . 1 1 2 .

2 3 . I n v . 2 5 6 , R o n f o r t 1 9 8 6 , v o l . 2 , p . 4 7 7 , fi g . 6 .

2 4 . I n v . O A 6 7 4 6 ,

  w i t h

  a m o v e m e n t b y L e B o n , O t t o m e y e r

a n d  Proschel,

  Vergoldete Bronzen,

  v o l . 1 , p . 4 0 , f i g . 1 . 2 . 6 . 1 .

2 5 . O t t o m e y e r a n d   Proschel,  Vergoldete Bronzen,  v o l . 2 , p . 4 7 8 ,

f igs. 7a a n d 7 b .

2 6 . J . M . H u r t , " A n E i g h t e e n t h - C e n t u r y B r o n z e S a t u r n as a

F i g u r e o f T i m e , "

  North C arolina Museum

  of Art

  Bulletin

  10, 3

( M a r c h 1 9 7 1 ) , p . 2 2 .

M A N T E L  C L O C K  27

Page 41: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 41/225

Long-case

M u s i c a l

  C l o c k

Fre nch (Paris); circa 1712

Movement  b y

 Jean-Francois

Dominice

  (169 4- die d after 1754)

(see

  B i o g . ,

  p. 168); musical

movement by  M i c h e l  Stollenwerck

(circa  170 0-1 768 ; master 1746)

(see  B i o g . ,  p. 195); case at t r ibuted

to   Alexandre-Jean Oppen ord t

(1639—1715), possibly after designs

b y  G i l l e s - M a r i e  O ppe no r d ( 1672 -

1742),  w i t h  later alterations also

after designs by Oppenord

H E I G H T :

  8 ft. 9 in.

  (266.7

  cm)

W I D T H :

  3 ft. 5 in .  (104.1  cm)

D E P T H :

  1 ft. 3Y2 in . (39.4 cm)

7 2 . D B . 4 0

D E S C R I P T I O N

The clock is  d i v i d e d  into two parts: a large clock case

above,

  w h i c h

  contain s bot h the clock and t he musical

movement, and a supporting pedestal,  w h i c h  houses  the

weights and the pend ul um .

A

  bronze f igure of Fame

  stands

  on the domed top of

the clock. O n the canted co rners below, wi ng ed drago ns

ar e  seated  on an openwork

  g r i l l

  composed of  f l o r a l

  swags

and scrolls. Beneath the m, an arched bron ze mold in g

supports at its center  Fame's  pl um ed he lm et flanked by

crossed tr umpe ts. A t the fou r corners of the

  case

  are

bronze figures of the Four Conti nents:  A f r i c a  (fi g. 5a),

Europe

  ( f i g .

  5b), Asia

 ( f i g .

  5c), an d the America s

  ( f i g .

  5d).

T h e  d i a l is fo rm ed by

 f i v e

 enamel  segments  w i t h  hour and

min ute indications, an arched enamel plate for the

  equa

t i o n

 o f t i m e , a nd a central gilt-bro nze plate  w i t h

  apertures

f o r

  the mon th and the day. Th e

  area

 below the

  d i a l

  is

  fit

t e d  w i t h  a  brass  g r i l l  engraved  w i t h  geometric designs

filled

  w i t h  alleg orical symbols: Tim e/S atu rn (the Satur-

nian  scythe  l i n k e d by a small

 r i n g

 bea rin g zodiacal signs to

th e

  serpent

  Ouroboros  b i t i n g  its  t a i l ) ;  War/Mars (helmets

top ped by dragons); M er cur y (caducei and a win ged hat);

Love/V enus (bows an d quiver s of arrow s); Jup ite r (an

eagle); a

  r i s i n g

  sun (in the lower central triangu lar car

touche); two small

  crescent

  moons entwined  w i t h  oak

leaves

 a nd

  acorns

  (in the lower corners)

  ( f i g .

  5e).

  A l l  these

symbols correspond more or  less  to the seven classical

planets.

Between the engraved

  g r i l l

  and the

  area

  i n

  f r o n t

  o f

the comp art men t cont aini ng the musical movem ent is a

small

  bronze

  p l a t f o r m ,  w h i c h

  supports a

  seated

  bronze

figure  o f  A p o l l o ,  hi s

  l e f t

  a rm hold i ng a  l y r e  and his feet

V

28

Page 42: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 42/225

Page 43: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 43/225

5  A  A f r i c a  5B  Europe

3 0 L O N G - C A S E M U S I C A L C L O C K

Page 44: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 44/225

5 C  Asia

5 D T h e  Amer icas

L O N G - C A S E   M U S I C A L C L O C K 3 1

Page 45: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 45/225

5E

r e s t i n g

 on the dragon Python, whom he slew in his youth

( f i g .

  5f). Below the

  p l a t f o r m

  is the head o f a lau ghi ng

bear ded satyr that part ly covers a panel of brass  and tor-

toiseshell marquetry,  w h i c h depicts a rocky ground occu

p i e d by a rabbit, a

  f l y i n g

  b i r d , a nd a dragonfly. Th e lower

corners rest on ram's

  heads

  and are in the

  f o r m

  o f

i n v e r t e d  consoles set

  w i t h

  female masks.

Th e int eri or of the clock

 case

 is veneered

  w i t h

  mar

q u e t r y  o f  t o r t o i s e s h e l l

 a nd

 brass.

 The inner surface

  o f

  the

back door  bears  marquetry in  contre partie  composed of

s t r a p w o r k ,

  C-scrolls, and tendr ils (fig. 5g). Th e  f l o o r  is

decorated

  w i t h

  a panel of  f i g u r a l  marquetry,

  w h i c h

  is the

contre-partie

  version of that foun d on the

  f r o n t

  o f

 the com

part ment ho using the musical movemen t

  ( f i g .

  5 I1) . At the

i n t e r i o r

  corner s are vertic al panels of mar que try com

posed o f simple musical trophies, surm ount ed by contre-

partie

  versions of the marquet ry

  scenes

 foun d on the  sides

o f

  the music box.

T h e

  area

  between the clock

 case

  and the pedestal is

f i l l e d

  w i t h

  a wood-veneered alcove set

  w i t h

  short

  brass-

f i l l e d

  flutes. Th e undersi de o f the

  case

  is

  f i t t e d  w i t h

  a

w o o d e n

  cul-de-lampe  decorated

  w i t h

  bronze

  acanthus

leaves and a bronz e pine cone pendan t. Simil ar pendan ts

are attached beneath the sides.

T h e  f r o n t  and the  sides o f the pedestal are venee red

w i t h

 brass and red- gro und tortoiseshell in a combina tion

o f

  premiere  and  contre-partie  m arquetry. Th e tapering

panel at the  f r o n t  and the concave panels at the  sides  are

decorated

  w i t h

  a Berainesque desig n inc orp ora tin g

s q u i r r e l s ,

 bird s, baldachins, an d stra pwork. At the center

f r o n t ,

  above a large glazed

  v i e w i n g

  aperture, is a large

bronze mount centered by a blank cartouche,  w h i c h  is

decorated at the top

  w i t h

 a  m a n t l i n g o f acanthus leaves. A

crescent moon

  decorates

  the lower part of the frame of

the apert ure. Br onz e mou nts composed of auric ular

f o r m s

 cen ter ed by cabochons are placed at the canted cor

ners

  (fig . 5i). Th ey are set over the up per part o f  l o n g

pilasters, orna mente d

  w i t h  i l l u s i o n i s t i c

 marquetry  canne

lures  th at ru n to the base.

T h e

  base

  of the pedestal is supported by

  f o u r

  hairy

paws  w h i c h  are topped

  w i t h

  acanth us. I n its center is a

large lion's mask,  f r o m

  w h i c h

  depend  f i v e  guttae.

  These

32

  L O N G - C A S E

  M U S I C A L

  C L O C K

Page 46: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 46/225

5 G   I n t e r i o r  surface o f the back door o f the  c l o c k  case.

L O N G - C A S E

  M U S I C A L C L O C K

  33

5 F

5 H F l o o r o f t h e c l o c k c a s e ' s i n t e r i o r .

Page 47: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 47/225

5 i

m o u n t s a r e a l l p l a c e d o v e r

  panels

  o f t o r t o i s e s h e l l a n d

brass  m a r q u e t ry . T h e w h o l e rests  o n a t w o - t i e r e d w o o d e n

p l a t f o r m   o f c o n f o r m i n g  shape,  w h i c h i s p a i n t e d b l a c k

a n d

  fitted

  w i t h  w o o d e n r o l l e r s .

T h e b a c k o f t h e c l o c k case a n d t h e

  pedestal

  a re

  fitted

w i t h

  three

  d o o r s ,

  g i v i n g

  access  t o t h e m o v e m e n t , t o t h e

m u s i c a l m o v e m e n t b e l ow , a n d t o th e i n t e r i o r o f th e p e d

e s ta l . T h e   carcase  i s o f b l a c k e n e d o a k .

M A R K S

T h e

  d i a l

  i s e n g r a v e d  Lepaute  ( f o r P i e r r e - B a s i l e

L e p a u t e , 1 7 5 0 - 1 8 4 3 ) ; t h e b a c k p l a t e o f t h e m o v e m e n t is

s i g n e d

  J .

  F .   Dominice   JParis  ( f i g .  5 J ) ; t he o u t s ide  o f  t h e f r o n t

p l a t e i s i n s c r i b e d

  fait

  pa r

  Stollenwerck

  I

 da n s

  Vabbaye I

 St .  Ger

main  I a

 Paris

  a n d  Bouchez 1829 k 16   avri l le in London ' ,  t h e

i n s i d e o f t h e f r o n t p l a t e is i n s c r i b e d

  II y aDe Lafidelite

  I

 et

defort bonne idee I dans cet te ouvrage  a n d  Blaine Jewelers  246

Thomas S t

 I

 Newport  RI

I

CC H   12-2-57

 

John

  Foster;  o n t h e

b a c k p l a t e a r e r e p a i r e r s ' m a r k s ,

  M8340 BL-12-3-57 CCH

J   Foster;  t h e b a r r e l  o f  t h e  s t r i k i n g  t r a i n  ( f i g .  5 k ) is i n s c r i b e d

je   suits tres aise que M. Thiery ait repare cette piece en 1754

 

Thiery n ettoyez Cette piece aux moy de decem bre 1758  Quant a

moi je la netoye et ajoute u n cadr an d'email et des equilles en

1773 mois d'octobre—Lepa ute neveulje suis satisfait d'avoire

netoye

 je  [ l e ]

 repare tout lapand ulle entiere le 15 avrille 1829a

Bouchez a London  I  W.Jones 2/71  Karrel  Solle 1888 208/10/

Cette piece et ete de Montee le 4 Fevrier  1754 par Thiery demeu-

rant aux n . . A/ a diminu yez tous  le s petitpignon qui et[?] trop

gr a

  . . . [ g r a n d ? ] ; t h e b a c k o f t h e

  d i a l

  p l a t e i s s i g n e d

  e n H

Lepaute  1785

  a n d

  there

  a r e  g r a f f i t i  o n v a r i o u s

  parts  o f

  t h e

m u s ic a l m o v e m e n t , / o k

  Lamb

  I

June 26, 1800/Tourbieu

  I

BL12-4-57

 

CCHJohn Foster

  I

 Newport

  I

 dBouchez 1829k 16

avrille   in London  I B L  12-3-57  CCH

  John

  W . Foster  I  Newport

R I

  I

 Netoye en 1773 au m ois d 'octobre par F   [ ? ]   Lepaute.

F r o m

  t h e m a r k s a n d

  signatures

  o n t h e m o v e m e n t w e

c a n   gather  t h e  f o l l o w i n g :  T h e c l o c k w a s r e p a i r e d b y a M .

T h i e r y   i n 1 7 5 4 a n d a g a i n b y h i m i n 1 7 5 8 .

1

  I n 1 77 3 P i e r r e -

B a s i l e L e p a u t e

  changed

  t h e

  face

  a n d t h e  hands  a n d

c l e a n e d t h e m o v e m e n t .

2

  I n 1 7 8 5 P i e r r e - H e n r y , c a l le d

H e n r i - L e p a u t e ,

  also

 seems  t o

 have

  w o r k e d o n

  i t .

  B y 1 8 0 0

t h e c l o c k w a s i n E n g l a n d , as i n t h a t year  t h e m u s i c a l m o v e

m e n t w a s  w i t h  o n e J o h n L a m b .

3

  A r e p a i r e r c a l l e d

B o u c h e z r e p a i r e d t h e c lo c k i n L o n d o n i n 1 82 9  ( j

u s t

  a f t e r

it s  sale  b y t h e

  f irs t L o r d G w y d i r ) .

4

  I n 1 8 8 8 , p r e s u m a b l y

a f t e r i t w a s s o ld by t he  Marquess  o f E x e t e r , t h e m o v e m e n t

w a s i n t h e  hands  o f K a r e l S o l le.

5

 T h e l a te s t i n s c r i p t i o n i s

t h a t  o f  J o h n  Foster  o f B l a i n e J e w e l l e r s , w h o c a r e d f o r t h e

c l o c k

  i n N e w p o r t , R h o d e I s l a n d , i n 1 9 5 7 .

S t o l l e n w e r c k ' s s i g n a t u r e , w h i c h appears  o n t h e m o v e

ment's

  f r o n t p l a t e , i n a l l l i k e l i h o o d r e f e r s t o t h e m u s i c a l

m o v e m e n t as J e a n - D o m i n i q u e A u g a r d e ha s p o i n t e d o u t

( se e t h e b i o g r a p h y o f S t o l l e n w e r c k i n t h i s v o l u m e ) .

3 4

L O N G - C A S E

  M U S I C A L

  C L O C K

Page 48: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 48/225

C O N D I T I O N

S m a l l

 areas

 of tortoiseshell and brass are missing and

were replaced

  w i t h

  brown mastic and  g o l d  paint, before

the clock's acquisition by the Getty Mu seu m. The engrav

i n g

 of the tortoiseshell was  o r i g i n a l l y

  filled  w i t h

  a trans

parent wax  m i x e d

  w i t h

  powdered  g o l d .  This remains

i n  a few

  areas

  at the

  sides

  of the pedestal. I t is possible

that this elaborate decorative technique was infrequently

e m p l o y e d a nd has rarely survived the rigors of t i m e .  The

bronze mounts are not gil ded .

6

C O M M E N T A R Y

A

  careful examination of the clock,  w h i c h  included

the di sma ntl ing of many o f its moun ts, was carri ed out in

1993 (fig. 5I). As a resul t it was con clu ded that the clock

case

 ha d  o r i g i n a l l y been constructed to house a short pen

d u l u m   movement

  w i t h

  a compartment below for a musi

c a l  movement, the clock case  set on the existing pedestal.

I t  was later cha nge d t o a long-case mus ical clock

  w i t h

  a

l o n g

  pe ndu lu m and weights housed i n the

  f o r m e r l y

empty base. Whe n the engraved  g r i l l is remov ed, the inte

r i o r  of the  case,  entirely veneered

  w i t h

  marquetry of

brass,

 ebony, and tortoiseshel l, is  v i s i b l e . T he remov al of

the f raming moun t

  w i t h

  its crescent  f r o m  th e  f r o n t  of the

pedestal showed that the  v i e w i n g hole for the pendulum

bob had been cut out of the marq uet ry panel.  S i m i l a r l y ,

the remo val of the  f l u t e d  alcove and its cul-de-lampe  incor

p o r a t i n g

  a pin e cone pe nda nt b etwee n the clock and the

pedestal revealed that part

  o f

  the marquetry-covered sur

face of the to p of the pedest al h ad been c rud ely cut away

t o

  a l l o w

  for the swing of the pe nd ul um and the  suspen

s i o n

  o f the ropes f or the weights, as had the mar que try

f l o o r  of the clock case  above (see fig. 5I1).

F r o m  t he existence o f various drawing s, archival ref

erences,

  and similar mounts and m arquet ry foun d on

ot her objects, we can surmise t hat the clock an d the p ed

estal were made by Alexan dre-Jean O pp en or dt before

his death in 1715, and that the alterations were carried

o u t by his son  G i l l e s - M a r i e  Oppenord after that date.

Th e figures o f the Four Conti nent s on the presen t

c l o c k  were  cast  f r o m  th e  same modellos  as those found on

c l o c k s

 bear ing

  o v a l

 faces at the Arsenal, in Paris; the

  W a l

lace  C o l l e c t i o n ,  Lon do n; Waddesdon Man or, in  A y l e s

b u r y ,

  England; and the

  D e t r o i t

  Insti tute of  A r t s .

  Jean

Neree R on fo rt has observed that the  modellos  fo r  these

f o u r

  s l i g h t l y  later clocks have been elongated at their

bases

 to fit a

 case

 of greater height. Thi s w o u l d lead one to

presum e t hat the Four Conti nents on the clock und er dis

cussion take the  o r i g i n a l f o r m  o f these mounts.

A t  the corners of the  pedestals  of the aforem en

t i o n e d

  series

 o f clocks are

  l o n g

  gilt-bronze mounts,

  w i t h

b i f u r c a t e d   scro lled tops above  acanthus  consoles, their

5K

L O N G - C A S E

  M U S I C A L

  C L O C K  35

5 J

Page 49: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 49/225

5 L  Th e clock, part ly dism antl ed, as it may  have appeared

befor e it was conv erte d i nto a  long-case  musical clock

by Gilles-Marie Opp en ord at

  some

  po in t after 1715.

lengths centered by bo un d rods. These mounts, inverted

so that the scrolls  f o r m  feet and top ped by ho rn ed ram's

heads,  are also found at the

  f r o n t

  corners o f several com

modes,

7

  w h i c h  Ron fort has attrib uted to Alexandre-Jean

Op pe no rd t, not in g that their surfaces are veneered i n

par t

  w i t h

  th e same design i n tortoises hell and brass as that

f o u n d  on the surface of the desk deli vered by Opp eno rd t

t o

 Louis X I V  in 1685.

8

 A n engravin g by Opp eno rd on the

t i t l e  page  o f DIXIEME LIVRE  des Oeuvres de G.M. Oppe

nord  Contenant des Guaisnes et grave par Huquier  shows one

side of a pedestal

  s i m i l a r l y

  decorated  w i t h  a mount

to ppe d by a ho rn ed ram's head a nd end ing in a large

s c r o l l .

9

The marquetry on the

  f r o n t

  o f th e pedestal is a contre-

partie

  version of that fou nd on the  f r o n t  o f the tape rin g

pedestal of the  A p o l l o  clock at Fontainebleau,  w h i c h  is

a t t r i b u t e d  by Ronfor t to Oppenordt.

1 0

  Moreover, the

A p o l l o

  w i t h

  his  l y r e ,  no w

 seated

 on the small

 p l a t f o r m

  o f

the Gett y clock, is

 cast  f r o m

  the

  same

 modello as th e figure

o f

  A p o l l o d r i v i n g

  the sun-chariot on the Fontainebleau

c l o c k . Mo un te d at the top

  o f

  the Fontainebleau pedestal is

a larg e gilt -bro nze female ma sk set above a pal met to- li ke

c o l l a r ,  an d it is

  l i k e l y

  tha t a simil ar mo un t was once

attached to the Getty Museum's pedestal where a blank

area  o f brass of conforming shape  is found. Other ped

estals

  have appeared on the market in recent  years

 bear

i n g mar quet ry of the

  same

  design.

1 1

Th e r emov al of the lion's mask set

  w i t h

  guttae at the

base

 of the pedestal revealed a small panel o f marquetry ,

and it

 w o u l d  seem

 therefore that this mount is probably a

later addit io n. Th e gilt- bronze feet, on the other han d,

appear

  to be part of the

  o r i g i n a l

  con fig urat ion, as the

acanthus leaves co ver sma ll panels  o f  marquetry that have

been placed somewhat  a w k w a r d l y  on their sides.

A t

  the death of Alexandre-Jean Op pen ord t in 1715,

the empt y clock

 case

 and its pedestal  w o u l d have passed  to

G i l l e s - M a r i e  Oppenord, who shared his father's lodgings

i n  the Louvre and was his sole heir.

1 2

 By that

  date

  G i l l e s -

M a r i e had de sig ned t he Le Bas de Mon tar gi s clock, dat ed

1712  and no w in the Musee Nati ona l des Techniques,

Paris,

13

  for

  w h i c h

  he owned the  modellos  of the early

rococo corner mo unt s of the stand and o f the cartouche-

shaped m ou nt that fra med the barometer. A dra win g

signed by

  G i l l e s - M a r i e

 Oppenord for the Montargis ped

estal,

  w i t h  these

  mounts, is in  B e r l i n  (fig.

  5 m ) .

1 4

  Casts

f r o m  th e  modellos were made an d attached to the upp er

par t of the pedestal o f the Museum' s clock. Th e youn ger

Opp eno rd a lso  seems  to have add ed the lion's mask

  w i t h

guttae at the  base,  the design of

  w h i c h

  is

  t y p i c a l

  of the

e a r l y

 classical period of his  oeuvre.

Wh et he r in ord er t o sell the cloc k, or to keep it fo r

h i m s e l f  ( w h i c h  was to be the  case),  Gilles-Marie appar-

36

  L O N G - C A S E  M U S I C A L C L O C K

Page 50: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 50/225

e n t l y  decided to convert the clock case  f r o m  a short p en

d u l u m   one to a clock  w i t h  a more

  accurate

  long

pe ndu l um  w h i c h  h un g down into the pedestal. I n ord er

t o view the swi ng of the pe nd ul um bo b it was  necessary  to

cut an apert ure int o the face of the pedestal, rem ov in g

part of the marque try panel. He then fram ed this  aper

ture

  w i t h

  a moun t of his design  w h i c h incl uded a  crescent

m o o n ,

  the wh ole arra nge d in such a way as to  f o l l o w ,  at

it s  lower  edge,  the design of the marqu etry.

1 5

  Overlap

p i n g

 the top  o f  the pendulum aperture he added a casting

o f  the f orm er fr ami ng moun t of the Le Bas de Montargis

barometer,

  w i t h

  the open center

  filled.

Th e mov eme nt he installe d is by Jean-Francois  Do-

m i n i c e ,  wh o was not active in Paris before about 1721 . I t

includes the indications  o f  the equation  o f  t i m e , w h i c h  are

not fo un d on Frenc h clocks befor e 1 715- 17. Th e use o f

the long pendulum and weights was certainly the  reason

w h y

  th e  g r i l l ,  cut and engra ved after a draw in g by Gilles-

M a r i e

  Op pe no rd (fig. 5n), was installed below the  d i a l  to

cover the unsightly ropes  and pendulum bar.

16

  U n f o r t u

nately this  g r i l l  also  obscures  f r o m  view not only the mar

quetry in brass  and tortoiseshell on the inside surface of

the clock case but also the marquet ry  floor  and the vertica l

marq uet ry troph ies in the inter ior of the  case.

5 M   Gilles-Marie Opp eno rd, draw ing for the

  pedestal

  of a

clock

  (Be rlin , Kunstbibli othek, inv. Hdz 6575).

L O N G - C A S E

  M U S I C A L

  C L O C K  37

Page 51: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 51/225

5 N   Att rib ute d to Gilles-Marie Oppe nor d, d rawi ng for the

  g r i l l

  of cat. no. 5 (Ber

l i n ,

  Kuns tbiblio thek, inv. Hdz 3986).

Th e musical movement was inserted

  i n t o

 the existing

comp artme nt. I t was then necessary to change the  v e r t i c a l

p o s i t i o n   o f one o f the wei ght ropes t o the horizo ntal by

means o f two pulleys.

I n  the in ven to ry taken at the death o f Gilles- Marie

Op pe no rd in May 1742 a clock is listed whose descrip tion

fits  w e l l

  w i t h

  the Getty Museum's example:  " I t e m  une

grande pendule sonnante les

  heures avec

  c a r i l l o n  mar-

qua nt le jo ur s des mo is, le retar d et l'avance du   s o l e i l ,  a

minutes et

 secondes, avec

 son pied et

 boeste

 de marq uet-

teri e orn ee de figures, pi lastres et orn emen s de br onze

avec

 son cha pit eau de marqu ett eri e or ne aussi de figures

de bronze prisee et estime la somme de six

 m i l l e

  l i v r e s ,

 cy

.

 . . 6,000

  l i v r e s . "

1 7

W h e n

  t he cloc k was sold  f r o m  the collecti on of

  V i n

cent Donjeux in 1793,

1 8

 it was descr ibed as being sur

mo un te d by the figure of  A p o l lo ,  w h i c h  is now placed,

perhaps

  mor e suitably, above the terrace t hat holds t he

P y t h o n

  that  A p o l l o  slew. Wh et he r or not the present po si

t i o n o f the go d is that in ten ded by Op pe no rd is impossible

t o

  deter min e. Und ou bt ed ly the figure hides a major p art

o f  th e  fine  g r i l l . Th e height  o f  the c lock i n 1793 was given ,

v e r y s p e c i f i c a ll y ,

 as 8 pieds, 4 pouces.  Th e present hei ght of

the clock is a

  l i t t l e

  higher than the eighteenth-century

measure ment, and this difference can  perhaps  be

e x p l a i n e d

 by the later

  a d d i t i o n ,

 possibly in London about

1800, of the pine cone pendants, ram's

  heads,

 and the  cul-

de-lampe  w i t h  its

  fluted

  alcove, all o f

 w h i c h

  raise the clock

case

 u p  f r o m  the pedestal somewhat.  A l l  o f

 these

  mounts

and the woo den struc ture are of very poo r  q u a l i t y .  One

assumes  that the  fluted  alcove was add ed to hide bot h

the unsi ghtly hole cut  i n t o  the top of the pedestal an d

the ropes an d pe nd ul um bar, but it may equally replace

some other o bscu ring device that Gilles -Marie Oppe

n o r d

  devised.

M O V E M E N T

Brass and  i r o n , pa rtly blue d

Note: The number in parentheses represents the number of

teeth on each wheel. These numbers are repeated again in the

drawings  of  the movement.

The movement

  ( f i g .

  50) consists of thr ee trai ns. T h e

g o i n g

 t r a i n

 is dr iv en by a w e i g h t ; t he  s t r i k i n g

  t r a i n

  and the

38

  L O N G - C A S E  M U S I C A L C L O C K

Page 52: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 52/225

50 Three -qua r te r  v i e w  o f the move ment .

5 P

  T he musical  t r a i n .

L O N G - C A S E  M U S I C A L C L O C K

  39

Page 53: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 53/225

M u s i c a l  t ra in

Going train

m u s i c a l  train are driven by mainsprings. Each train runs

f o r

  abou t one week. The goi ng tr ain provides power f or

th e

  hands,  w h i c h

  indicate the hours in ro ma n numer als

and the minut es in arabic numerals o n the mai n  d ia l .

There are two subsidiary dials

  w h i c h

  indicate the

  days

o f  the mo nt h at V I and the  days  of the year at  X I I ;  a

t h i r d

  subsidiary

  d i a l

  indicates the equation of time ( ± 1 6

minutes) during the year. The clock strikes the

  f u l l

  hours

o n

  on e  b e l l .  The musical tr ai n runs every hour, or

o n

  demand.

The going train has one barrel that carries the weight

( 8 4 )

  and four

  p i n i o n

  wheels (18/56-8/64-8/60-8/30), the

last being the

  escape

 wheel. This train is regulated by an

anchor

  escapement

  in connection  w i t h  a  seconds  pendu

l u m .  Th e arbor of the  t h i r d  wheel holds a wheel (60) that

drives the motion

  w o r k , w h i c h

  is divided into two parts:

one drives the hour hand (60—60/6—72) and the other

the minute hand (60-6 0-60 ). The

  escape

  wheel holds

the second han d. Th e arbo r of the hou r wheel also

  car

ries a wheel (30) that drives the mont hl y calendar (3 0-

6 0 / 1 - 3 1 ) .

  The mot ion

  w o r k

  releases

  th e

  s t r i k i n g

  train

every hour.

T h e

  s t r i k i n g

 t ra in is to the  l e f t  o f the goin g

 t r a i n .

 It is

d r i v e n

  by a mai nsp ri ng and con tro lle d by a count wheel

( l o c k i n g

  plate). I t has a rot ati ng bar rel (84),

 w h i c h

  holds

the mainspring, four

  p i n i o n

  wheels (12/7 2-8/ 60-

6/54—6/54), an d a fly vane (6) . T h e  t h i r d  wheel (8/60) has

ten pins that move the

  s t r i k i n g

 hammer. T he count wheel

carries on its arbor another wheel that drives the indica

t o r

  for the

  days

  of the year and the mechan ism f or the

equation (14-70/13-26/1-73).

The musical train

  ( f i g .

 5p) is driven by a weight and is

released

  by the going train every hour. This train has a

b a r r e l

  tha t carries the we ight (84), three

  p i n i o n

  wheels

(20/80—10/72—8/60—6/60), and a fly vane (6). The  t h i r d

w h e e l  (72) drives the pin cylinder,

  w h i c h

  has ten tracks

that  release  th e

  s t r i k i n g

  hammers.

  Seventeen

  hammers

and ten bells

  a l l o w

  fo r the pla ying of twelve melodies

(chosen manually).

P U B L I C A T I O N S

B .

  Fredericksen, H . Latt imor e, and G.

  W i l s o n ,  Th e   J .

Paul

  Getty Museum

  (L on don , 1975), p. 151,

  i l l . ;

  G.

  W i l s o n ,

Clocks,

  pp. 26-33, no. 5,

  i l l . ;

  Wilson, Decorative

  Arts

  (1977),

p .  23, no. 28,

  i l l . ;

  Sassoon  and

  W i l s o n ,  Decorative  Arts:  A

Ha n db ook ,  p. 37, no. 80,

  i l l . ;

  Ro nfo rt 1986, vol. 2, p. 491 .

Bremer

  D a v i d

  et al.,

 Decorative  Arts,

  p. 84, no. 130; J. N .

R o n f o r t ,

  "Vi e et oeuvres retrouvees d'Alexa ndre-J ean

Oppenordt (1639-1715)," LEstampille  (forthcoming).

E X H I B I T I O N S

D e t r o i t

  Inst i tu te of

 A r t s ,

  1972—1973.

40

L O N G - C A S E  M U S I C A L C L O C K

S t r i k i n g  t ra in

Page 54: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 54/225

P R O V E N A N C E

Probably  in the

  possession

  o f Gi l l es -Mar ie  O p p e n o r d

until his  d e a t h  in 174 2. (?)

 V i n c e n t

  Do n jeu x

  [dealer] , sold,

Paris,  A pr il 29, 1793, lot 562.  Peter  Bur rel l, 1st Lo rd

Gwydi r ,

  G r i m s t h o r p e  Castle,  Cokayne;  by

  descent

  to

Peter

  Bur re l l , 2nd Lo rd

  G wydir , sold,

  Christie's,

  L o n d o n ,

M a r c h  11-12 ,  1829, l

o t 1 0

3>

  t o

  Samue l  Fogg  [dealer] ,

L o n d o n ,

  fo r 147  guineas.

19

  W i l l i a m

  Alleyne Ceci l ,

  3rd

Marques s  o f  E xe te r ;  by  descent  to  Br o wn l o w  Hen ry

George ,  4 t h  Marques s  o f  Exeter , B u r g h l e y  H o u s e ,

2 0

  sold,

Chris t ie ' s ,

  L o n d o n ,

  J u n e  7-8, 1888, lot 26 1,

2 1

  sold

  to

Char le s  Davis  [ d e a l e r ] , Lo n d o n ,  for 1,655  guineas.  Co r

nel ius  Va n d e r b i l t  I I ,  New York. Wil l iam K.  Va n d e r b i l t I I ,

New York.

  Countess

  Laszlo

  Szechenyi,

  nee  Gladys

  Van

derb i l t ,  New Yor k and T he  Breakers ,  N e w p o r t ,  Rhode

I s l an d  (circa  1 9 2 6 -2 7 ) .  Ros enbe rg  an d  Stiebel [dealers],

New York, 1971.

  F ren ch

  an d

  Co mp an y ,

  New York.  Pur

chased

  by J.

  Pau l

  Get ty  i n 1972.

N O T E S

1.   Probably Jean-Baptiste Thi ery , wh o  l i v e d  and wo rke d in

the rue Saint-Denis in 1780  w i t h  the clock-maker  L i g e r

( A r c h i v e s

 de la Seine, cart. 55, balance

  sheet

 of Seig-

neuret , Mar ch 20, 1780) . Inf orm ati on provi ded by

 Jean-

Domin ique

  Augarde. See also Tardy, Dictionnaire des  Horlo-

gersFrangais   (Paris, 1972), p. 61 1.

2 .

  I t is  l i k e l y  that the replaced enamel  d i a l by Lepaute is a

copy of an  o r i g i n a l  d i a l ma de  o f carton.  Th is delicate mate

r i a l

  was used by clock- makers  f r o m  tim e to ti me bu t has

rare ly surviv ed. A long-case clock  w i t h  a similar movement

b y

  Dom in ic e was sold in Paris in 1984  ( N i c o l a y , July 11,

no. 86). It

 possessed

  a  d i a l of the

  same

 confi gurat ion in

car ton.  I thank Jean-Dom inique A ugard e for this

i n f o r m a t i o n .

3. Thr ee Jo hn Lambs are listed in G. H .

  B a i l l i e ,

  Watchmakers

and Clockmakers  of the World,  3rd ed. (London, 1966),

p .

  186. On e  l i v e d  in Fetter Lane in 1775, another in New

ma n Street in 1820, and a  t h i r d  in Cockspu r Street a rou nd

1830.

4 .

  Probably W. Boucher, wh o was

  w o r k i n g

 at 4 Lon g Acre ,

L o n d o n ,  in 1820 . See F.J.

  B r i t t e n ,

  Old  Clocks  and Watches

and

  their

 Makers ,

  7th ed. (Lon don , 1956), p. 338.

5. See the cat. no . 21 , not e 1.

6. Bron ze moun ts often were not gild ed but were instead

dip ped i n acid to prod uce a   g o l d - l i k e  color and then lac

quered. The

  process

 was called mise en couleur d'or.

7. See cat. no . 21 , not e 8.

8 . J. N. Ronfort ,"Le mobil ier royal a l 'epoque de Louis

  X I V ,

1685, Versailles et le Bureau du  R o i , "  LEstampille  ( A p r i l

1986), pp.

  4 4 - 5 1 .

9. Th e engr avin g is illus trat ed in Christie's, Lon do n,

 June

15^ 99 5 >

l o t

 SO-

i o .  A. Guerinet , ed. , Les  Palais  de Fontainebleau,  vol. 4, Les

Bronzes ,  Objets d'Art etc.  (Paris, 1908),  t i t l e  page,  and Tardy,

La   Pendule  f rangaise, iere  partie, des origines au  Louis  XV

(Paris, 1974), p. 110. Th e clock has a mov em ent by

M y n u e l .

1 1 .  Christie's, Lo nd on , Decemb er 3, 1981, lot 85. See also

another pair on the Paris market in 1992.

12.  A . N . ,  M i n . ,

  I V ,

  412, Acte de Notorie te, February 28, 1720,

indicates that no inve ntor y was made:   I I  n'a ete  f a i t  aucun

inventaire et qu'ils [ses parents] n'ont  laisse  pour leur seul

et uni que her itie r que Sieur Gilles Mar ie Op pen or d, le ur

f i l s ,  dir ect eur gen eral des Bat ime nts et Jard ins d e S. A. R.

Mons eign eur le due d'Orleans, Regent du Royaume."

13. Ron for t 1986,  v o l .  2, p. 486,

  f i g .

  12.

14. Inv. Hd z 6575. See E. Berckenha gen,  Die Franzdsischen

Zeichnungen der KunstbibliothekBerlin  ( B e r l i n ,  1970 ), p. 176.

15.  Th e promi nen ce on the pedestal of the bronze

  crescent

moon ,

  th e  m i l i t a r y  and re ligious symbol of the O tto man

T u r k s ,

  ma y indica te that the clock was

  o r i g i n a l l y

  intended

f o r  export to the

  M i d d le

  East,

  w h i c h

  throughout the e igh

teenth century was a good market for clocks

  made

  in Paris.

A  s imilar

 crescent

  is included in the marquetry in the

design by Oppenord for the Le Bas de Montargis pedestal.

Th at pa rt of the design was not carrie d out, and the

moon's

  presence

  in the draw ing and on the Getty

Museum' s clock may be coincidental.

16.

  See Berc kenh age n (n ote 13), p. 172 (inv. H dz 3986; not

i l l u s t r a t e d ) . T he dra wi ng is described as possibly having

been

  ma de

  for a

  c e i l i n g .

  We are grateful to the late Bruno

Pons

 for ha ving brough t this draw ing to our a t tent ion.

17.  A . N . ,  M i n . ,  IV , 517. See also the partage  o f Septem ber 25,

1749

  ( A . N . , M i n . ,

 V , 450) .

18. Paris,  A p r i l  29, no. 562: "Un e grande pe ndule a

 secondes,

dans

  sa boete, enrichie des 4

 heures

  d u j o u r ;  le hau t cou-

ronne par un f igure

  d ' A p o l l o n ;

  le corps, en gaine est  e n r i

chie  d 'ornemens  de  genre  chantour ne et posant sur qua tre

g r i f f e s  de

  L i o n .

  Le tou t eleve sur un socle de bois  n o i r c i .

Haut 8 pieds 4 p.  l a r g .  2 pieds." It seems that the Four

Conti nents were misun ders tood by the cataloguer, who

took  th em fo r the Ho ur s of the Day.

19. Th e entr y in the  G y w d i r

  sale

 catalogue

  reads:

  "A Superb

Parisian Clo ck abou t eigh t feet  h i g h ,  the upp er part sup

por ted by caryat id figures representi ng the four quarters

o f  the globe, the lowe r part enr iched  w i t h  foliage in  s c r o l l

w o r k ,  and the brass  w o r k  i n  h i g h  relief. " Th e

  sale

  was held

after the death, in 1828, of  L o r d  Gwydir ' s w i f e ,  Lady

  W i l -

lou ghb y de Eresby.

20. Acc ord ing to Joh n Culverhouse, the adminis tra tor of

Burghley House (correspondence  w i t h G i l l i a n  W i l s o n ,

July 9, 1993), inventor ies of the house  in that per iod w ere

ma de  o n l y  for the  years  1796 and 1892. Thus the clock

does no t appear  in either of these,  having been acquire d

about 1829

  a n

d sol d in 188 8.

2 1 .  Th e Marchiones s of Exeter,  w i f e  of the 2n d Marquess, was

present  at the  G w y d i r

  sale

  since lots 16 and 24 were sold to

her. I n the Exeter

  sale

  catalogue the clock is ill ust rat ed and

described as  f o l l o w s :  "A Louis X I V clock, in case of re d

B o u l l e ,  the upper part supp ort ed by caryatid figures rep

resenti ng the fou r quarters o f the globe, the lower part

en r iched  w i t h  s c r o l l fol iage of or-m oul u in  h i g h  relief—

8 feet

  h i g h . "

  We are grate ful to H ug h Roberts for supply

i n g  this info rma tion .

L O N G - C A S E  M U S I C A L C L O C K

  41

Page 55: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 55/225

W a l l

  C l o c k

French

  ( C h a n t i l l y ) ;

  circa 1740

M o v e m e n t by Charles

  V o i s i n

( 1 6 8 5 - 1 7 6 1 ;  master 1710) (see

B i o g . ,

  p. 199);

 case

  made at the

C h a n t i l l y porcelain manufactory

H E I G H T :  2 ft. 5V2 in . (74.9 cm)

W I D T H :  1 ft. 2 in . (35.6 cm)

D E P T H   :  4

3

/8 in . (11.1 cm)

8 1 . D B . 8 1

D E S C R I P T I O N

T h e

  w a l l  c l o c k

  is composed of  C h a n t i l l y  soft-paste

p o r c e l a i n ,  fired  i n two sections. A wi ng ed dr ag on is set

above the

  d i a l

  (fig. 6a),

  w i t h

  its  t a i l  extending down the

r i g h t

  side, en di ng below i n a

  flourish.

  A

 goose perches

  at

uppe r

  l e f t

  ( f i g .  6b). A monkey sits below the

  d i a l

  among

branches

  o f

 leaves an d flowers  w h i c h  f o r m  the entire mass

o f

  th e

  c l o c k

 case

  ( f i g .

  6c). He is held in posi tion by a

 brass

clamp around his  r i g h t leg, w h i c h attaches to a

 brass

  plate

that forms the back of the clock. A n und ula tin g  g i l t -

bronze garland

  o f

  leaves  and berries surrounds the entire

c l o c k ,  w h i l e the r i m of the  d i a l is set  a l l a round

  w i t h

  single

g i l t - b r o n z e  flowers backed by leaves. There is a pierced

c i r c u l a r d oor mo unt ed in the back of the case w h i c h  gives

access  to the movement.

M A R K S

Th e di al is

  pa in ted

  i n  black

  C H A R L E S  V O I S I N  A P A R I S ,

and t he back plate o f the mo vem ent is engrav ed  C

les

  Voisin

JParis  ( f i g .

 6 d). One o f the ma in wheels o f the m ovem ent

is

 engraved

  w i t h

  a number of  i n s c r i p t i o n s , most of  w h i c h

are indecipherable, but the words  Nettoyez  and Netoy  can

be read, as can the  dates  1756, 1768, 1817, an d 1854

( f i g .  6e).

C O N D I T I O N

Considering

  the extreme

  f r a g i l i t y

  of the porcelain

elements, the  case  is in remarkably  f ine

  c o n d i t i o n .

  The

edges  of a few of the petals an d  leaves  are chipped, but

there are no major losses.

V

42

Page 56: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 56/225

Page 57: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 57/225

44

W A L L  C L O C K

6 A

6 B

Page 58: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 58/225

C O M M E N T A R Y

T h e c l o c k , o f a t y p e s o m e t i m e s k n o w n as a

  pendule

d'alcove,  h a s a s t r i k i n g m o v e m e n t t h a t c a n b e a c t iv a t e d t o

t h e  nearest  q u a r t e r h o u r b y

  p u l l i n g

  a s t r i n g w h i c h p r o

trudes  t h r o u g h t h e p o rc e l a i n

  case

  at th e b o t t o m r i g h t . I n

t h i s w a y o n e c o u l d   t e l l  t h e t i m e i n th e d a r k w i t h o u t  l i g h t

i n g

  a c a n d l e . C l o c k s b e a r i n g s u c h d ev i c e s w e r e o f t e n h u n g

i n  b e d  alcoves—hence  t h e i r  name.

T h e p o r c e l a i n

  case,

  w h i c h is t i n g l a z e d , w a s

  made

  a t

t h e C h a n t i l l y m a n u f a c t o r y . T h e f a c t o r y w a s

 se tup

  i n 1 7 2 5

b y

  L o u i s - H e n r i , d u e de B o u r b o n a n d se v e n t h p r i n c e d e

C o n d e . I t w a s g i v e n a r o y a l c h a r t e r i n 1 7 3 5 a n d o p e r a t e d

u n t i l  1 8 0 0 . I t s

  f i r s t

  d i r e c t o r w a s C i q u a i r e C i r o u ; u n d e r h i s

d i r e c t i o n ,   t h e f a c t o r y e x c l u s i v e l y used  a n  opaque  t i n g l a z e

r a t h e r t h a n t h e t r a n s l u c e n t l e a d g l a z e c o m m o n l y

  used

  a t

o t h e r F r e n c h p o r c e l a i n m a n u f a c t o r i e s . T h i s p r a c ti c e h a d

a l m o s t  ceased  b y C i r o u ' s d e a t h i n 1 7 5 1 .

T h e p r i n c e d e C o n d e h a d a l a r g e c o l l e c t i o n

  o f  Japa

nese  p o r c e l a i n , a n d t h e e a r l y  wares  o f t h e f a c t o r y o f t e n

c o p i e d  Japanese  f o r m s a n d d e c o r a t i o n . I t i s p o s s ib l e t o

see a l i n g e r i n g i n f l u e n c e o f t h e O r i e n t i n t h e  case  o f t h e

G e t t y M u s e u m ' s c l o c k , w i t h  i ts e x o t i c d r a g o n a n d m o n k e y ,

t h o u g h i t i s

 also

  t r u e t h a t these  an i m a l s a re o f t e n f o u n d a s

elements  o f t h e r o c o c o r e p e r t o i r e . S u c h a n i n g e n i o u s a n d

e x u b e r a n t p i e c e m a y   w e l l  have been made  as a special

c o m m i s s i o n f o r t h e

  chambre a coucher

  o f o n e o f t h e m e m

bers  o f  t h e C o n d e

  f a m i l y

  a t t h e C h a t e a u d e

  C h a n t i l ly ,

  or a t

t h e  Palais  d e B o u r b o n i n P a r is .

O T H E R

  E X A M P L E S

O n l y

  o n e o t h e r F r e n c h  w a l l  c l o c k  w i t h  a  case

  made

w h o l l y

  o f C h a n t i l l y p o r c e l a i n i s k n o w n t o e x i st . F o r m e r l y

i n  t h e c o l l e c t i o n o f M r . a n d M r s . Jack  L i n s k y , i t i s n o w i n

t h e M e t r o p o l i t a n M u s e u m o f A r t , N e w

  Y o r k.

1

  T h e

  case,

w h i c h

  is c o n s i d e r a b l y s m a l l e r t h a n t h e G e t t y M u s e u m ' s

e x a m p l e , i s s e t

  w i t h

  three Chinese  f ig ures , a n d i t s m o v e

m e n t i s b y E t i e n n e L e

  N o i r .

A l s o  a t t h e M e t r o p o l i t a n M u s e u m is a m a n t e l c lo c k

made

  o f C h a n t i l l y p o r c e l a i n .

2

  T h e  case  o f t h i s c l o c k c o n

sists

  o f t w o o r i e n t a l fig ure s s u p p o r t i n g a p o r c e l a i n d r u m

W A L L

  C L O C K  4 5

6 c

Page 59: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 59/225

6F

  T h r e e - q u a r t e r

 view of the

  movement .

6 E

  Ma i n whee l

  w i t h

  signatures a nd  dates  inscribed by var

ious

  repairers .

that holds the movement. The  d i a l ,

  w h i c h

 is also of Chan

t i l l y  porcelain, appears  to be unique.

Other clocks  w i t h porcelain cases are kn own , but they

were mainl y prod uced by German manufactories. One of

the earliest was

 made

  at Meissen in 1727 by Fritzsche and

K i r c h n e r .

3

 Ano ther , made  at Frankenthal  by J. W. Lanz i n

1760, is in the high rococo style.

4

  Such clocks were also

produced in faience, notably at Strasbourg .

5

  T h e

  Sevres

manufactory produced at least one porcelain clock

 case

 in

the late rococo period—a tall-legged mantel clock

  made

f o r  Mad ame de Po mpa dou r in the early 1760s as par t of

a garni ture.

6

  I n later

  decades

  the manufactory

  made

  a

number of biscuit clocks in the Neoclassical style.

M O V E M E N T

Brass

 and

  i r o n ,

 partly blued

Note: The number in parentheses represents the number of

teeth on each wheel. These numbers are repeated again in the

drawings

  of

  the movement.

The movement  ( f ig .  6f) consists of two trains driven

by

  mainsprings. The going

  t r a i n , w h i c h

  runs for about a

week, provides power for the

  hands,  w h i c h

  indicate the

hours i n ro ma n numerals and the minutes in arabic

numerals on the main  d i a l .  This type of

  s t r i k i n g

  train is

c a l l e d

  a repeating

  t r a i n .

  It is not  released  by the going

t r a i n

  but is loaded by

  p u l l i n g

  on a stri ng. Th e hours are

6

D

46

  W A L L

  C L O C K

Page 60: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 60/225

Page 61: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 61/225

C l o c k  and Barometer

o n  Brackets

Fr enc h (Paris); circa 1755

(barometer), circa 1758 (clock)

Movemen t by

 Jean  R o m i l l y

(1714—1796;

  master

  1752)

(see

  B i o g . ,

  p . 193); maker o f the

modern mechanism of the

baromete r

 unk now n;

 cases

 of both

c l o c k

  and

  barometer

  attributed to

Charles Cressent

  (1685-1768);

bracket o f clock by

 Jean-Joseph

  de

Saint-Germain (1719—1791;

 master

1748); bracket of

 barom eter

probably by Saint-Germain

7 1 . D B . 1 1 5 (clock)

7 1  . D B .

 116 (bar omete r)

C l o c k :

H E I G H T :

  2 ft. 8V2 in . (82.5 cm)

W I D T H :  1 ft. 4 in . (40.7 cm)

D E P T H :

  8 in . (20.3 cm)

Bracket:

H E I G H T :  1 ft. 5 in . (43.2 cm)

W I D T H :  1 ft. 6 V

2

  in . (47.0 cm)

D E P T H :  7 7

2

  in . (19.1 cm)

O V E R A L L

  H E I G H T :

  4 ft.  1 V in.

(125.7 cm)

Barometer:

H E I G H T :  2 ft. 10 in . (86.2 cm)

W I D T H :  1 ft. 3 in . (38.1 cm)

D E P T H :  7 V

2

  in . (19.1 cm)

Bracket:

H E I G H T :  1 ft. 5 in . (43.2 cm)

W I D T H :  1 ft. 6 in . (45.7 cm)

D E P T H :

  7 7

4

  in . (18.4 cm)

O V E R A L L  H E I G H T :  4 ft. 3 in.

(129.4 cm)

48

V

Page 62: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 62/225

Page 63: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 63/225

5<3 C L O C K A N D B A R O M E T E R

7 A

7 B

7c

Page 64: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 64/225

7D

D E S C R I P T I O N

Barometer

Th e entir e facade o f the

  case

 is mad e o f one piece of

g i l t bronze. The  sides and the top are veneered

  w i t h

 brass

sheets.  T h e  carcase  is o f wh it e oak, pain ted an d stained

black. S urm oun tin g the whole is a gilt-bronze  flying  cupid

( f i g .  7a), above an open  b e l l

  case

  capped by a lunette dec

orated

  w i t h

  repeating cabochons on a rosetted

  g r i l l

  that

radiates  f r o m  a central pal mette.

The enamel  d i a l is covered by a convex glass to  w h i c h

is  attached a second manual ly operat ed han d  w h i c h

serves  as an indicator of  past  barometric  pressure.  To

either side of the  d i a l  is a border  filled

  w i t h

  a repeating

tongue  m o t i f ,  overl aid at its

  edges

  by

  floral

  pendants.

B e l o w   th e  d i a l  is a female mask topped by a shell

  m o t i f

( f i g .  7b). To either side of the mask are  g r i l l s  of rosetted

t r e l l i s . T h e  case is support ed o n  i n c u r v i n g  legs decorated

w i t h

  rushlike leaves that are set on small C-scrolled feet.

T h e  sides of the barometer  case are main ly occupied

by

  panels of pierc ed

  t r e l l i s

 simi lar to

 those

 at the

  f r o n t

  ( f ig .

7c ) .

  Below , at the  l e v e l  of the legs, are plac ed larg e leafy

rosettes.  Pendants o f flowers above ru sh li ke leaves outlin e

the back  edge.  The back is

  f i t ted with

  a hinged and

latched door. Th e int eri or of the oak carcase has been cut

away to provide

 space

  for the swing of a pe ndu lum —th e

case having  o r i g i n a l l y  been that o f a clock. Th e wo oden

d i v i s i o n   between the large and small int eri or compar t

ments has been cut to  a l l o w  passage for the arm of a  be l l

hammer. The  b e l l

  w o u l d

  have been hous ed in the u pp er

compartment.

C l o c k

A l t h o u g h  th e  case is of the

  same

  f o r m  as tha t of the

barom eter it has been  cast  f r o m  entir ely diffe rent models.

I t differs

  p r i n c i p a l l y

 i n the  f o l l o w i n g  areas: The lun ette of

the top is not  cast

  w i t h

  repeating cabochons, and the

pierced  area  below is  filled

  w i t h

  a symmetri cal spray of

acanth us leaves  rather than a

  t r e l l i s

  g r i l l . To either side of

th e  d i a l  a flame

  m o t i f

  replaces the tongue border,  w h i l e

this

  m o t i f

  is also fou nd on the in ne r surfaces o f the legs.

O n  th e  sides  of the clock  case  the pier ced panels are

f o r m e d

  o f shell, rosettes, leaves, flame bord ers, strap-

w o r k ,  and cabochons, rather than the simpler panel of

t r e l l i s  ( f i g .  7d).

Brackets

T h e  v i r t u a l l y  i denti cal gilt- bronze brackets are o f

asymmetrical  f o r m  a nd comp osed o f C- and S-scrolls,

auricular  fo rms , gui ll och e, an d flamelike  m o t i f s .  Apart

f r o m

  the central cockerel, each is  cast  as one pi ece of

bronze. The upper

  f r o n t

  corners are provided

 w i t h

  short

pins  w h i c h  insert

  i n t o

  th e  f r o n t  legs o f the  case  above.

C L O C K

  A N D  B A R O M E T E R  51

Page 65: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 65/225

M A R K S

Barometer

T h e  d i a l  is signed  D I G U E  A  P A R I S ;  there are no other

marks o r signatures.

C l o c k

The bracket is signed  S T .

  G E R M A I N   ( f i g .

  7e),  th e d i a l

is  e n a m e l e d

  R O M I L L Y  A P A R I S ,

  and the movement i s

engraved Romilly

  JParis

  ( f i g .

  7f ). Each of the attached

  g i l t -

bronze elements,

  i n c l u d i n g

  that  f o r m i n g  th e  f r o n t  of the

case, is stampe d on its back

  w i t h

  the letter E. The

  carcase

o f

 the clock bears two red wax

 seals,

 th e  l e t t e r i n g o n  w h i c h

is   indecipherable.

  T h e

 spr ing

  o f

 the going  t r a i n

  o f the

movem ent is inscribed Blakey 1758

  ( f i g .

  7g). As the move

ment

  appears

  to be  o r i g i n a l  to the case,  th e

 case

  w o u l d

most  l i k e l y  also have been made

  i n

 that year. Th e

  f r o n t

plate  is inscribed H L a

  Cobiel

  aufermye  91

 I  Willard Murs

1851 

A.J. Noordanus Los Angeles 24 Mar  19J6

C O N D I T I O N

The barometer

  an d i t s

  enamel

  d i a l

  a re

  modern

replacements;  t h e  latter  is  possibly  a  copy  o f an

eighteenth-century   o r i g i n a l .  These  alterations were

made under  th e direc tion of the Duveen brothers, deal

ers who acquired the present  case and barom eter in 1933

t h r o u g h

  B. Fabre, Paris. The ir int ent io n was to convert it

i n t o

 a baromete r to  f o r m  a pair

  w i t h

  the clock, w h i c h  they

had sold

  to

 Ann a Tho mso n Dodge

  a

  year earlier.

  B o t h

were  to be placed  i n t h e entrance

  h a l l

  o f Rose  Terrace,

M r s .  Dodge's newly constr ucted  house  i n Grosse  Pointe

Farms,  M i c h i g a n .

1

C O M M E N T A R Y

The design  a n d manufacture  o f t h e

  case

  o f the

barometer  is

  t r a d i t i o n a l l y

  given  to Charles  Cressent. A

case

 of the  same model as the Museum's barometer

  case

 is

described by Cressent i n the catalogue f or the aucti on of

his works  i n 1757  as "une pend ule  a face  d e bronze sur

son pied tout de bronze; elle est coeffe d'un enfant sur un

nuage;  a u pied,  i l y a deux dragons,

  avec

 une tete d e  l y o n

q u i  sort par

  u n t r o u .

 O n laisse aux curieu x

 a e n

 dir e leu r

sentiment; doree  d ' o r

  m o u l u ,  avec

  son mouvement;  d e

quatre pieds

  d e

 hauteur."

2

  I t is

  possible that

  th e

 model

first

  app ear ed i n the early 1730s.  I n 1733 various works

were confiscated

  f r o m

  Cressent's

  workshop

  by the

 cor

p o r a t i o n

  o f

  fondeurs-ciseleurs,  and  i t is probabl e that  it is

t h i s

  mode l  w h i c h  is described in thei r proces verbal  as  f o l

l o w s :

  "une porte  d e pendulle  de cuivre dore d 'or

  m o u l u ,

avec

 sa lunette

  aussy

 d e cuivre dore d 'or  m o u l u ,  la char-

niere  d e  ladit e lunet te, quatre bout s  de moulure , une

f a u x ,  le s deu x pieds  d e deriere

  avec

 l es deux chuttes  d e

l a d i t e pendulle, la nuee

 et

 l 'enfant pou r mettre  dessus,

 le

t o u t de cuivre dore d'or

  m o u l u ,

 plus le pied de ladite pen

d u l l e

  d e

  cuivre dore

  d ' o r

 m o u l u . "

3

  T h e

 bracket

  w h i c h

52

C L O C K

  A N D

  B A R O M E T E R

7 E

7

F

7G  T h e spr ing of the going tra in,

  signed

 Blakey  1758

Page 66: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 66/225

7 H  Mauric e-Quentin de La Tour,  Portrait of

  Gabrie l Bernard

  de Rieux,

1739—1741

  (JPGM, acc. no. 94.PC.39); detail showing a clock of

s i m i l a r

  model to the Getty  Museum's  clock.

C L O C K  A N D  B A R O M E T E R

53

Page 67: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 67/225

T h e

  back

 o f the  c l o c k  case.

7J  T h e back o f the barometer  case.

7 K

  D e t a i l of the

 back

 of the

 barometer

  case

 showing

 th e  t r i - l o b e d

  cul-de-lampe.

54

C L O C K  A N D  B A R O M E T E R

7 1

Page 68: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 68/225

suppor ts t he Muse um's clock is stamped by

 Jean-Joseph

de Saint-Germain.

4

 Jean-Domin ique Auga rde has sug

gested that Sai nt-G ermai n was responsible for the design

and ex ecuti on of the clock

 case

  as

  w e l l .

5

  But this  seems

u n l i k e l y  as a clock of this model

  appears

  in the back

g r o u n d

 o f the large pastel po rtr ait of Gabri el Ber na rd de

R i e u x

 by Maur ice- Quent in de la Tou r  ( f i g . 7 I 1 ) ,  w h i c h  was

e x h i b i t e d  i n the Paris Salon of 1741 and may have been

executed as early as 1739, when Rieux inherited the

estate  of his father, Samuel Bernard.

6

  I n 1741 Saint-

G e r m a i n

  was

  o n l y

  twenty-two  years  ol d. In addit ion,

a l t h o u g h

  a nu mb er o f the other brackets are stamped

w i t h  Jean-Joseph  de Saint-Germain's mark none of the

other

  cases

  are, although two examples do

  bear,

 on their

w o o d e n   carcases,  the stamp of his ebeniste father  Joseph

de Saint-German, possibly struck in his capacity as a

restorer.

7

  Giv en the evidence of the above-mentioned La

T o u r  por tra i t , i t w o u l d  seem that  Cressent had pr oduce d

a rew ork ed set o f casting models fo r the clock, inco rpo

r a t i n g

 st ylish rococ o flouri shes, as early as the late 1730s.

Th e gilt-b ronze facade o f the Museum's barom eter

case

  differs in two ways

  f r o m

  all the other

  cases

  of this

m o d e l ,  w h i c h  are considerable in numb er. Th e  cul-de-

lampe  below the mask is not trilobate but

  f o l l o w s

  exactly

th e

  m o t i f

  fou nd in the

  same

  posit ion on the Museum's

updated clock case. T h e

  f r o n t

  legs, instead of taking the

f o r m  of small stemlike feet  f r o m w h i c h  spring palm

leaves, are i n the  f o r m  o f C-scrolls, as fo un d on the clock

case. These  two d i f f e r i n g  element s have no t been braze d

ont o the facade bu t are part of the whole cast.  No other

Cressent

  case

  of this earlier model

 bears

  either of

  these

t w o   features. Possibly it represents  an

  i n i t i a l

  stage  in the

e v o l u t i o n

  of this model,

  w i t h

  the casting models for the

w h o l e

 case

 bei ng rewo rke d soon after.

Further differences between the Getty clock and

baro mete r can be observed both in the constru ction of

t h e i r  wooden  carcases  and in the  f inishing  of some of

t h e i r  mounts,

  w i t h

  th e

  carcase

  of the  s ty l i s t i c a l l y  earlier

baro mete r bei ng compo sed o f a greater n umb er of pieces

less  t i g h t l y j o i n e d  ( f ig s .  7i and  j ) .  This case is also mar gin

a l l y  wider at the waist and  s l i g h t l y  narrower above and

b e l o w .

  Th er e is also evidence th at it may have once been

fitted   w i t h

  another g ilt-b ronze facade—perhaps in the

process  of exper iment atio n—as there are at least three

screw holes for attachment  w h i c h  now serve no purp ose.

Th e part of the  carcase  that backs the  cul-de-lampe  is  t r i

lobate  ( f i g .  7k), thus

  f o l l o w i n g

  th e outli ne for the  o r i g i n a l

cul-de- lampe  of this mod el. Possibly in the construc tion of

these

 clocks the

 carcases

 were made i n groups ,

  w i t h

  some

b e i n g

  kept in reserve f or late r use. O n the barom eter' s

case

  the cupid lacks chasing and exhibits the

  same

smoothne ss as the brac ket; thi s too may be the result of

t h i s practice.

O T H E R E X A M P L E S

A   large num ber o f such  cases  exist, all mounted

w i t h

  clock movemen ts an d most

  w i t h

  brackets either of

Cressent's

  i n i t i a l ,  essentially symme trical , design inco r

p o r a t i n g

  drag ons and a lion's head (as described i n the

catalogue of the 1757 sale), or

  w i t h

  the Saint-Germain

v e r s i o n

  composed of asymmetrical scrolls

  w i t h i n

  w h i c h  a

c o c k e r e l

  is perched. Examples that have

  cases

 similar to

the earlier "barometer"

  case

 inc lud e a clock i n the collec

t i o n  o f

  N e i l

  P h i l l i p s ,  New  Y o r k  (sold, Sotheby's, Lon do n,

1 9 6 4 ,  June 5, lot 24),

 w i t h

 a movemen t by Etienn e  B a i l l o n ,

w h i c h  has a

  case

  and bracket struck

  w i t h

  crowned C tax

stamps  that  date  th em precisely betw een 1745 an d 1749.

The bracket of this clock, though

  f o l l o w i n g

  th e  Cressent

desig n, is cen ter ed no t by a lion's head bu t

  w i t h

  th e  same

c o c k e r e l

 that

 appears

 on the Saint-Germain bracket.

8

  The

c u p i d  holds a bow  w h i c h  probably replaces a scythe, or

f laming

  t o r c h .

  A clock in the G rog- Carv en collect ion,

Musee du Lo uv re, has the  Cressent  bracket and a move

ment by Audinet .

9

 A clock in the Musee des

  A r t s

  De -

c o r a t i f s

 has the

  Cressent

 bracket.

1 0

 A clock i n the Chat eau

de Versailles,  w i t h  a movement by  B a i l l o n , was delivered

t o   Versailles i n Febr uar y 1745 for the chambre a coucher o f

the Daup hi ne Marie-T heres e of Spain and described in

th e

  Journal

  of the Garde -Meub le de la Cou ron ne u nde r

n o .  42.

1 1

  A clock sold anonymously in Paris (Galerie

Georges Petit,

 June

  17, 1921, lot  9 1 ,  and late r at the Gale

r i e   Charp enti er, M ar ch 29, 1955, lot 75) has the  Cressent

bracket and a  d i a l sign ed "Gu iot AParis."

Examples having the later clock

 case

 in clud e: a clock

f o r m e r l y

  in the possession o f Dalva Brot hers , New

  Y o r k ,

w h i c h  has the Saint-Germain bracket and a  d i a l  signed

R O B I N

  H

E R

  D U R O Y ,

a clock sold anonymously in Paris

( G a l e r i e   Char penti er, M ar ch 19, 1953, lot 62)

  w i t h

  the

Saint-Germain

  bracket and a

  d i a l

  signed

  B O U L A R D

A P A R I S , a clock sold anonym ousl y in Paris (Galerie Char

pentier,  A p r i l  2, 1954, lot 148)  w i t h  the Saint-Germain

bracket and an unsigned  d i a l ,  an d a clock sold a nony

m o u s l y i n Paris (Galerie Charpent ier, Ma rc h 17, 1956, lot

6 3 )

  w i t h

  the Saint-Germain bracket and a  d i a l  signed

" D U C O R O Y

  A P A R I S . "

Examples

  w i t h

  no brackets, intended as mantel or

table clocks, include: a clock in the  B r i t i s h  Royal Collec

t i o n ,

 W ind sor Castle,

  w i t h

  a  d i a l signed  G U D I N   A P A R I S ,  

1 2

a clock in the Swedish Roya l collection at  D r o t t n i n g h o l m

S l o t t ,

  w i t h

  a  d i a l  signed  N I C O L A S B R O D O N A P A R I S ,  

1 3

  a

c l o c k i n the Residenzmuseum,  M u n i c h ,

  w i t h

  a  d i a l  signed

j .  B

T E

  B A I L L O N  A P A R I S , "

1 4

  and a

 c l oc k f o r m e r l y

  in Mm e de

Pompa dour' s H erm it age at Fontainebl eau, now own ed by

a membe r o f the de Noailles

  f a m i l y .

1 5

C L O C K  A N D

  B A R O M E T E R

  55

Page 69: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 69/225

Going train

56

C L O C K   A N D  B A R O M E T E R

M O V E M E N T

Brass

 and

  i r o n ,

 partly blued

Note: The number in parentheses represents the number of

teeth on each wheel. These numbers are repeated again in the

drawings

  of   the movement.

Th e mo veme nt (fig. 7I) consists o f two trains driv en

b y

  mainsprings,

  each

  o f

  w h i c h

  runs for one week. The

g o i n g   train provides power for the

  hands

  w h i c h

  indicate

the hours in ro ma n numerals a nd the minute s in arabic

numer als on the main dial .Th e clock strikes the hours

and  h a l f  hours on the  same  be l l .

Th e g oing train has one rota ting barre l (80),

  w h i c h

holds the mainspring and four

  p i n i o n

  wheels (12/80—

8/66-6/60-6/33), the last being the

 escape

 wheel. Th e go

i n g

  train is regulated by an anchor

  escapement (deadbeat

escapement)

  in connection  w i t h  a pen dul um. The pen

d u l u m  can be adjusted

  w h i l e

  the clock is running by  l i f t

i n g

 o r

  l o w e r i n g

 it via its

 s i l k

 suspension. Th e second wheel

holds the cannon

  p i n i o n

  (30), a part of the motion

  w o r k

(30—30/6—72) ,

  and the minute hand. The hour wheel (72)

holds the hour hand. The cannon

  p i n i o n

  (30) rotates

once ever y hou r; i t has two pins that  release  th e

  s t r i k i n g

t r a i n

  every

  h a l f

  and

  f u l l

  hour.

T h i s

  type of

  s t r i k i n g

  train has a

  l o c k i n g

  plate (count

w h e e l ) .

  Thi s tr ai n has one rotat ing bar rel (80),

  w h i c h

holds the mainspring, four

  p i n i o n

  wheels (12/ 72-8/ 60-

6/5 4-6 /48 ), an d a fly vane (6) . Th e second whe el (8/60)

has ten pins that move the

  s t r i k i n g

  hammer.

7 L  T h r e e - q u a r t e r

 view of the

  movement .

Page 70: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 70/225

E X H I B I T I O N S

De t r o i t

  Inst i tu te  o f  Ar t s ,

  1971—1973.

P U B L I C A T I O N S

De t r o i t  In s t i t u t e  o f  Ar t s ,  A  Catalogue  of  Works  of Art of

the 18th  Century  in the

  Collection

  of  Anna Thomson  Dodge

(Det ro i t ,

  1933),

  i l l . ; T. Dell , "The  Gi l t - Br o n z e

  Car tel

Clocks

  o f

  Cha r le s

  Cressent,"

  Burlington  Magazine

  (Apr i l

1967),

  pp .

  2 1 0 - 2 1 7 ;

  B.  Fredericksen,  H .  La t t i mo r e ,  and

G.

  Wi l son ,

  The J.  Paul

  Getty Museum

  ( L o n d o n ,  1975),  p.

187;

  Wi l son ,

  Clocks,  pp .

  4 4 - 5 1 ,

  nos. 8- 9,  i l l . ;

  Wi l son ,  Dec

orative Arts  (1977),  p. 47, no. 61 ,

  i l l . ;

  Sassoon  an d  Wilson,

Decorative  Arts:  A  Handbook,  p. 38, no. 82,  i l l . ;

  Ot t o mey er

an d  Proschel ,  VergoldeteBronzen,  vol . 1, p. 79,  i l l . ;  B r e m e r

David  et al., Decorative  Arts,  p. 89, no. 139.

P R O V E N A N C E

George

 Jay  G o u l d ,

  Geo rg i an Co u r t ,

  L ak ewo o d ,  New

Jersey;  sold  f r o m  the  p remis es  on Ap ri l 23, 1924  (clock

only) .

  B.

  Fabre

  [dea le r ] ,

  Paris (barometer

  only) .

  Du v een

Bro t h e r s ,

  Ne w  York,  1933  (ba rome te r  only) .  Mrs.  An n a

T h o m s o n

  D o d g e

  ( t h en  Mrs.  H u g h  D i l l ma n) ,  Rose  T er

race ,

  Grosse  Pointe Farms,  M i c h i g a n ,  1932  (clock),  1933

(b a ro met e r ) ;

  sold  at the  A n n a

  T h o m s o n D o d g e

  sale,

Christie's,  L o n d o n ,  J u n e  24, 1971, lot 40.  Purchas ed  at

t h a t

  sale by J.

  Paul Getty.

N O T E S

1.   This infor mati on was provided by Theodo re

  D e l l .

2.

  M.-J. Ballot, "Charles Cressent,  Sculpteur , Ebeniste, Col-

lectionneur,"  Archives de Vartfrangais, nouvelle periode  (1916—

1918),

  vol.  10 (Paris, 1919), p. 217. For mor e inf or ma ti on

o n

 Charles Cressent,

  see T.

  D e l l ,

  "The Gilt-bronze Cartel

Clocks of  Charles Cressent," Burlington Magazine  ( A p r i l

1967), pp. 210-217, fig. 39; G. de Bellaigue,  The James  A.

de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor: Furniture, Clocks

and  Gi l t  Bronzes,  vol. 2 (Lon don , 1974), pp. 868-8 69; and

Pradere , Les Ebenistes,  pp . 128—139.

3.  A . N . ,  Y 11296.  Cressent stated  that this new model had

been made  for the

  k i n g

  of Portugal, Joao  V (Bibliotheque

Nati onal e, Ms. Joly de Fle ury 2016, fo l. 60).

4 .  Jean-Joseph  de Sain t- Ge rma in (171 g—1791) was a

bronzier  and th e son of the  ebeniste

 Joseph

  de Saint-

Germa in  w i t h  wh om he wor ked. He is menti oned i n the

Almanack General des Marchands  in 1747, and again in 1772,

as

  l i v i n g

  in the rue Saint-Ni colas in the fau bou rg Saint-

A n t o i n e .  O n Ju ly 15, 1748, he was reg ist ere d as a  maitre

fondeur en terre et sable.  He was elected as  a.

 jure

  of the  g u i l d

i n  1765, and his  na me  appears  as a co-s igna tory o n th e

bronze fo unders' copyr ight resolution, which was ratified

i n  1766. He was one of the few  bronziers  to sign his works

and a numbe r o f clock

 cases

 signed  "S T . G E R M A I N "  exist.

See Jean-D omin ique Au gard e,  "Jean-Joseph  de Saint-

Germain (1719-1791), Bronzearbeiten zwischen Rocaille

un d Klassizismus," in Ott ome yer and Proschel,  Vergoldete

Bronzen,  vol. 2, pp. 521-538.

5. Thi s re-a ttri buti on to the Saint-Germains was

  f i r s t

  pro

posed  by Jean-D omin ique Auga rde i n 1986 and published

i n  Les Ouvriers du temps: La pendule a Paris  de Louis  XIV a

Napoleon premier  (Geneva, 1995). I am gratef ul to hi m for

his comm ents on this mat ter.

6. Th e pastel was acqu ired by the J. Paul Getty Muse um in

1994 (94.PC.39). It is illustrated in P. Verlet,

 French

  Furni

ture and Interior Decoration  of  the Eighteenth Century  (London,

1967), p. 15-

7. One example,  w i t h  a movem ent by Gu di n, is in the

  B r i t i s h

R o y a l Coll ection at Wind sor Castle;  another,  w i t h  a move

ment by Ferdinand Berthoud, was sold  f r o m  the collection

o f  Ernes t  W. Beckett, Christ ie's, Lo nd on , May 8, 1902, lot

93; and a

  t h i r d ,

  w i t h  a movem ent by Vige r, was sold at

Christie's, London, Ju n e  20, 1985, lot 35.

8. T.  D e l l  ( note 2), fig . 32.

9. D.  A l c o u f f e ,  Pet it Journal  (Musee du Louv re) (1973),

  f i g .

  5.

10. T.  D e l l  (note 2), pp. 2 10- 217 , fig . 32.

1 1 .  See  Cinq annees d'enrichissement du Patrimoine national,  1975—

1980,  exh . cat. (G ra nd Palais, Paris, 1980), no. 96.

12. See

  F.

 J. Bri t ten, Old Clocks and Watches and their Makers,  6th

ed. (rep rint , Lond on, 1971), p. 472, fig. 618.

13. See J. Bott iger ,  Fran  de Kungliga Slotten  (Stockholm, 1925),

p i .  19.

14. See L. Seelig, "Eine  Pendule

 Charles

  Cressent," Kunst und

Antiquitaten  5 (1985), pp. 42 -4 5, figs. 1-3.

15. See "U n Royal Erm ita ge a Fontainebl eau,"  Connaissance des

Arts  (Au gust 1958), p. 66. Th e clock the n stood on the

mante lpiece i n the gr and salon.

C L O C K  A N D  B A R O M E T E R  57

Page 71: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 71/225

V

W a l l  Clock

(Pendule  a

  repetition)

Frenc h (Paris); circa 1735-17 40

M o v e m e n t

  b y  Jean-Jacques  Fieffe

( c i r c a

  1700-1770; master 1725)

(see  B i o g . ,  p. 170);

 case

 by an

u n k n o w n

  m ake r possibly after a

design by Juste-Aurele

Meissonnier (1695—1750)

H E I G H T :  4 ft. 4V2 in.  (133.4  cm)

W I D T H :  2 ft. 2  V a  in . (67.3 cm)

D E P T H :

  5V8 in . (14.4 cm)

72.DB.89

D E S C R I P T I O N

T h e

  w a l l

 clo ck is comp osed  o f

  e i g h t separate

 pieces of

g i l t bronze  w h i c h have been bol ted to a whi te oak boa rd of

c o n f o r m i n g  shape.  T h e  d i a l  is surrounded by a broad

a s y m m e t r i c a l

  s w i r l i n g  flame  m o t i f .  Perched above, on an

S-shaped

  s c r o l l ,

  is a win ged cupi d ho ld in g an hourglass

( f i g .  8a). To the

  l e f t

 a second c up id lies on the flame  m o t i f ,

h o l d i n g a scythe i n his  l e f t  hand  ( f i g .  8b). Beneath the  d i a l

a wing ed figure o f Ti me reclines on a clou d.  B o t h  his

hands

  support the flame

  m o t i f

  w h i c h  partly covers him

( f i g .  8c). Below, hel d by a rib bon , is a tro ph y of Time's

g l o b e ,  protract or, and dividers. Th e

  case

  terminates in

branches o f pal m and b err ied laure l, the leaves of  w h i c h

rise and emerge to either side  o f  the trophy, extend ing up

th e

  l e f t

  side of the

  case

  to emerge at the top behind the

uppermost cupi d.

The backboard has no door. The

  d i a l

  and movement

are hinged so that they can be swung

  f o r w a r d

  for

adjustment.

M A R K S

Th e central enamel plaque of the  d i a l  is painted

F I E F F E

  D E L O B S E R V A T O I R ,

  and t he

  backplate

  of the

  move

men t is engrav ed  Fieffe  JParis  ( f i g .  8d). Th e back o f   th e  d i a l

i s   f a i n t l y  engraved  J .  E. Villamarina,  w h i c h  is probably the

name o f a later restorer, an d  le B

on

  Alphonse de Rothschild.

Repairers' ma rks are also fo un d on the barr el  o f  the going

t r a i n :

 M Te 4368/3,  the backplate: 5225/2,  and the bar rel

o f   th e

  s t r i k i n g t r a i n :

  B

on

  Alphonse I Gunther.  The pendu

l u m   suspension is stamped  B R O C O T - C

i e

,  and the bob is

stamped 1977.

58

Page 72: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 72/225

Page 73: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 73/225

8A

8B

8c

6o

W A L L

  C L O C K

Page 74: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 74/225

8 D

C O M M E N T A R Y

T h e e n t i r e b a c k o f t h e c l o c k i s c o v e r e d  w i t h  a  shaped

b o a r d o f o a k w h i c h h a s n o d o o r f o r  access  t o t h e m o v e

m e n t . T h i s p r o b l e m h as  been  s o l v e d i n t h e  f o l l o w i n g  w a y .

T h e

  d i a l

  a n d i t s a t t a c h e d m o v e m e n t a r e

  secured

  b y f o u r

screws  t o a  r i n g  b e h i n d t h e h i n g e d

  glass

  co v e r . T h i s  r i n g ,

w h e n a w i n g e d r o d is r e m o v e d , c a n b e s w u n g f o r w a r d

w i t h

  t h e  d i a l  a n d m o v e m e n t a t t a c h ed t o i t . H o w e v e r , i t

w o u l d

  appear  t h a t t h e

  present  d i a l

  a n d m o v e m e n t ar e n o t

o r i g i n a l  t o t h e  case. O t h e r s c r e w h o l e s , s et a t a n a n g l e , a r e

f o u n d  i n th i s i n n e r  r i n g ;  these also  p i e r c e t h e b o d y o f t h e

c l o c k

  a n d

  w o u l d  have

  t h u s h e l d t h e w o r k s  firmly  i n p l a c e .

O n e c o u l d s u r m i s e  f r o m  t h i s a p p a r e n t l y la t e r a d j u s t m e n t

t h a t t h e

  present

  w o o d e n b a c k i n g

  replaces

  o n e t h a t p o s

sessed  a d o o r . W h e n t h e F i e f fe m o v e m e n t w as a d d e d t h e

b a c k t o o w a s c h a n g e d t o a s o l i d b o a r d , n e c e s s i t a ti n g t h e

present  a r r an g e m e n t o f

 access

  f r o m  t h e f r o n t .

I t  i s o b v i o u s t h a t ,  f r o m  i t s i n c e p t i o n , a  f a i r l y  s t o u t

b a c k i n g o f

  some

  s o r t

  w o u l d  have been

  p r o v i d e d f o r t h e

c l o c k  i n o r d e r t o h o l d a l l t h e v a r i o u s  elements  o f t h e  case

t o g e t h e r . T h e f ig u re o f T i m e i s o n l y a t t a c h e d t o t h e c l o c k

a t h i s r i g h t h a n d a n d , w i t h o u t t h e s u p p o r t o f t h e o a k

b a c k i n g , h e , a n d t h e t r o p h y b e l ow h i m ,

  w o u l d

  s w i n g

l o o s e . I t i s  also  p o s s ib l e t h a t t h e  separate  elements  w e r e

o r i g i n a l l y

  a t t a c h e d d i r e c t l y t o o n e o f t h e

  panels

  o f a

  boise-

ri e  o r t o a m i r r o r .

W h i l e

  t h e t h e m e o f L o v e c o n q u e r i n g T i m e is

  f r e

q u e n t l y p o r t r a y e d o n F r e n c h c l oc k s o f th i s p e r i o d , b o t h

t h e d e s i g n a n d t h e p e c u l i a r c o n s t r u c t i o n o f t h i s c l o c k a r e

u n i q u e .

T h e

  name

  o f C h a r l e s

  Cressent

  h as

 been suggested

  as

t h e  bronzier   r e s p o n s i b l e f o r b o t h t h e d e s i g n a n d t h e m a n

u f a c t u r e o f t h i s c l o c k .

1

  I n d e e d t w o o f   Cressent's  d o c u

m e n t e d  w a l l  c l oc k s a r e s o m e w h a t s i m i l a r t o t h e M u s e u m ' s

c l o c k  i n t h e  elements  o f t h e i r c o m p o s i t i o n . O n e , a t t h e

M e t r o p o l i t a n

  M u s e u m o f  A r t ,  d e s c r i b e d i n h i s i n v e n t o r y

o f

  1 7 4 9 ,

  bears

  above

  a s i n g l e c u p i d

  w i t h

  a n h o u r g l a s s

w h i l e  T i m e , c a r r y i n g h is s c y th e , l ie s b e l o w t h e  d i a l  o n

a p i l e o f r o c k s , t h e l a t t e r r e p r e s e n t i n g " l e  cahos  d u

M o n d e . "

2

  I n t h e s e c o n d e x a m p l e , t h e p o s i t i o n s o f T i m e

a n d t h e c u p i d

  have been

  r e v e r s e d .

3

  B o t h

 these

  c o m p o s i

t i o n s a r e

  t i g h t l y

  c o n t r o l l e d ,

 whereas

  t h a t  o f  t h e M u s e u m ' s

c l o c k  is m o r e l o o s e l y a r r a n g e d a n d m o r e r o c o c o i n s ty l e

w i t h  i ts

  s w i r l i n g

  f o r m s a n d t o t a l a s y m m e t r y , w h i l e t h e

figure  o f  T i m e i s m o r e l a n g u i d l y p o s e d t h a n t h a t o f

Cressent.  F u r t h e r m o r e , a

  w a l l

  c l o c k o f t h e d e s i g n o f t h e

M u s e u m ' s c l o c k i s n o t f o u n d a m o n g t h e v e r y c o m p l e t e

c o n t e m p o r a r y d o c u m e n t s d e s c ri b i n g Cressent's  w o r k s .

W h i l e

  t h e  name o f t h e  bronzier  m u s t , f o r t h e m o m e n t ,

r e m a i n u n k n o w n , t h e d e si g n m a y b e a t t r i b u t e d to t h e

ornemanis te

  J u s t e - A u r e l e M e i s s o n n i e r ( 1 6 9 5 - 1 7 5 0 ) . F o l i o

5 i n t h e e d i t i o n o f M e i s s o n n i e r ' s  Oeuvres  p u b l i s h e d b y

G a b r i e l

  H u q u i e r ( 1 6 9 5 - 1 7 7 2 ) a b o u t 1 7 50 s ho w s a

  cross

s e c t i o n o f t h e s e c o n d a n d  t h i r d  f l o o r s o f a house.

4

  O n t h e

w a l l  o f t h e

  an t ichambre

  i s a s k e t c h y r e n d i t i o n o f a l a r g e

c l o c k

  w h i c h bears  a f ig u re , p r o b a b l y o f T i m e , r e c l i n i n g

b e l o w t h e  d i a l  i n a s i m i l a r p o s i t i o n t o t h a t o n t h e M u

seum's  c l o c k  ( f i g .  8 e ) .

A n   e n g r a v i n g f o r a b a r o m e t e r , i n s c r i b e d " C a d r a n a

v e n t d e M r . l e D u e d e M o r t e m a r e n 1 7 2 4 , " s h ow s a  s i m i

l a r l y

  p o s i t i o n e d f ig u re ,

  here

  r e p r e s e n t i n g

  W i n d ,

  w i t h

w i n g s o f p r e c i s el y t h e  same  f o r m  ( f i g . 8 f ) .

5

  A f u r t h e r

e n g r a v i n g , e n t i t l e d " P r o j ec t

 d'une grande Pendule placee

s u r u n

  paneau,"

  s ho w s a  w a l l  c l o c k g e n e r a l l y d e s i g n e d

w i t h  t h e  same  v i g o r o u s ,  s w i r l i n g  l o o s e a s y m m e t r y , t h e

r o c o c o

  elements

  b o t h s u p p o r t i n g a n d p a r t i a l l y e n c l o s i n g

the f igures.

6

  A d e s i g n f o r a p a i n t e d c e i l i n g f o r t h e C h a -

p e l l e d e l a V i e r g e o f S a i n t S u l p i c e , P ar i s, d e p i c t s w i n g e d

angels

  flying  a m o n g t h e c l o u d s s u p p o r t i n g t h e  V i r g i n ,

three  o f w h o m m u c h  resemble

 those

  f o u n d o n t h e c l o c k .

7

T h e c l o c k w a s

  o r i g i n a l l y

  i n t e n d e d a s a

 pendule a repe

tition.  T h e r e p e a t i n g t r a i n i s n o w m i s s i n g . S u c h c l o c k s ,

also  k n o w n a s  pendules

  oValcove,

  w e r e u s u a l l y o f s m a l l s i z e ,

s u i t a b l e f o r a b e d a l c o v e ( s ee c a t . n o s . 2 a n d 6 ) . T h i s i s

 per

haps  t h e l a r g e s t e x a m p l e k n o w n , i n d i c a t i n g t h a t i t w a s

made  f o r a n e x t r e m e l y g r a n d i n t e r i o r . T h e s c y t h e is a

m o d e r n r e p l a c e m e n t .

W A L L

  C L O C K  6 l

Page 75: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 75/225

8

E   Gabrie l Huqu ier , engraving af ter a draw

i n g  by

 Juste-Aurele Meissonnier showing

a  cross  section o f a

  house

  designed for

Leon  de Brethou s in the mid-1730s, pub

l ished  in Meissonnier's  Oeuvres,  circa

1750.

8F Gabriel Huquie r , engraving af ter a draw

i n g  by Juste -Aur ele Meisso nnier for a

w i n d

  ind icat or designed f or the due de

M o r t e m a r

  i n 1724, publ ishe d circa 1750.

62

  W A L L

  C L O C K

Page 76: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 76/225

O T H E R

  E X A M P L E S

A

  clock of the  same  model was sold in New

  Y o r k

  i n

1982.

8

  I t  possessed  a later movement by Robert Robin

(1742-1799),

  w h i c h

  included the

 phases

 of the moon and

th e

  days

  of the week and mo nt h. The bac kboard was lac

quered black and

  fitted

  w i t h  a door for  access  to the

movement.

M O V E M E N T

Brass

 a nd  i r o n , partly blued

Note: The number in parentheses represents the number of

teeth on each wheel. These numbers are repeated again in the

drawings

  of  the movement.

The movement

  ( f i g .

  8g) consists of two trains driven

by

  mainsprings,

  each

  o f

  w h i c h

  runs for about one week.

Th e go ing tra in provides power for the hands

  w h i c h

  i n d i

cate the hours in ro ma n numerals a nd the minutes in

 ara

ble numerals on the main d i a l .  The clock strikes the hours

and

  h a l f

  hours on the

  same  b e l l. O r i g i n a l l y

  the clock had

an additional train for a

  repeater;

  this part of the move

men t is missing.

The going train has one rota ting barre l (84),

  w h i c h

holds the mainspring and four

  p i n i o n

  wheels (14/84-

8/84—7/70—7/37), the last being for the

  escape

 wheel. The

t r a i n   is regulated by an anchor

  escapement

  (deadbeat

escapement)

  in connection  w i t h  a pendu lum

  ( o r i g i n a l l y

the clock had a verge escapement).

  O r i g i n a l l y

  the clock

had a pendulum  w i t h  a

  s i l k

  suspension ; this has be en

rep lac ed by a so-called Broc ot suspensio n (after the

famous Parisian horologist

  A c h i l l e

  Brocot [1817—1878]

w h o

  invented

  i t ) .

  Thi s type of pe nd ul um can be adjusted

w h i l e

 the clock is ru nn in g by using a key inser ted i n a hole

i n

  th e

  d i a l

 at the numbe r

  X I I .

 Wh en the key is tu rn ed the

w o r k i n g

  leng th of the pend ulu m is changed. Th e  t h i r d

w h e e l  holds the cannon

  p i n i o n

  (36), a part o f the mot io n

w o r k

  (36-36/7—84), and the minute hand. The hour

w h e e l  (84) holds the hour hand. The cannon

  p i n i o n

  (36)

rotates onc e every hou r; it has two pins that  release  the

s t r i k i n g

 tr ain every

  h a l f

  and

  f u l l

  hour.

T h e

  s t r i k i n g

 t ra in is to the  l e f t

  o f

  the going

 t r a i n .

  This

type of

  s t r i k i n g

  train has a

  l o c k i n g

  plate (count wheel).

T h i s

  t rai n has one ro tati ng barr el (84),

  w h i c h

  holds the

m a i n s p r i n g ,

  fou r

  p i n i o n

  wheels (14/72-8/60—6/60—6/48),

an d a fly vane ( 6). Th e second whe el (8/60) has ten p ins

that move the

  s t r i k i n g

  hammer.

8

G

  T h r e e - q u a r t e r

  view of the

  movement .

Going train

S t r i k i n g

  t ra in

W A L L

  C L O C K  63

Page 77: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 77/225

E X H I B I T I O N S

De t r o i t  In s t i t u t e

  o f

  A r t s ,

  1972—1973.

P U B L I C A T I O N S

E.  Sch lumberge r ,  "Caffieri ,  le  b ro n z i e r  de  Louis  XV,"

Connaissance

  des

  Arts

  (May  1965),  i l l . p . 83;

  Wi l son ,

  Deco

rative

  Arts

  (1977),  p. 31 , no. 40 ; G.  Mabi l le ,  Le  Style  Louis

XV

  (Paris, 1978),

  p. 175;  Sassoon  an d

  Wi l son ,  Decorative

Arts:  A  Handbook,  pp .  3 8 - 3 9 ,  no. 83;  O t t o m e y e r  and Pro-

schel,

  Vergoldete Bronzen,

  vo l. 1, p. 111 , fig.  2 .3 .4 ; Br em er

Da v i d

  et al.,

 Decorative

  Arts,  p. 86, no. 133.

4. See D. Nyb erg , Meissonnier, the Eighteenth-Century Maverick

(New  Y o r k ,  1969),  f o l i o  5; the

  house

  was  designed  for a

"Sieur Brethous."

5.

  I b i d . ,

  f o l i o  56.

6.

  I b i d . ,

  f o l i o  55.

7.

  I b i d . ,

  f o l i o  65.1 am grateful to Theodore  D e l l  for pointing

out to me the relationship

  between  these

 engravings by

Huquier after Meissonnier and the Museum's clock.

8. Christie's, New   Y o r k ,  Nove mbe r 20, 1982, lot 55. T he

c l o c k

  previously had

  been

  sold at Christie's, London,

July 17, 1886, lot 140. The

  sale

 catalogue stated  that it was

f o r m e r l y  in the Hotel de  V i l l e ,  Paris.

P R O V E N A N C E

Bar o n M ay er Al p h o n se  de  Rothsch i ld (1827-1905) ,

C h a t e a u  de

  Ferr ieres ,  T a r n ,

  France;  B a r o n E d o u a r d  de

Ro t h sch i l d (1 8 6 8 -1 9 4 9 ) ,  C h a t e a u  de  Ferr ieres ;  Baro n

Guy de  Ro t h sch i l d , C h a t e a u  de  Ferr ieres . Sold , S otheby's,

L o n d o n ,

  N o v e m b e r  24, 1972, lo t 7.  Purchas ed  at  t h a t

  sale

by J.

  Pau l

  Getty.

N O T E S

1 .  Thi s a tt r ibu tion is given in the

  catalogue

  of the 1972 Sot h

eby's sale,  and in

 subsequent

  publica tions. For biog raphies

o f  Charles Cressent,  see M .-J . Ball ot,  "Charles Cressent,

Sculpteur,  Ebeniste,  Collectionneur,"  Archives de Vart

frangais ,

  nouvelleperiode

  (1916-1918),

  vo l. 10 (Paris, 1919),

pp. 1—96; G. de Bellaigue,

  Th e

 James A. de Rothschild Collec

tion at Waddesdon Manor: Furniture, Clocks and  Gi l t  Bronzes,

v o l .  2 (London, 1974), pp. 868—869; and  Pradere ,  Les

Ebenistes,  pp. 129—139.

2. M. -J . Ba ll ot (not e 1), p. 200, no. 25:

U ne   magnifique pendule de bronze, dont la composition et

du meilleur

  gout;

  ily a sur le

 haut

  un Amour qui est assis sur

des nuages, il appuye son coude sur un sable. Au-dessous du

cadron   est la figure du Terns, tenans

  sa

 faulx, etpose sur le

cahos du monde, les pieds sont formes par deux grands

arbres,

  le tout parfaitement bien sizele, dore d or moulu;

de quatre pieds trois pouces de  haut.

See T.

  D e l l ,

  "The Gilt-bronze Cartel Clocks of  Charles

Cressent," Burlington Magazine  ( A p r i l  1967) , pp . 210—217.

I n   this article the model  discussed  is illustr ated as fig . 34.

O t h e r  examples  of this model are at the

  Musee

  du Louvre,

Paris  (inv. O A 9586), and the Wallace Collecti on, Lon do n

( i n v .  F92).

3.  D e l l  (note 2), fig. 33. Th e exam ple illu stra ted is in the  W i l

l i a m   R ockh ill Nelson Gallery,  Kansas  C i t y .  Ano th e r exam

ple is in the Rij ksmu seum , A ms ter dam . See Ball ot (note 2),

p .  202, no. 47:

Un e  pendule

  a

 face de bronze, le corps de bois en marque-

terie;  sa composition represente un Terns volant, avec sa

faulx, pret a trancher lefilde la vie a un enfant qui est dans

un rocher qui, en appercevant le Terns, abandonne son car-

quois et son arc; Veffroi qui paroit sur le visage de cet enfant

fait un effet des plus singulier. Les ornemens qui renferment

le   cartel sont d un gout  tout  extraordinaire a toutes les autres

pendules,faites par les gens les plus experimentes en cet art,

pourquoi  Von peut se flatter de I approbation des connois

seurs;

  elle porte trois pieds de

 haut

  et est doree d or moulu.

64

  W A L L

  C L O C K

Page 78: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 78/225

  X

M a n t e l  Clock

French (Paris); circa 1742

Mov eme nt by Ju lie n Le Roy (1686

1759;  master  1713) (see  B i o g . ,

p .  185);  d i a l  enameled by Anto ine-

Nicolas Martiniere (1706-1784;

master  1720) (see  B i o g . ,  p. 190);

make r o f the  case unkno wn

H E I G H T :

  1 ft.

  6

1 1

/

2 4

i n .

  (47 cm)

W I D T H :  1 ft. V

2

  in . (32 cm)

D E P T H :  8V8 in . (20.6 cm)

7 9 . D B . 4

D E S C R I P T I O N

The gilt-bronze clock  case  is in the  f o r m  of a palm

tree  g rowing

  f r o m

  a rocky ground that is set

  w i t h

  tufts of

grass  and small  shrubs  (fig. 9a). Fro m the gro und  also

emerges

  a single branch of laurel, the

  leaves

  and berries

o f  which mingle

  w i t h

  the palm  leaves to the  l e f t  and right

o f  th e  d i a l .  Above, the pelt of a

  l i o n

  is draped on a  b i f u r

cate  scroll. Th e hin ged an d latched gilt-bro nze back do or

is pierced  w i t h  an oval of holes  ( f ig .  9b).

M A R K S

T h e  d i a l  is painted in black  J U L I E N - L E R O Y - D E  L A

S O C I E T E

  D E S

  A R T S -

  Th e moveme nt is engraved  Julien   Le

Roy

  JParis  ( f i g .  9c). The back of the enamel  d i a l  is painted

i n

  black  a-n-martiniere 1742  (fig. gd).  Th e back of the  d i a l

plate is engraved

  w i t h

  th e

  g r a f f i t i

  o f various repairers;

these

  are mostly indecipherable  w i t h  the exception of

some  of the

  names

  and  dates,  which may be read as  f o l

l o w s :  P.  Heller  1843; G. Paolini 28/10.1893; Jon (Shalberg)

3/72;  A. Mazzenumy; W. Sutten.

C O M M E N T A R Y

T h e  enameler  Antoine-Nicolas Mart iniere (1706-

1784) became Emailleur et Pensionnaire du Roi  in 1742 (see

M a r t i n i e r e  biography in this volume). As this

  t i t l e  does

not

  appear

  on the  d i a l  we may  assume  that it was enam

eled early in that  year,  before he received his positio n. As

i t   is unlik ely that the an onymous  case-maker  w o u l d  have

kep t Le Roy moveme nts i n stock, it is almos t certain tha t

th e  case  is of the

  same

 date  as the

  d i a l .

  (For another  d i a l

signed by Mart in ier e, see cat. no. 10.) Th e mak er o f the

case remains unk now n.

1

65

Page 79: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 79/225

Page 80: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 80/225

9 A

9

B

M A N T E L  C L O C K  67

Page 81: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 81/225

gc 9E Fron t

  plate

  of the  movemen t ,  showing the winding

mechan i sm

  and the dial train.

9 D   T h e

  s igna tu re

  of Antoine-Nicolas Marti niere

on the

  back

  of the dial.

68

M A N T E L   C L O C K

O T H E R

  E X A M P L E S

The model of this case  is apparently unique; no oth

ers are k no wn . It may be com par ed to a clock in the

Schloss N y m p h e n b u r g ,

  M u n i c h ,

 wh ich, tho ugh o f a mo re

elaborate  mode l

  w i t h

  three  musicians at its  base,  has a

p a l m  tree

  w i t h

  a trunk of the

  same  f o r m

  and  s i m i l a r l y

modeled  leaves.

2

  T h e  cases  were probably  made  by the

same  unidentified maker.

M O V E M E N T

Brass and

  i r o n ,

  partly blued

Note: The number in parentheses represents the number of

teeth on each wheel. These numbers are repeated again in the

drawings   of

  the movement.

The movement  ( f ig s ,  ge and f)  consists  of two trains

d r i v e n   by mainsprings,  each  of wh ich runs for one week.

Th e goi ng tra in provides power for the

  hands

 which  i n d i

cate the hours i n ro ma n numerals and the minutes in ara-

b i c  numerals on the main

  d i a l .

 Th e clock strikes the h our s

and  h a l f  hours on one  b e l l .

Th e g oing trai n has one rotat ing barrel (72), which

holds the main sp ri ng and fou r pi ni on wheels (12/80—?/?-

6/70-6/33), the last being the  escape  wheel. The going

t r a i n  is regu lated by a cro wn wheel (verge  escapement) i n

connection  w i t h  a pendulum. The pendulum can be

adjusted whil e the clock is ru nn in g using a key inserte d i n

a hole in the  d i a l  at the number  X I I .  When the key is

turned a  s i l k  thread is wo un d aro und a

  square

  rod,

Page 82: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 82/225

g F

  D e t a i l s h o w i n g t h e

  escapement.

G o i n g t r a i n

S t r i k i n g t r a i n

c h a n g i n g t h e l e n g t h o f t h e p e n d u l u m . T h e a r b o r o f th e

n o w - m i s s i n g

  t h i r d

  w h e e l h o l ds t h e c a n n o n p i n i o n ( 30 ) , a

p a r t o f t h e m o t i o n w o r k (3 0 - 3 0/ 6 — 7 2 ) , a n d t h e m i n u t e

h a n d . T h e h o u r w h e e l (7 2 ) h o l d s t h e h o u r h a n d . T h e c a n

n o n p i n i o n (3 0 )  rotates once  e v e r y h o u r ; i t h a s t w o p i n s

t h a t  release  t h e s t r i k i n g t r a i n e v e r y  h a l f  a n d  f u l l  h o u r .

T h e s t r i k i n g t r a i n i s t o t h e  l e f t  o f t h e g o i n g t r a i n . T h i s

t y p e o f s t r i k i n g t r a i n h as a l o c k i n g p l a t e ( c o u n t w h e e l ) .

T h i s t r a i n o r i g i n a l l y h a d o n e r o t a t i n g b a r r e l ( 7 2 ) , w h i c h

h e l d

  th e m a i n s p r i n g ,

  three

  p i n i o n w h e el s ( 1 2 / 7 2 - 8 / 6 0 -

? /? ) , an d a f ly vane  ( ? ) . T h e l a s t w h e e l a n d t h e f ly vane  a r e

m i s s in g . T h e

  t h i r d

  w h e e l ( 8 / 6 0 ) h a s t e n p i n s t h a t m o v e t h e

s t r i k i n g  h a m m e r . T h e b e l l is n o t o r i g i n a l .

E X H I B I T I O N S

French  Clocks in North American Collect ions ,  T h e F r i c k

C o l l e c t i o n ,

  N e w

  Y o r k ,

  N o v e m b e r

  1982-January

  1 9 8 3 .

P U B L I C A T I O N S

G .  W i l s o n , " A c q u i s i t i o n s

 made

  b y t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f

D e c o r a t i v e A r t s , 1 97 7 t o m i d - 1 9 7 9 , " GettyMusJ  6 /7 ( 1 9 7 8 -

7 9 ) ,

  p p . 3 7 — 5 2 , n o . 1 4 ; W . E d e y ,  French

  Clocks in North

American

  Collections,  e x h . c a t . ( N e w  Y o r k ,  1 9 8 2 ) , p . 5 8 , n o .

52   ( i l l .  p . 1 3 ) ; Sassoon  a n d  W i l s o n , Decorat ive Arts: A Hand

book,

  p . 3 9, n o . 8 5 ; B r e m e r D a v i d e t

  a l . , Decorat ive Arts ,

  p p .

8 7 - 8 8 , n o . 1 3 5 .

P R O V E N A N C E

Jacques

  K u g e l [ d e a l e r ] , P a r is . A c q u i r e d by t h e J . P a u l

G e t t y M u s e u m i n 1 9 7 9 .

N O T E S

1.   I n t h e 1 9 7 g  catalogue  t h e  a u t ho r  t e n t a t i v e l y a t t r i b u t e d t h e

case  t o Jean-Pier re  L a t z ( s e e

  GettyMusJ

  6/7 [ i g 7 8 - i g 7 g ] ,

p p . 5 0 - 5 1 , n o . 1 4 , c i t i n g " u n p a l m i e r e n

  pendule"

  l i s t e d i n

t h e i n v e n t o r y o f Latz's workshops  d r a w n u p i n 17 5 4 a n d

1 7 5 6 . T h a t a t t r i b u t i o n i s n o w   discounted.

2 . I n v . R e s M i i U 7 5 . T h e c l o c k contains  a

  movemen t

  b y

G u d i n a n d  dates  t o about  1 7 4 5 .

M A N T E L

  C L O C K

  6 9

Page 83: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 83/225

X

C l o c k for a

Corner  Cupboard

Fre nch (Paris); circa 1744

Movement

 by Etienne I I Le

  N o i r

(1 699 -17 78 ; master 1717) (see

B i o g . ,

  p. 177);

 d i a l

  enameled by

Antoine-Nicolas

  Mart inier e (1706

1784;

  master 1720) (see

  B i o g . ,

p .  190); design attr ibu ted to

Nicolas

 Pineau (1684-1754) ;

maker o f the gilt-bronz e case

unknown

H E I G H T :  2 ft. 2V 2 in . (67.4 cm)

W I D T H :  2 ft. 8V

2

  in . (82.5 cm)

D E P T H :  9V2 in . (24.2 cm)

7 9 . D A . 6 6

D E S C R I P T I O N

A

  female  f igure,  probably represent ing Astronom y,

is seated  o n a

  c l o u d

  at the to p of the clock  ( f i g .  10a).

1

  She

holds a globe in her

  l e f t

  hand and carries a torch (the

flame of w h i c h  is missing ) i n her  r i g h t .  Her head is encir

cled

  w i t h

  stars,  and a sunbu rst is placed on her chest. I n

f r o n t  of her  stands  an eagle whose head is tu rn ed in he r

d i r e c t i o n ,

  away  f r o m  the viewer. Th e  d i a l  is surrounded

by a flame  m o t i f , w h i c h is con tai ned by large S-scrolls that

cont inue down the

  sides

  of the clock to  j o i n  th e  w i d e l y

splayed and scr olled legs. T h e feet are over lai d w i t h  acan

thus leaves,  w h i c h  rise and mingle w i t h  a garland of  f l o w

ers to eith er side of the clock. Ben eat h th e

  d i a l

  a broad

flame  m o t i f  depends  f r o m  a ddo rse d leafy C-scrolls.

The gi l t -bronze case is in the

  f o r m

  o f a facade. I t has

no back and  o n l y t wo legs  ( f i g .  10b) an d is sup po rt ed by an

S-shaped

  i r o n  bar. Th is bar is attach ed to the

  case

 below

th e  d i a l an d to the top  o f  the corner cupboard by means o f

an L-shaped  i r o n  plate to  w h i c h  it is bol ted . T he two feet

o f  th e  case are attached to

  i r o n

  plates that are screwed to

the top of the corner cup boar d.

Th e majo r par t of the clock is cast  in tw o pieces: the

f igure

  above,  i n c l u d i n g  th e

  c l o u d

  on  w h i c h  it sits, the

eagle, and the g lobe; and the rest of the  case  below. The

t w o  f l o r a l  swags to eithe r side of the  d i a l  ar e  cast as

  sepa

rate pieces. Th e win dsw ept section o f the figure's c loak

and the r igh t-ha nd palm branch are brazed  i n t o  place.

70

Page 84: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 84/225

Page 85: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 85/225

I O D   T h e

  s ignature

  o f A n t o i n e - N i c o l a s M a r t i n i e r e o n t h e

back  o f t h e d i a l .

I O E   T h e s p r i n g o f t h e s t r i k i n g t r a i n , si g n e d

  Buzot

  aout

*744

72   C L O C K  F O R A  C O R N E R C U P B O A R D

Page 86: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 86/225

Î O B

I O C

M A R K S

T h e  d i a l  is signed

  •

  E T I E N N E

  • L E  •

  N O I R

  • A PAR IS •

 Th e

back plate of the movement is inscribed Etienne  LeNoir

AParis

  ( f i g .

  10c). Th e back of the  d i a l  is signed  n- marti-

niere,

  1744-7* bre  (fig. îod). The spring of the  s t r i k i n g

t r a i n  is signed Buzot août 1744  (seeBiog.,p. 167)

  ( f i g .

  10e).

G r a f f i t i on the  f r o n t plate read RK. 1788 ie 28

  Aprilis

  Kurk-

hausy,  and on the  d i a l  plate, metez I cinqlpieds  Igros I troux I

Etienne

  Le

  . . .

 I

A . . . S/17/77.

C O M M E N T A R Y

The corner cupboard to  w h i c h  the clock is  fixed  is

stamped

I .

  D U B O I S

  f o r

 Jacques Dubois (1694-1763;  mas

ter 1742)

  ( f i g .

  l o f  ) .

2

 T he cupb oard, in its basic design,

  f o l

l o w s  a drawing  made  by the  ornemaniste  Nicolas Pineau

some  twenty  years  earlier.

3

  The clock, however, is com

p l e t e l y dif ferent  f r o m  that drawn by Pineau.

T h e

  case

  may have been

  cast

  f r o m  Dubois's own

m o d e l . He ,  l i k e a numbe r of the more promi nen t cabinet

makers of the mid-eighteenth century, retained his own

models. I n an inv ent ory dr aw n up at his death i n 1763, a

large number of mounts are listed: "432 livres pesant  de

modeles de bronze, prises 1080  l [ i v r e s ] and "228 livres

pesant  de fontes brutes."

4

  Alexandre

  Pradere

  suggests

that this indicates that Dubois was anxious to protect the

e x c l u s i v i t y

  of his bronze models and thus stocked quan

t i t i e s   o f

 unchased moun ts for use on his fu rni tu re and fo r

s u p p l y i n g   to  chasers  and gilders. The constant use of his

o w n  models

  w o u l d

  perhaps  preclude the manufacture of

the clock case by an outside craftsman.

C L O C K  F O R A C O R N E R C U P B O A R D 73

Page 87: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 87/225

I O F

  Corne r cupboard

  made

  by  Jacques  Dubois (1694-17 63; master 1742) for

Coun t Jan Clemens   B r a n i c k i  betw een 1 744 an d 1753.

74

  C L O C K

  F O R A C O R N E R C U P B O A R D

Page 88: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 88/225

Page 89: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 89/225

G o i n g   t rain

S t r i k i n g

  trai n for the hou rs

S t r i k i n g

  t rain for the  quarters  of an ho ur

76

  C L O C K

  F O R A C O R N E R C U P B O A R D

The going train provides power for the  hands

  w h i c h

  i n

dicate the hours i n ro ma n numerals a nd the minute s in

arabic numerals on the main

  d i a l .

  The clock strikes the

hours on the largest

  b e l l

  and the quarter hours on two

smaller bells.

Th e goi ng tr ai n has one rot ati ng bar rel (84),  w h i c h

holds the mainspring and four  p i n i o n  wheels (14/80—

8/72-6/60—6/31), the last being the

  escape

  wheel. This

t r a i n

 is regu late d by a cr own wheel (verge

  escapement)

 i n

connection

  w i t h

  a pendulum.The pendulum can be

adjusted  w h i l e  the clock is running by  l i f t i n g  or lowering

it s

  s pri ng suspension. Th e arbor of the

  t h i r d

  wheel holds

the cannon  p i n i o n  (36), a part of the moti on  w o r k  (3 6 -

3 6 / 7 - 8 4 ) ,

  and the minute hand. The hour wheel (84)

holds the hour hand. The cannon  p i n i o n  (36) rotates

once every hou r; it has fou r pins that

  release

 th e

  s t r i k i n g

trains every quar ter of an ho ur.

T h i s

  clock has two

 s t r i k i n g

  trains. To the

  r i g h t

  of the

g o i n g   train is the  s t r i k i n g  train for the quarter hours. To

th e

  l e f t

  of the going train is the

  s t r i k i n g

  train for the

hours. They are both arranged upside down.  B o t h  strik

i n g

  trains use

  l o c k i n g

  plates (count wheels). The

  s t r i k i n g

t r a i n  fo r the quar ter hours has a rot ati ng bar rel (84),

w h i c h

  holds the mainspring, four

  p i n i o n

  wheels (14/72—

8/60—6/60-6/60), an d a fly vane (6). Th e  t h i r d  wheel

( 8 / 6 0 )

  has te n pins (six on one side and f ou r on the oth er)

that move the

  s t r i k i n g

  hammer. Every

  f u l l

  hour the lock

i n g

  plate of this tr ai n

  releases

  th e  s t r i k i n g  train for the

hours. T hi s trai n also has a rotat ing bar rel (84),

  w h i c h

holds the mainspring, four  p i n i o n  wheels (14/52-6/54-

6/54—6/54), an d a fly vane (6). Th e

  t h i r d

  wheel (6/54) has

nine pins that move the

  s t r i k i n g

  hammer.

P U B L I C A T I O N S

E .  M o l i n i e r ,

  Le  Mobilier  au

  XVIle

  et au  XVIIle  siècle

(Paris, 1896), pp. 146-1 47, pl .

  X I I I ;

  R. Schmidt,  Möbel

( B e r l i n ,

  1920), p. 169,

  i l l . ;

 A. Feulner,  Kunstgeschichte des

Möbels  ( B e r l i n ,  1926), pp. 3 21, 445,

  i l l . ;

 F. de Salverte,  Les

Ebénistes du

  XVIIIe

  siècle  (Paris, 1927), pp. 104—105, pl.

X V I I I ;  A. Feulner,  Kunstgeschichte des Möbels seit dem Al

tertum

  ( B e r l i n ,

  1927), pp. 330—331 (Pineau's design

  i l l u s

trated on p. 321); C.

  Packer,  Paris  Furniture

  (Newport,

M o n m o u t h s h i r e ,  1956), p. 34, fig. 40; F.J. B. Watson, Wal

lace Collection

  Catalogues,

  Furniture

  (Lo ndo n, 1956), p. 69;

A .

  Bou tem y, "Des Meuble s Louis X V à grand s suc cès: les

encoignures,"  Connaissance des

 Arts

  91 (Septe mber 1959),

p p .

  36, 41 ,

  i l l . ;

 J. Me uvret ,  Les Ebénistes du

  XVIIIe

  siècle

français  (Paris, 1963), pp. 100 -1 01,

  i l l . ;

  P. Verlet,  French

Cabinetmakers

  o f

  the Eighteenth Century  (Paris , 1963), p. 102;

F . J . B .  Watson,  The Wrightsman

  Collection

  (New

  Y o r k ,

1 9 6 6 ) ,

  v o l .

  1, p. 231;

  v o l .

  2, p. 54; A. Gonzales-Palacios,  Gli

Ebanisti delLuigiXV   ( M i l a n ,

  1966), p. 67; C. Frégnac,  Les

Page 90: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 90/225

Styles   francais

  ( P a r i s , 1 9 7 5 ) , p i . 2 ; P . K j e l l b e r g , Le Mobilier

francais  dumoy en age a

 Louis

  XV   ( P a r i s , 1978) , pp . 192— 193,

n o . 2 1 7 ; P . K j e l l b e r g ,  "Jacques  D u b o i s ,"

  Connaissance des

Arts  ( D e c e m b e r 1 9 7 9 ) , p . 1 1 5 ,  i l l . ;  G . W i l s o n , " A c q u i s i

t i o n s M a d e b y t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f D e c o r a t i v e A r t s , 1 9 7 9

t o m i d - 1 9 8 0 , "

  GettyMusJ

  8 ( 1 9 8 0 ) , p p . 1 - 3 ,  i l l . ;  G . W i l s o n ,

Selections from Deco rative Ar ts in the  J .   Paul Get ty Museum

( M a l i b u ,

  1 9 8 3 ) , p p . 4 2 - 4 3 , n o . 2 1 ,

  i l l . ;

  P . H u n t e r - S t i e b e l ,

" E x a l t e d H a r d w a r e , t h e B r o n z e M o u n t s o f F r e n c h F u r

n i t u r e ,  Part  I , Antiques  (January  1 9 8 5 ) , p . 2 3 6 ,  i l l . ;  Sas

s o o n a n d  W i l s o n ,  Decorative

  Arts:  A Handbook,

  p . 1 7 , n o . 3 8 ,

i l l . ;  P. K j e l l b e r g , L e  Mobilier francais   du   XVI   lie   s iecle: Dic-

tionnaire des ebenistes et des menu isiers

  ( P a r i s , 1 9 8 9 ) , p p . 2 6 7 ,

2 7 3 , 2 7 5 ,  i l l . ;  Pradere,  Les Ebenistes,  p . 173 , f i gs . 153 , 154;

G . W i l s o n , " D a l l a R a c c o l t a d e l M u s e o J . P a u l G e t t y ,"  Ca s a

Vogue Ant iques

  8 ( M a y 1 9 9 0 ) , p p . 1 1 4 - 1 1 9 ,  i l l . ;  S . B o i r o n ,

"Jacques  D u b o i s , M a i t r e d u S t yl e L o u i s

  X V , "

  UObjet dArt

2 3 7  (June  1 9 9 0 ) , p p . 4 2 - 5 9 ,  i l l . ;  B r e m e r D a v i d

 etal.,£tec-

orativeArts,  p p . 3 1 - 3 2 , n o . 3 5 ,  i l l .

N O T E S

1 .  A c c o r d i n g t o J . B . B o u d a r d ,

  Iconologie t iree de Divers Auteurs

( V i e n n a 1 7 6 6 ) , p . 4 7 , U r a n i a , t h e M u s e o f

  A s t r o l o g y ,

  is

represented

  w i t h

  seven

  stars  e n c i r c l i n g h e r

  head, measur

i n g  a p o i n t o n a c e l e s t ia l g l o b e  w i t h  a p a i r o f compasses.

T h e i n c l u s i o n o f a n

  eagle

  i n s u c h a r e p r e s e n t a t i o n i s n o t

k n o w n

 elsewhere.  T h e

  eagle

  is t h e h e r a l d i c s y m b o l o f

P o l a n d , a n d i f t h i s  piece  w a s i n d e e d

  made

  t o t h e s p e c i f i c a

t i o n s o f a P o l i s h c l i e n t , i t m a y

  have been

  i n c l u d e d f o r t h a t

reason.

2 . F o r i n f o r m a t i o n o n

 Jacques

  D u b o i s , s e e  Pradere,  Le s

  Ebe

nistes,  p p . 1 6 8 — 1 7 5 .

3 . T h e d r a w i n g i s i n t h e M u s e e d e s A r t s D e c o r a t i f s ,

  Paris

( i n v .  4 8 6 9 ) . S e e G . W i l s o n , " A c q u i s i t i o n s

 made

  b y t h e

D e p a r t m e n t o f D e c o r a ti v e A r t s , 1 97 9 to m i d - 1 9 8 0 , "  Getty

MusJ

  8 ( 1 9 8 0 ) , p . 3 , f i g . 3 . T h e r e i s

 also

  a n e n g r a v i n g b y

P i e r r e M a r i e t t e af t e r P i n e a u . S i n c e M a r i e t t e   ceased  b e i n g

i n v o l v e d

  w i t h  e n g r a v i n g s i n 1 7 3 4 , t h i s p l a t e m u s t

  have

been

  issued  b e f o r e t h a t

  year.

  S ee

  Pradere,

  Les Ebenistes,

p .

  1 7 2 .

4 .  Pradere,  Les Ebenistes,  p . 1 7 0 .

5 . A t t h i s

 date

  P o l a n d w a s m o r e o r  less  a p r o t e c t o r a t e o f

Russia.

P R O V E N A N C E

C o u n t J a n

  Clemens

  B r a n i c k i , W a r sa w , P o l a n d

( o r d e r e d b y G e n e r a l M o k r o n o w s k i t h r o u g h M o n s i e u r

L u l l i e r  o f W a r s a w c i r c a 1 7 4 4 ) ; p r o b a b l y i n h e r i t e d b y

B r a n i c k i ' s

  sister

  C h r i s t i n e ; b y  descent  to M a r i a n n a S zy -

m a n o w s k a ( n ee P o t o c ka ) , C h r i s t i n e B r a n i c k a ' s g r a n d

daughter,  1 8 2 0 s . B a r o n N a t h a n i e l d e R o t h s c h i l d ,

V i e n n a , b e f o r e 1 9 0 3 . B a r o n A l p h o n s e d e R o t h s c h i l d ,

V i e n n a . Baroness  C l a ri c e d e R o t h s c h i l d , V i e n n a a n d N e w

Y o r k ,  1 9 4 2 .

  Rosenberg

  a n d S t i e b e l [ d e a l e r s ] , N e w  Y o r k ,

1940s

  ( ? ) .

  Georges

  W i l d e n s t e i n , [ d e a l e r ] , N e w

  Y o r k .

B o u g h t f o r $7 5 , 0 0 0 ,

  1940s

 b y D a n i e l o r

  Georges

 W i l d e n

s t e i n , N e w

  Y o r k .

  A k r a m O j j e h , P a r is , 1 9 7 8 . S o l d ,

  Sothe

b y ' s , M o n a c o , June  2 5 - 2 6 , 1 9 7 9 , l o t 6 0 . A c q u i r e d b y t h e

J . P a u l G e t t y M u s e u m i n 1 9 7 9 .

C L O C K

  F O R A C O R N E R C U P B O A R D 7 7

Page 91: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 91/225

X

C l o c k f o r a   Cartonnier

F r e n c h ( P a r i s ) ; 1 7 4 6

M o v e m e n t by E ti e n n e  ( I I )  L e  N o i r

( 1 6 9 9 - 1 7 7 8 ;

  master

  1717) (see

B i o g . ,  p . 1 7 7 ) ;  d i a l  e n a m e l e d b y

Jacques

  D e c l a (a c t i v e c i r c a 1 7 4 2 -

1 7 6 4 ) ( s ee  B i o g . ,  p . 1 6 8 ) ; m a k e r o f

case  u n k n o w n

H E I G H T :

  1 f t .

  5 V 2

  i n . ( 4 4 . 5 c m )

W I D T H :

  1 f t . 1 1

V

4

  i n . ( 5 9 c m )

D E P T H :  7 V 4

  i n . ( 1 9 . 5 c m )

8 3 . D A . 2 8 0

D E S C R I P T I O N

T h e c l o c k

 case

  is v e n e e r e d

  w i t h

  a l d e r w h i c h h a s  been

p a i n t e d   w i t h  b l a c k E u r o p e a n

  vemis

  ( l a c q u e r ) . T h e

  vern is

  is

d e c o r a t e d  w i t h

  scattered

  f l o w e r

  heads

  a n d

  branches

  o f

f l o w e r s  a n d

  leaves

  a l l i n g o l d . P a i n t e d b r o n z e f ig u re s o f a

Chinese

 w o m a n

  w i t h

  a t a m b o u r i n e a n d a m a n

  w i t h

  a h o r n

( f i g .  1 1 a ) a re  seated  o n t h e b r o a d s h o u l d e r s o f t h e  case,

w h i l e

  t w o p a i n t e d b r o n z e c h i l d r e n ar e  seated

  above

  ( f i g .

1 1 b ) .

  A l l

  a r e  dressed  i n b la c k  robes  l i n e d w i t h  r e d .

T h e s c r o l l i n g s y m m e t r i c al m o u n t s , w h i c h s u r r o u n d

t h e

  d i a l

  a n d t h e a p e r t u r e b e l o w a n d o u t l i n e t h e p r o f i l e s

o f  t he c lo c k , a re s e t  w i t h  l a u r e l , b e r r i e s , a n d g a r l a n d s o f

f l o w e r s .

T h e  carcase  i s o f w h i t e o a k w h i c h h a s  been  b l a c k

ened.

  T h e c o n c a v e b a c k i s s et  w i t h  a h i n g e d a n d l a t c h e d

d o o r

  ( f i g .

  1  i d ) .

M A R K S

T h e  d i a l  i s e n a m e l e d  E T I E N N E

  L E

  N O I R

  A P A R I S .

  T h e

m o v e m e n t is e n g r a v e d

  Et ienne Le Noir   J P a r i s

  ( f i g . l i e ) .

T h e s p r i n g o f t h e s t r i k i n g t r a i n is i n s c r i b e d

  Buzot

  9BRE

1746   ( f i g . n f ) (s ee  B i o g . ,  p . 1 6 7 ) a n d t h a t o f t h e g o i n g

t r a i n

  Richard  M a i

  1752 (see

  B i o g . ,

  p . 1 9 3 ) . T h e

  d i a l

  p l a t e

h as   g r a f f i t i  o n b o t h sides:  t h e f r o n t i s i n s c r i b e d Edmon d de

Rotchild   [ s i c ] a n d t h e b a c k ,  Wilson  I Dec 30 1839 Jwb Oct

82 .

  T h e r e a r e r e p a i r m a r k s o n t h e f r o n t p l a te , M.Journe  I

Le   13 Nov

  1971/aParis/FP

  JOURNE  DEC 1 97 6IA   Paris 

Le

  23 juin   1777IB.

  T h e

  b e l l ,

  w h i c h is o f n i n e t e e n t h -

c e n t u r y

  date,

  i s i n s c r i b e d i n i n k

 Le[7] Dreves

  I

  [P]aris.

  T h e

d i a l  i s s i g n e d i n b l a c k o n i t s  reverse  •  decla -1746   ( f i g .

n g ) .  Some

  o f t h e g i l t - b r o n z e m o u n t s a r e s t r u c k  w i t h

c r o w n e d C ' s .

7 8

Page 92: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 92/225

Page 93: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 93/225

1 1

  A

1 1 C

C O N D I T I O N

T h e t o p o f t h e c l o c k w a s   once   s et   w i t h   a g i l t - b r o n z e

p a l m

  t ree.

  I t c a n b e

  seen

  i n t h e p h o t o g r a p h o f t h e  carton

nier   i n a C h r i s t i e s

  sale

 catalogue   o f 1 9 2 2 .

1

C O M M E N T A R Y

I t

  is

 apparent

  tha t   t h e c l o c k w a s n o t

  made

  b y B e r n a r d

( I I )

  v a n R i s e n b u r g h

  whose

  stamp

  appears

  o n t h e   carton

nier

  ( f i g .   1

  l h ) . T h e   mounts   o f t h e c l o c k

 bear

  n o s i m i l a r i t y

i n  a n y   respect   t o   those   o n t h e  cartonnier  a n d t h e   lacquer,

c o n s i s t i n g o f s i m p l e m o t i f s , p a i n t e d   flat   w i t h o u t   raised

gesso,

  w o u l d   seem   t o b e b y a d i f f e r e n t   hand   t h a n   that   o f

t h e  vernisseur  w h o w o r k e d o n t h e   cartonnier.

I t

  is  possible that   t h e   cartonnier  w a s c o m m i s s i o n e d b y

Thomas-Joachim  Hébert,   t h e   marchand-mercier  f o r w h o m

v a n R i s e n b u r g h w o r k e d . V a n R i s e n b u r g h

  seems

  t o

  have

made  v e r y f e w c l o c k

  cases

  a n d   none   ar e k n o w n   that

bear  h i s

  stamp.

2

  H o w e v e r , i f

 Hébert

  h a d c o m m i s s i o n e d

another maker   t o f u r n i s h h i m  w i t h   t h e c l o c k  case,  i t w o u l d

presumably

 have been

  s et

  w i t h

 mounts   o f a s i m i l a r m o d e l

a n d   lacquered   b y t h e

  same

  vernisseur  w h o w o r k e d o n t h e

cartonnier.

T h e c l o c k i s n o t   fixed   t o t h e   cartonnier  a n d t h e

  surface

o n w h i c h it

 rests

  is e n t i r e l y c o v e r e d   w i t h   b l a c k   vernis  w h i c h

shows

  n o

  signs

  o f a n y p r e v i o u s

  attachment.

3

  T h e   back   o f

t h e c l o c k i s

 concave,

  a n d t h i s p e c u l ia r i t y   seems   t o

  empha

size  t h e f a c t   that   t h e c l o c k w as n o t  made   f o r t h e   cartonnier.

4

 

Page 94: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 94/225

1 1 B

1 1 D

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

l

Page 95: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 95/225

1  I E

11   F

  T h e s p r i n g o f t h e s t r i k i n g t r a i n , s i g n e d

  Buzot

  9

  BRE

IJ

4

6

8 2

C L O C K  F O R A   CARTONNIER

11 G  T h e  s ignature  o f  D e c l a o n t h e b a c k  o f  t h e

  d i a l .

I t  i s m e r e l y a h a p p y

  assemblage,

  t h e

  date

  o f w h i c h i s

n o t k n o w n . T h e  name  o f th e m a k e r o f t h e c l o c k  case  is

u n k n o w n .

Chinese  f ig u re s s i m i l a r t o t h e f o u r o n t h i s c l o c k a r e

f o u n d ,  v a r i o u s l y c l o t h e d a n d  posed,  o n c l o c ks a n d c a n

d e l a b r a t h a t  date  f r o m  t h e m i d - e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y .

P i e r r e V e r l e t , d i s c u s s i n g a

  s i m i l a r l y

  m o u n t e d c l o c k i n t h e

R e s i d e n z m u s e u m ,

  M u n i c h ,  suggests

  t h a t s u c h w o r k w a s a

s p e c i a l t y o f t h e  M a r t i n  b r o t h e r s ,

5

  w h o p r o b a b l y i n v e n t e d

t he f i g ures a n d h a d a

  near

  m o n o p o l y o n t h e i r s u p p l y t o

t h e   marchands-merciers .

6  

O T H E R E X A M P L E S

A  t a b l e  w i t h  a

  cartonnier

  i s d e s c r i b e d a s b e i n g i n t h e

Petit

  Cabinet  o f t h e d u e d e B o u r b o n i n t h e 1 7 4 0 i n v e n t o r y

o f  t h e C h a t e a u d e C h a n t i l l y . T h e c l o c k o n t h i s  cartonnier

b o r e

  "pagodes"

  i n

  vern is

  a n d m a y   w e l l

 have

  r e s e m b l e d t h e

c l o c k

  u n d e r d i s c u s s i o n .

7

  T h e c lo c k  case

 appears

  t o b e o f

u n i q u e   f o r m  a n d d e c o r a t i o n .

Page 96: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 96/225

11 H

  Cartonnier,

 c i r c a 1 7 45 , b y B e r n a r d

  ( I I )

  v a n R i s e n b u r g h ( a f te r  1696—circa  1766;  master  b e f o r e  1730).

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Page 97: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 97/225

i n

  Three-quar ter  v i e w  of the mo veme nt.

G o i n g t r a i n

S t r i k i n g

  t r a i n

11 j

  D e t a i l sho wing the  escapement.

M O V E M E N T

Brass and

  i r o n ,

 p artly blued

Note: The number in parentheses represents the number of

teeth on each wheel. These numbers are repeated again in the

drawings

  of  the movement.

The movement  ( f igs . 1 l i a n d  j )  consists of two trains

d r i v e n  by mainsprings, each of

 w h i c h

  runs for about two

weeks. The going

  t r a i n

  provides power for the

  hands

w h i c h

  indicate the hour s in ro ma n numer als and the

  m i n

utes

 in arabic numerals o n the ma in

 d i a l .

 The clock strikes

the hours and  h a l f  hours on the  same  be l l .

The going  t r a i n  has one rota ti ng bar rel (84),

  w h i c h

holds the mains prin g and

  f o u r

  p i n i o n  wheels (14/88-

8/72—6/72—6/29), the last being the  escape  wheel. The

t r a i n

 is regul ated by an anchor  escapement  ( r e c o i l

  escape

ment) in connection

  w i t h

  a pendulum.  O r i g i n a l l y  the

c l o c k

  probably had a

  s i l k

  suspensi on. Th is has been

replaced by a Brocot suspension,  w h i c h  can be adjusted

w h i l e  the clock is running using a key inserted in a hole

i n

  th e  d i a l  at the number  X I I .  When the key is turned

the

  w o r k i n g

 le ngth of the pen dul um is changed. The ar

bor of the now-missing t h i r d  wheel held the cannon  p i n

i o n  (30), a part o f the  m o t i o n

  w o r k

  (30-30/6-72), and

the min ut e han d. Th e hou r wheel (72) holds the hou r

hand. The cannon

  p i n i o n

  (30) rotates once every hour; it

has two pins that

  release

 th e  s t r i k i n g

  t r a i n

  every

  h a l f

  and

f u l l  hour.

T h e  s t r i k i n g

  t r a i n

 is to the  l e f t

  o f

 the going t r a i n . This

type of

  s t r i k i n g

  t r a i n  has a

  l o c k i n g

  plate (count wheel).

?? ????? ??? ? ??????????

Page 98: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 98/225

T h i s

  t r a i n  h a s o n e  ro t a t i n g

  b a r r e l

  ( 8 4 ) ,  wh i c h  holds  t h e

mai n sp r i n g , f o u r

  p i n i o n

  wheels (14/72—8/60—6/60-6/54),

a n d a f l y vane  (6 ) . T h e t h i r d

  w hee l (8/60)

  h a s t e n   pins that

move  t h e

  s t r ik ing

  h a m m e r .  T h e

  bel l

  a n d t h e

  cock

  that

holds  t h e

  bel l

  i n  posi t ion  a r e  la ter  replacements .

P U B L I C A T I O N S

A .

  Sassoon,

  Cartonnier

  a n d

  Serre-Papier

  w i t h

  Clock,"

GettyMusJ

  12  (1984),  p p .

  193-197 ,

  i l l . ;  "Acquisit ions/

1983,"

 GettyMusJ

  12

  (1984),

  p p .

  263—264,111.;

 Sassoon  a n d

Wilson ,

  Decorative

  Arts:

  A  Handbook,  p . 5 , n o . 1 0,

  i l l . ;

  J . - D .

A u g a r d e ,

  " 1 7 4 9

  J o s e p h

  B a u m h a u e r ,

  ebeniste  privi legie

d u r o i , "

 L'Estampille

  ( J u n e

  1987),

  p . 2 5 , n o . 2 0 4 ;  Pradere,

Le s

  Ebenistes,

  p . 1 9 6 , f i g . 1 8 8 ;  B r e m e r

  Da v i d

  e t a l . ,

  Decora

tive

 Arts,  p p .  17-18 ,  n o . 1 0 .

P R O V E N A N C E

(?)

  H a r r i o t  Mel lon , widow

  o f  T h o m a s

  Coutts, later

Duchess  o f S t .

  Al b an s ;

  h e r  s t ep -g randdaugh t er ,

  Angela ,

Baroness

 Burde t t -Cou t t s ,

  London (probab ly g iven

  t o h e r

i n   1 8 3 5 o n h e r  twenty-f i rs t b i r thday) ;  b y  descent  t o h e r

husband ,

  W i l l i a m  A s h m e a d

  Bar t l e t t -Bu rd e t t -Co u t t s ,

M . P . , 1 9 0 6.  Sold,

  Christie 's ,

  L o n d o n ,  M a y 9 , 1 9 2 2 , l o t

1 4 4 , t o H . a n d J .  S i m m o n s

  [dealers] . Alexandr ine

  d e

Rothsch i ld , Paris. Confiscated  b y t h e  G e r m a n s d u r i n g  t h e

occupa t ion

  o f

  Paris

  i n 1 9 4 0 .  B a r o n E d m o n d  d e  Ro t h

schild,  Paris,  1 9 7 2 .  Jose  a n d

  Vera

  Esp i r i to  Santo,  La u

sanne,

  Swi tzer land ,  after  1 9 7 2 .  Acq u i r ed  b y t h e J .  Paul

Get t y M u seu m

  i n 1 9 8 3 .

T h e s e c o n d g e n e r a t i o n o f t h e  f a m i l y  w e r e G u i l l a u m e -

Jean  ( b o r n 1 7 1 3 ) , E t i e n n e - F r a n c o i s ( d i e d 1 7 7 1 ) , Jean-

A l e x a n d r e ( 1 7 4 8 - 1 8 2 5 ) , a n d A n t o i n e - N i c o l a s ( b o r n

1 7 4 2 ) . J e a n - A l e x a n d r e w a s t h e la s t m e m b e r o f t h e  f a m i l y

t o b e

  engaged

  i n t h e t r a d e . S ee H . H u t h ,

 Lacquer

  of

  the West

( C h i c a g o , 1 9 7 1 ) , p p . 9 5 - 9 8 .

6 . V e r l e t , Les Bronzes,  p . 2 1 , f ig . 7 . O n

  page

  1 8 0 , w h i l e d is

c u s s i n g t h e  M a r t i n  b r o t h e r s , V e r l e t r e c o r d s t h a t t h e 1 7 6 8

G a i g n a t  sale  c o n t a i n e d :

No. 1 88: Une tres belle et grand  pen dule . . . (au nom

de

  Pierre

  LeRoy)  . . .

 Elle

  est ornee de  plusiers   figures d e

cuivre

  representant des magots vernis par   Mart in,  imitant le

laque;

  Us  sont r ichement habilles et ouvrages de divers ors,

su r

  une terrasse dontpartie en roche etpartie doree et decoree

de

 feuillages

  et de f leurs de Vincennes

No. 189: Une paire de bras de cheminee a trois

branches, d 'un beau modele bein c isele et dore. Dan s chaque

bras

  est une f igure d e magot, v ernie en laque et r icheme nt

habillee

  d ans le gout du

 Japon,

  pa r

  Martin.

7 .  A . N . , X C I I ,  5 0 4 : " U n b u r e a u a E c r i r e d e V e r n y aussi

Japon

  a p i e d s d e b i c h e s o r n e d e b r o n z e d o r e d ' o r m o u l u e t

s o n

  dessus

  d e v e l o u r s v e r t avec  s o n  serre-papiers aussy  d e

v e r n y d u

 Japon

  e t u n e p e n d u l l e

  dessus

  f a i t e p a r  J u l l i e n  L e

R o y   a

 Paris

 dans  sa boete  a Pagodes  d e v e r n y l e t o u t o r n e

d e b r o n z e d o r e d 'o r m o u l u

 prises

 ensemble  m i l l i v r e s , c y

. . . 1 0 0 0 l i v r e s . " I a m g r a t e f u l t o J e a n - D o m i n i q u e

A u g a r d e f o r p o i n t i n g t h i s o u t t o m e .

N O T E S

1.

  Sale

  c a t ., c o l l e c t i o n o f t h e l a t e

  Baroness

  B u r d e t t - C o u t t s ,

C h r i s t i e 's , L o n d o n , M a y 4 - 5 a n d 8 - 1 2 , 1 9 2 2 , l o t 1 44

( M a y  9 ) .

2 .

  H o w e v e r , i n t h e

  l i s t

  o f w o r k s s o l d b y B e r n a r d

  ( I  I )

  v a n

R i s e n b u r g h t o h is s o n B e r n a r d

  ( I I I )

  o n O c t o b e r 1 8 , 1 7 6 4 ,

m e n t i o n   is

 made

  o f " d e u x b a t i s d e p e n d u l e a

 serre-papiers

g a r n i s d e b r o n z e s " ( s e e

  Pradere,  Les Ebenistes,

  p . 1 9 9 ) .

These

  a r e t h e o n l y c l o c k s l i s t e d a m o n g t h e t h i r t y - s e v e n

pieces

  o f

  ebenisterie.

3 . I t s h o u l d b e n o t e d , h o w e v e r , t h a t c l o c k s a r e r a r e l y f o u n d

a t t a c h e d t o   cartonniers.

4 .  A n o t h e r c l o c k , o f s i m i l a r b u t l a r g e r  f o r m ,  w i t h  a

 concave

b a c k , w a s o n t h e

  Paris

  m a r k e t i n 1 9 9 1 . N e i t h e r t h e

  case

n o r t h e m o v e m e n t b o r e a

 maker's

  m a r k o r s i g n a t u r e . I t i s

p o s s ib l e t h a t th i s c o n c a v i t y p r o v i d e d m a n u a l

  access

 t o t h e

m o v e m e n t .

5 . T h e  f i r s t  g e n e r a t i o n o f t h e  M a r t i n f a m i l y  c o n s i s t e d o f t h e

b r o t h e r s R o b e r t ( d i e d 1 7 6 5 ) , G u i l l a u m e ( d i e d 1 7 4 9 ) ,

J u l i e n ( d i e d 1 7 5 2 ) , a n d E t i e n n e - S i m o n ( d i e d 1 7 70 ) . I n

1 7 3 0 G u i l l a u m e a n d E t i e n n e - S i m o n a c q u i r e d a r o y a l pa t

e n t t o p r o t e c t t h e l a c q u e r  {vernis)  t h a t t h e y h a d i n v e n t e d

a n d i n 1 7 4 4 r e c e i v e d a f u r t h e r p a t e n t f o r t h e i r l a c q u e r

w o r k  " e n  r e l i e f  dans  l e g o u t d u Japon  e t d e l a C h i n e . " B y

1 7 4 8 t h e y h a d o p e n e d t h e i r M a n u f a c t u r e R o y a l e d e v e r n i s

d e l a C h i n e .

C L O C K

  F O R A

  CARTONNIER

  85

Page 99: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 99/225

X

W a l l  C l o c k

F r e n c h ( P a r i s ) ; c i r c a 1 7 4 7

M o v e m e n t

  b y

 J u l i e n L e R o y ( 1 6 8 6 -

1 7 5 9 ;  master  1 7 1 3 ) ( s ee  B i o g . ,

p .  1 8 5 ) ; case

 b y Jacques  C a f f i e r i

( 1 6 7 8 — 1 7 5 5 ;

  master

  1 7 1 4 )

H E I G H T :  2 f t . 6 V 2 i n . ( 7 7 . 5 c m )

W I D T H :

  1 f t . 4 i n . ( 4 0 . 6 c m )

D E P T H :

  4 % i n . ( 1 1 . 4 c m )

72.DB.45

D E S C R I P T I O N

T h e  w a l l  c l o c k i s o f a s y m m e t r i c a l  f o r m  a n d  made

e n t i r e l y

  o f

  g i l t

  b r o n z e . A h e l m e t e d f ig u re o f M i n e r v a i s

seated  above  o n a c l o u d ( f i g . 1 2 a ) . O n t h e  l e f t ,  b e l o w a

h i p p e d s c r o l l s et

  w i t h

  a n o a k b r a n c h

  w i t h

  a co rns , i s a

w i n g e d

  p u t t o w h o p o i n t s to t h e

  d i a l

  ( f i g . 1 2 b ) . T h e r e

m a i n i n g  area  o f t h e  case  is c o m p o s e d o f s c r o ll s , p a l m a n d

l a u r e l  leaves,  a n d f l o w e r s .

T h e b a c k o f t h e c l o c k is f o r m e d o f a  sheet  o f  brass

c o n f o r m i n g  i n  shape  t o t h e  case.  I t is h i n g e d o n t h e  lef t

a n d f a st e n e d t o t h e r i g h t  w i t h  a l a t c h . T h e r e i s n o w o o d e n

carcase.

C O N D I T I O N

M i n e r v a

  once

  h e l d a s h i e l d , s u p p o r t e d b y h e r

  l e f t

a r m .

  I t i s p r o b a b l e t h a t t h e p u t t o  once  h e l d a s c y t h e i n h i s

l e f t  h a n d . T h e a p e r t u r e b e l o w t h e  d i a l ,  n o w c l o s e d b y a

p l a t e o f m o d e r n

  glass,

  w a s p o s s i b l y

  o r i g i n a l l y

  fitted  w i t h  a

g i l t - b r a s s

  g r i l l .

M A R K S

T h e c l o c k f ac e i s s i g n e d   - J U L I E N

  • L E • R O Y -

  a n d t h e

m o v e m e n t e n g r a v e d

  Julien

  Le Roy

  JParis  ( f i g . 1 2 c ) . T h e

case  is s i g n e d , i n t h e c a r t o u c h e b e l o w t h e  d i a l ,  fait par

  Caf

fiery

  ( f i g .

  1 2 d ) . T h e

  case

 i s also s t r u c k

  w i t h

  a l a r g e c r o w n e d

C

  o n t h e

 brass

 b a c k p l a t e a n d o n t h e u p p e r

  l e f t

  s u r f a c e o f

t h e s c r o l l o n w h i c h M i n e r v a si ts , w h i l e M i n e r v a h e r s e l f is

s t r u c k

  w i t h

  a s m a l l c r o w n e d C o n h e r b a c k.

1

  T h e b a c k o f

t h e

  d i a l

  i s i n s c r i b e d

  a -n-

  martinierePr[ivi\ig]eDu

  R[oy] 1747

( f i g .  i2 e ) ( s ee  B i o g . ,  p . 1 9 0 ) . T h e   g r a f f i t i  o n t h e f r o n t o f

t h e

  d i a l

  p la t e i s d i f f i c u l t  t o r e a d b u t m a y b e i n t e r p r e t e d as

Biwent t

  I Dublin;

  t h a t o n t h e b a c k

  seems

  t o r e a d

  Lot Lei-

tun n I Da n Homp uon i ,  a n d , i n a n o t h e r h a n d ,  12, 7, 87, FZI

12, 11, 89, IZ.

8 6

Page 100: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 100/225

Page 101: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 101/225

1 2 A

W A L L  C L O C K

Page 102: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 102/225

1 2 B

C O M M E N T A R Y

E v e n

  though a

  f i r s t

  name

  does

  not accompany the

signature of

  C a f f i e r i

  on the

  case,

  it is certain that it was

made

  by the famous

  ciseleur Jacques  C a f f i e r i .

2

  I n 1747 his

son Philippe entered into partnership  w i t h  his father . A t

that time, a detailed inventory was

  made  o f Jacques

  Caf-

fieri's

  models for  w a l l  l i g h t s ,  firedogs, candlesticks, clocks,

etc. Am o n g the clocks, a mo de l for a cart el is descr ibed as

bear ing a figure o f Min er va on the cresting  w i t h ,  lower

d o w n

  on one side, a figure o f Cu pi d ho ld in g a scythe. A t

Jacques  Caffieri's death in 1755 another,  less  detailed,

i n v e n t o r y

  was drawn up, and the

  same

  model  appears

again, showing that clocks of this model were probably

s t i l l  being produced. The  presence  of the crowned C

places

  the cons truc tion of this clock between 1745 and

1749, fu rt he rm or e the signature o f the enameler Mar -

t i n i e r e

  is

  f o l l o w e d

  by the year 1747. Thus the  case

was

  made

  in the  first  year of the partner ship o f father

and son.

Th e signature below the

  d i a l

  has been engr ave d

somewhat carelessly in compa ris on  w i t h  the h ig h quali ty

o f  th e

  w o r k

  elsewhere on the

  case,

  and it does  not fit the

12c

cartouche happily. However, this is not unusual on Caf

fieri's

  signed work s. As Geoffrey de Bellaigue points out,

th e  same

  carelessness

  may be  seen  in the signature on

one of the mount s o f the comm ode

  made

  by Antoine

Gaud rea u for Loui s XV' s be dr oom at Versailles and on

one o f the chandelie rs dated 1751, bot h in the Wallace

C o l l e c t i o n .

3

O T H E R

  E X A M P L E S

A n

  identical clock  hangs  in the Chamb re de Co m

merce at Bordeaux .

4

  Another was sold at the Hôtel

D r o u o t

  in Paris, on Decemb er 15, 1924, lot 278. T he

movement of the latter was  b y J u l i e n Le Roy, and the  case

was signed

  " C a f f i e r i

  Paris." Th is clock was sold again at

the Galerie Charpentier

  f r o m

  th e

  c o l l e c t i o n

 o f "Monsieur

F .  . ." on N ove mb er 26, 1935, lot 35. In this exa mple,

M i n e r v a  s t i l l

  retained her shield.

A   t h i r d  exam ple, the mai n body in patina ted bronze,

is

  in a New

  Y o r k

  private collection.

5

  It s

  d i a l

  is signed

" J u l i e n   Le Roy." Th e figure of Mine rv a, Cu pi d, an oak

branch, and the palm branch are all   g i l t ,  and Minerva

has a pl um e in her h elm et and has lost her shie ld. T he

W A L L   C L O C K

  89

Page 103: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 103/225

  2 D

2 E   Th e signature of Antoine-Nic olas Mart inière on

the back o f the  d i a l .

90

W A L L

  C L O C K

g r i l l

  for the aperture below the

  d i a l

  is miss ing, and the

case  is signed in the cartouche below the

  d i a l : C a f f i e r i

f e c i t . Another clock of precisely the  same

  f o r m

  as the

Museum's example, also  w i t h  a move ment by Jul ie n Le

R o y  and a case inscribed

  F A I T  P A R

  C A F F I E R I

  A  P A R I S

and

struck

  w i t h

  a crowned C, was sold

  f r o m

  the collecti on of

Ricardo Espirito

  Santo

  at the Pavil ion Gab rie l, Paris, on

June  14, 1977, lot 84.

A n o t h e r ,  also  w i t h  a moveme nt by Jul ien Le Roy, the

case

 unsigned , was sold

 f r o m

  an Aberdeenshire

  c o l l e c t i o n

at Christie's, Lond on, A p r i l  12, 1984, lot 46. The ent ry in

th e  sale  catalogue  does  not give the clock a date. A late

nineteenth-century copy of the model was sold at auction

i n  1990.

6

  The ent ire composi tion was reversed an d the

figure

  o f

  Min er va was replace d by that o f a

 seated

  Roman

w a r r i o r .

M O V E M E N T

Brass

 and

  i r o n ,

 partly blued

Note: The number in parentheses represents the number of

teeth on each wheel. These numbers are repeated again in the

drawings

  of

  the movement.

The movement  ( f i g .  12f) consists

  o f  t w o

 trains drive n

b y  mainsprings,

  each

  o f w h i c h  runs for about two weeks.

Th e goi ng trai n provides power for the  hands w h i c h  i n d i

cate the hours i n ro ma n numerals a nd the minutes in ara-

b i c numerals on the main

 d i a l .

  The cloc k strikes the h ours

and

  h a l f

  hours on the

  same  b e l l .

  T h e

  hands

  are not

o r i g i n a l .

Th e goi ng tr ai n has one rota tin g bar rel (72),  w h i c h

holds the mainspring and four

  p i n i o n

  wheels (10/70—

10/76-7/76—7/30), the last one being the  escape  wheel.

The train is regulated by an anchor  escapement

  ( r e c o i l

escapement)

  in connection  w i t h  a pen dul um. The pen

d u l u m

  can be adjusted

  w h i l e

 the clock is running using a

k e y inser ted i n a hole in the

  d i a l

 at numb er  X I I .  When the

k e y

  is turned the

  w o r k i n g

  length of the pendulum is

changed. The  t h i r d wheel holds the cannon  p i n i o n  (32), a

part of the motion

  w o r k

  (32—32/6-72), and the minute

hand. The hour wheel (72) holds the hour hand. The can

n o n

  p i n i o n  (32) rotates once every ho ur ; it has two pins

that

  release

 t he

  s t r i k i n g

 t rai n every

  h a l f

  and

  f u l l

  hour.

T h e  s t r i k i n g t ra in is to the

  l e f t

  o f  the going t r a i n . This

type of

  s t r i k i n g

  train has a

  l o c k i n g

  plate (count wheel).

T h i s  t rai n has one rot atin g barr el (84),  w h i c h  holds

the mainspring, four

  p i n i o n

  wheels (12/72-8/60-6/60—

6/48), and a fly vane (6). Th e  t h i r d  wheel (8/60) has ten

pins that move the

  s t r i k i n g

  hamme r. A n unusu al feature

o f this clock is the hole in the

  d i a l

  at the number X,  w h i c h

a l l o w s

 access to a lever that

  releases

 t he

  s t r i k i n g t r a i n .

Page 104: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 104/225

  2 F

  T h e  movement.

G o i n g t r a i n

S t r i k i n g

  t r a i n

E X H I B I T I O N S

Det ro i t

  In s t i t u t e

  o f  Ar t s ,  1972-1973.

P U B L I C A T I O N S

A .  Smith ,  e d . ,  Th e

  Country

  Life

  International Dictionary

of

  Clocks  (L o n d o n ,

  1979),

  p . 237 , f i g . 2 ;  Ot tomeye r  a n d

Proschel , Vergoldete Bronzen,

  v o l . 1 , p . 114 , f i g .

  2.5.2;

  Sas-

soon

  a n d

  Wi l son ,  Decorative  Arts:

  A

  Handbook,

  p . 4 0 , n o .

8 7 ;  B r e m e r  Da v i d  e t a l . ,  Decorative

  Arts,

  n o . 1 3 7 , p . 8 8 , i l l .

P R O V E N A N C E

Sold  anonymous ly

  at

  Christie 's ,  L o n d o n , Ju l y

  15,

1 9 7 1 , l o t 2 1 .  French  a n d  Company ,  N e w  York.  Purchased

b y J .  Paul

  Get ty

  i n 1 9 7 2 .

N O T E S

1 .

  F o r i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e c r o w n e d C , s ee c a t . n o . 1 3 ,

 note

  3.

2 . F o r a b i o g r a p h y

  o f Jacques

  C a f f i e r i , s ee G . d e B e l l a i g u e ,

The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor:

Furniture,

  Clocks and Gilt Bronzes

  ( L o n d o n , 1 9 74 ) , v o l . 1 ,

p p . 8 1 - 8 2 ; v o l . 2 , p p . 8 4 8 - 8 5 0 .

3.

  I b i d . ,

  v o l . 1 , p p . 8 1 — 8 2. F o r t h e  commode  a n d t h e  chande

l i e r ,

  s e e F . J . B . W a t s o n ,  The Wallace Collection Catalogues,

Furniture

  ( L o n d o n , 1 95 6 ) , p p . 4 8 - 5 1 , p i . 3 7 , n o . F 8 3

( c h a n d e l i e r ) ; p p . 5 3 - 5 5 , p i s . 4 0 , 4 1 , n o . F 8 6 ( c o m m o d e ) .

4 . S e e P . V e r l e t ,

  La Maison du

  XVIIIe

  s iecle en France

  (Paris,

1 9 6 6 ) , p . 4 0 , f i g . 2 4 . I t is i m p o s s i b l e t o  t e l l  f r o m t h e p h o t o

g r a p h  whether  o r n o t M i n e r v a

  s t i l l  possesses

 h e r s h i e l d

a n d C u p i d h is

  scythe,

  o r t o d i s t i n g u i s h t h e  name  o n t h e

face  o f t h e c l o c k .

5 . W . Edey,

 French Clocks in North American Collections

  ( T h e

F r i c k  C o l l e c t i o n , 1 9 8 2 ) , p . 5 9 , n o . 5 4 ( n o t i l l u s t r a t e d ) .

6 . C h r i s t i e ' s , L o n d o n , N o v e m b e r 2 9 , 1 9 9 0 , l o t 1 0 6 .

W A L L

  C L O C K 9 1

Page 105: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 105/225

X

Planisphere

Fre nch (Paris); circa 1745 -174 9

M o v e m e n t

  (now missing) by

Alex and re Fortier (circa 170 0-

1770) (see

  B i o g . ,

  p. 171);

 case

a t t r i b u t e d  to Jean-Pierre  Latz

( c i r c a  1691-1754)

H E I G H T :

  9 ft. 3 in . (282 cm)

W I D T H :

  3 ft. 1 in . (94 cm)

D E P T H :

  1 ft. 3 in . (38.1 cm)

7 4 . D B . 2

92

D E S C R I P T I O N

T h e  case  is div ide d int o two parts. Th e  f r o n t  of the

upper element,

  w h i c h

  for mer ly contained the mo vement,

is mainly occupied by a large  d i a l ,  above  w h i c h  are four

subsidiary dials (see

  b e l o w ) .

  The main  d i a l is covered by a

c i r c u l a r  convex  glass,  the smaller dials by a  shaped  panel

o f  f l a t  glass.  On top of the

  case

 is a  g i l t - w o o d  orrery, and

there is a  v i e w i n g  hole below the main

  d i a l .

  T he  sides  are

fitted

  w i t h

  s o l i d  doors

  w h i c h

  lower on hinges (fig. 13a).

The remaining areas of the  case  are veneered

  w i t h k i n g -

w o o d ,  and  panels  o f  t r e l l i s  parquetry are set below the

d i a l  and on the  sides.  Bronze moldings frame the  glass

panels and the sides

 o f

  the doors and  f o r m  a bro ad arched

pediment beneath the orrery.

Elaborate bronze mounts are set on the upper cor

ners

  and at the  edges  of the widest part of the circular

area  below. Ano ther mo unt surrounds the  v i e w i n g  hole,

and large complex mounts set  w i t h  shells, cabochons, an d

v i n e branches  f o r m  the feet of the  case  ( f i g .  13b).

A t  the center

  f r o n t

  the projecting base is  fitted

  w i t h

  a

large mount consisting of a blank cartouche on  w h i c h  is

perched an  eagle

  w i t h

  outst retch ed wing s. To either side

are  sprays  of palm, oak, and laurel above stylized shells

( f i g .  13c). Th e  h o l l o w low er section  o f  th e base is o f  bombe

f o r m  and raised o n short cabriol e legs. It is veneere d  w i t h

k i n g w o o d

  and  bois satine,  th e  f r o n t  and  sides  bearing

panels

  o f

  t r e l l i s

  parquetry. Hor izo nta l bronze mol dings

are placed at the top o f the bomb e section and at  i t s j u n c

ture  w i t h  the legs. Bro nze moun ts compo sed i n the ma in

o f

  cabochons  and  acanthus leaves  are set along the  f r o n t

corner s and o n the legs. Th er e are thre e moun ts on the

center  f r o n t :  an elaborate m ou nt compose d o f C-scrolls,

Page 106: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 106/225

Page 107: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 107/225

1

3

A

94

P L A N I S P H E R E

13B

acanthus,

  and a feathered

  w i n g

  above a smaller mount

that carries a  seed  pod, and a large apron mount com

posed of shells, leaves, C-scrolls, and a pair of feathered

w i n g s   ( f i g .  13d).

Th e back o f the upp er par t of the  case is

  fitted

  w i t h  a

large door,

  w h i c h

  is hinged and latched. The  carcase

thr oug hou t is of white oak.

B e h i n d  the uppermost subsidiary  d i a l  was

  o r i g i n a l l y

fitted

  a r e v o l v i n g disk painte d  w i t h  the moon—the

  phases

o f

  w h i c h

  could thus be  seen  thro ugh the  crescent-shaped

aperture . Below this

  d i a l

  are three m ore dials. Th e

  l e f t -

hand

  d i a l

  is engraved  w i t h  the numbers one to

  f o r t y -

t w o  and the words:

  Eclipses  du I

e r

 Satellite de Jupiter

  (fig.

13e). The center

  d i a l

  is engraved  w i t h  th e

  days

  of the

week and the words:

  Inventé par A.   Fortier

  ( f i g .  i3 f ) . The

r i g h t - h a n d

  d i a l  bears

  the roman numerals I to X I I and

th e  names  of the  f o l l o w i n g  French and  B r i t i s h  ports,

read clockwise:

  Dunkerque, Nieuport, Ostende I Isle  de

Page 108: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 108/225

i3C

i 3

D

P L A N I S P H E R E 95

Page 109: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 109/225

i 3

E

Zetlande  I Belle Isle  I Penmark  I Isle  de RhelSt. Poldeleonl

Kinsale  I

 St. Malo, Milfort, St. Davids

  I

 Barneville

  I

 Isigny

 

LeHavre  I F e scam p  I Dieppe  I St. Valery

  ( f i g . i 3 g ) .

  Each

  o f

these three  d i a l s h a s o n e  hand.

T h e m a i n d i a l h a s a n

 outer

  t w e n t y - f o u r - h o u r  chapter

r i n g

  w i t h

  t h e  minutes  m a r k e d i n  arabic  numerals.  Set

i n s i d e t h i s i s another  r i n g w h i c h is p i e r c e d . T h e l a t t e r is

engraved

  w i t h

  th e m o n t h s , t h e  signs  o f t h e  zodiac

  ( w i t h

t h e i r d i v i s i o n s ) , a n d t h e  names  o f t h e c o r r e s p o n d i n g c o n

s t e ll a t io n s . I n t h e  center  o f t h e d i a l a r e t w o  superimposed

d i s k s . T h e l o w e r a n d l a r g e r d i s k is

  engraved

  w i t h  t h e

e q u a t i o n o f t i m e ,

  w i t h

  r o m a n  numerals  I t h r ou g h X I I

a n d  arabic

  numerals

  o n e t o t w e n t y - n i n e a n d

  one-half.

T h e  uppe rmost  d i sk i s  engraved

  w i t h

  t h e

  names

  o f t h e

m a i n   oceans  a n d o f v a r i o u s c i ti e s a n d  countries  a r o u n d

t h e w o r l d .

 Reading

  c l o c k w i s e , t h e y a r e :

Tremesni Madr id Brest  IMaroc Lisbonne Ire lande  I

Madere

  Ides Canaries ler Meridien

 

1 du Cap Verd I

Tercere  I

 Saint Salvador au

  Bresil  I

Mar ag nan au

  Bresil  I

Para  au

  Bresil  I

 Cayenne Terre Neuve

  I

 La Mart inique

9 6 P L A N I S P H E R E

Accadie

  I

S. Domingue Quebec

  I

 Lima Le Chile Virginie

  I

P anam a La Havana

  I

 Guat imala   Floride

  I Mexico

  en

N ou

le

  Espagne  I Nouveau Mexique  I La Californie  I  Isle

S. Thomas dAmerique  I Isle  Rocca Par t ida  I Isle  S.   Pierre

del L'Equateur/  Isle  Voisine ou Vexina  I Isle  des Chiens 

Isle  des Mouches  I Isle  Solitaire IIS.  Pierre  del

LEquateur  I Isle

  Sainte Croix

  I Isle

  de

 Cocos I Isle

  d 'Hoorn

  I

Isle

  S. Bartelmy

  I

 Isles  d e Marie Anne ou des Larrons

 

fendo au Japon

  I

 Bungo au Japon

  1

 Philippines et

Moluquesl Pequing et Maca o en Chine  I  Batavie

Cochinch ine  I Saim Malacca  I Pegu Achem  I  Metiapur

Golcolde le Mogol  I Goa Cal icu t Surate  I Samarcand en G

de

Tartarie  I Ormus en Perse I Hispahan Astracan  I  La

Mecque Erzeron

  I

Jerusalem Cypre Mozamb ique

  I

Constantinople Alexandrie

  I

 Stockholm Va rsovie Lepante

Barca

  I

  Vienne Rome M althe

  I

 Ham bourg Milan Tunis i

Anvers Londres,

  a n d i n descending

 orde r

  t o w a r d t h e

center  o f t h e d i a l :

 PARIS

  I Or leans  I Limoges  I G ao r s

 

Toulouse  I Barcelone  I Alger   a l l e n c i r c l e d b y  Europe,

Ocean

  Amérique,

  Mer du Sud ou Mer Pacif ique, Asie  [ t h e

l a t t e r  repeated  f o u r t i m e s ] ( f i g . 1 3 b ) .

Page 110: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 110/225

13F

13G

P L A N I S P H E R E

97

Page 111: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 111/225

1

3

H

9 P L A N I S P H E R E

Page 112: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 112/225

Th e divisions ma rke d o to 42.5 on the upper  l e f t -

hand subsidiary  d i a l  represent the

  o r b i t a l

  period of Io

(the Ier satellite)  around Jupiter. The fact that this period

is  42.48 hours was

  w e l l

 established by the mid-eighteenth

centu ry. I n or de r to keep tra ck o f Io's eclipses,  w h i c h

c o u l d  be observed th ro ug h a co mm on telescope, one

w o u l d  set the han d to zero at the mo me nt o f the eclipse;

the next eclipse  w o u l d  occur,

  w i t h

  a deviation of eight

minutes, when the hand reached zero again. This mech

anism was used to determine longitudes.

1

Th e upper rig ht-h and subsidiary  d i a l was almost cer

t a i n l y

  a  t i d a l d i a l  for the northern part of France, and it

suggests

  that the clock was made fo r an own er

  l i v i n g

  i n

that  area. The latitudes and longitudes of the various  c i t

ies rang e

  f r o m

  47°2o ' N, 3°i o' W to 50°i 1' N , 2

0

 55' E.

The smallest and innermost  d i a l  on the main face

indicates the  l o c a l  times of different cities and

  areas

t h r o u g h o u t

 t he

  w o r l d .

 The larger  d i a l beh in d it shows the

ages

  of the mo on and also proba bly provi ded the appar

ent n igh t ascension of the mo on, th at is, its posi tion in the

sky,

 east to west.

The pierced  d i a l  shows the months and the position

o f

  the sun in the ecliptic

 w i t h

  the zodiacal signs. The out

ermost

  d i a l

 was inte nde d to prov ide mean solar time . Th e

oute r han d is the mean solar time hand,  w h i l e  that in the

center is the lunar ha nd .

2

M A R K S

T h e

  case

 is not s tamped

  w i t h

  a maker's name.  A l l  the

mou nts on the lo wer section of the clock,

 w i t h

  the excep

t i o n o f the mold ings , are struck  w i t h  a small stamp in the

f o r m

  o f

 a cro wne d C. Th is was a stamp used o n alloys con

t a i n i n g   copper to denote that a tax had been paid—the C

stands

 f or cuivre—between the years  1745 and 1749.

3

C O N D I T I O N

The upper  area  of the

  glass

  cover is a modern

replacemen t. T he central part of the main   d i a l was

  o r i g i

n a l l y s ilvered but is now very w o r n .  A l l  th e

 hands

 are later

replacements.  A l t h o u g h  it once opene d, the fra me of the

v i e w i n g  hole for the pe nd ul um is now nail ed shut. Th e

movemen t is entirely missing, along

  w i t h

  the pendulum,

w e i g h t s ,

 and bells. The opening for the bells has been cov

ered over  w i t h  paper that  bears

  p r i n t i n g

  in French. Th e

bronze mounts are not gilded.

Th e wo od orrery covered, in part,

  w i t h  g i l d e d

  paper

may replace one of

  g i l t

  bronze,  w h i c h w o u l d  have been

mo re suitable for this elabora te piece. However , ther e are

no signs of a previo us attachment in the woo den  p l a t f o r m

t o

  w h i c h it is  fixed.

C O M M E N T A R Y

T h e

  case

  is attributed to the cabinet-maker

  Jean-

Pierre Latz (circa 1691-1754) .

4

 Latz was bo rn i n Cologn e

and emi grat ed to Paris in 1719. By this date he was at least

t w e n t y - e i g h t  years  old and, therefore, had probably

received his tra in in g in Germany. I n 1741 he was

appointed  Ebeniste

  Privilegie

  du Roi.  A f t e r  his death in

1754, his

  w i f e ,

  Marie-Madel aine, conti nued to operate

the large workshops

  u n t i l

  she died two  years  later. It

appears

 that the makin g of

 c l o c k cases

 was th e  c h i e f  occu

p a t i o n  o f Latz's worksh ops.

I n  the inv ent ory taken at his death one hu nd re d and

seventy clocks are mentioned,  w h i l e

  o n l y

  forty-eight

pieces o f

  case

  furniture are listed.

5

  However,  o n l y f o u r

c l o c k s

  w h i c h  bear his stamp are kn ow n today.

6

 T h e

  a t t r i

b u t i o n  o f this

 case

 to Latz rests mai nly on a comparison o f

the mounts to those on pieces stamped

  w i t h

  his name or

securely attr ibut ed to hi m.

 W i t h

  th e

  m a j o r i t y

  of cabinet

makers this

  w o u l d

  be a vague me th od of attri but ion as

bro nze m ou nt s were , by law, mad e by a

  separate

  Paris

g u i l d .  However , it is kn ow n f r o m  various documents that

L a t z  designed and made his own mounts, at least

  u n t i l

1749 (after the  date o f const ructi on of this piece). I n that

year members of the

  g u i l d  o f

  fondeurs-ciseleurs

  v i s i t e d

  his

worksho ps to determ ine wh ethe r or not Latz was  i l l eg a l l y

engaging i n their trade.

7

  They recorded considerable

  e v i

dence that he was.  A l t h o u g h the out come o f the  l i t i g a t i o n

is

 not

  k n o w n ,

  it is probable that

  f r o m

  then on Latz used

outside worke rs to prod uce his moun ts, th ou gh it is

  l i ke l y

that they wor ked

  f r o m

  his own models.

The mount around the

  v i e w i n g

  hole on the u ppe r

section of the planisphere

  appears

 on several un sta mpe d

long-case clocks, all o f sim ila r  f o r m ,  profusely mounted

and veneered

  w i t h

  ebony.

8

  Th e mount s of one of

  these

c l o c k s   are stamped

  w i t h

  the cr own ed C, and i t is thus

probabl e that this fr am in g mo un t was also produ ced in

the latt er part o f the 1740s. It is not fo un d elsewhere on

Latz's  w o r k  a nd ma y be an instance o f his use of a mo un t

n o t

  made to his own design. Nevertheless, this mount has

been  s i m p l i f i e d  on the Museum's planisphere by the

r e m o v a l

 o f smal l decor ativ e elements above and below.

O n l y  two of the mounts on the lower section of this

piece

  appear

  on other clocks by Latz. The  first  is the

gourd-shaped  seed  po d supp or ted by leaves above t he

apron of the  base.  This can be found on two long-case

c l o c k s   stamped

  w i t h

  his name: one at the Cleveland

M u s e u m

  o f

  A r t

9

  and the ot her i n the James  A. de Roth

s c h i l d  Co llection at Waddesdon Manor, Englan d.

1 0

  The

second mount—on the  f r o n t  corners o f the

  base—is

f o u n d again at the upper corners  o f the pedestal  o f a cloc k

e x h i b i t e d  at Schloss  M o r i t zb u r g near Dresden,  w h i c h  has

been

  firmly

  attr ibute d to Latz by Hen ry Hawley.

1 1

P L A N I S P H E R E  99

Page 113: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 113/225

The style and elements of the mounts also strongly

suppo rt the att rib uti on of this  case  to Latz. The use of

feathe red wi ngs, auri cula r form s, and massive mo unts

flanked  b y  small

  flickering

  scrolls tha t brea k up the  s o l i d

i t y o f the  f o r m  as

  w e l l

  as the pronounced asymmetry are

a l l

  very characteristic of this maker's  w o r k . A l s o t y p i c a l

are the clear horiz ont al str uctu ral divisions,  c o n f i n i n g

th e

  areas

  of parquetry or marquetry

  w i t h i n

  definite

boundaries.

1 2

I t is possible that this planisphe re  o r i g i n a l l y belon ged

t o  the prince de

  C o n t i .

  I n the catalogue of the

  sale

 held

after his death, in 1777, there is a piece described as  f o l

l o w s :  " Un planisphere inventé par feu M.  F O R T I E R ,

N o t a i r e ,  marquant l 'heure  q u ' i l  est  dans  les différentes

contrées de la terre, pareillement l'heure des marées, les

signes d u Zodia que, le quantième  8c les

 phases

 de la lune,

les jo ur s de la semaine, le quant ièm e d u mois

  8c

  c."

13

A m o n g   the kn ow n planispheres designed by Fortier,  o n l y

the Museum's clock bears  a

  d i a l

  in dic ati ng the times of

the tides.

1 4

O T H E R

  E X A M P L E S

Th er e are two othe r complet e eighte enth-cen tury

planisph eres kn ow n to exist today. One,  w i t h  an even

more elaborate

  case,

  is in the Wallace  C o l l e c t i o n ,  L o n

d o n .

1 5

  It was made for the  financier  Jean  Paris de Mo n-

m a r t e l  (1690-1766) circa 1750. It

 s t i l l

 retains its compl ex

moveme nt by Alex andr e Fortier and  M i c h e l Stollenwerck

(see  B i o g . ,  p. 195). Ano the r, dated 1760,

  w h i c h

  has a

m u c h  simpler  case bu t a mor e elaborate mov ement and

p r o b a b l y

  belonged to Fortier himself, is in a private

  c o l

l e c t i o n

 i n New

 Jersey.

16

I n

  the Conser vatoi re Nati ona l des  A r t s  et Métiers,

Paris, there is anot her p lanisp here move ment  w h i c h

bears on its dials precisely the  same cities and parts of the

w o r l d  as those found on the Museum's example, spelled

and arrange d i n the  same  way. It is engraved:  Horloge

Astronomique   inventée et  aite

  pa r

  Mathieu  Kriegseissen  à  Paris.

I  Aprouvée par

  Messieurs

  de 1Académie Royale des

  Sciences

  à

Paris,  le 10

  Juillet

  1726.

17

  I t is possible that a co mm on

p r i n t e d  source was used by the

  d i a l

  engravers.

18

E X H I B I T I O N S

N e w

  Y o r k ,

  Metro poli t an Museu m of

  A r t ,

  The

  Grand

Gallery  (La Con fed erat ion int ernat iona le des négociants

en oeuvres d'art

  [ C I N O A ] ) ,

  October 19, 1974-January 5,

i975>P-5°>

n o

-44-

I O O

  P L A N I S P H E R E

P U B L I C A T I O N S

"The Grand Gallery," Connoisseur  (October 1974), p.

1 2 2 ;  G.  W i l s o n ,  Selections from the

  Decorative

  Arts  in the

J Paul

  Getty Museum  ( M a l i b u ,

  1983), pp. 36 -37 , no. 18,

  i l l . ;

Sassoon

 a nd  W i l so n ,

 Decorative

  Arts:  A Handbook,  p. 40, no.

8 6 ; P.

 V e r l e t , Les

 Bronzes,  p. 115, fig. 144; Br em er  D a v i d  et

a l . ,

 Decorative

  Arts,  pp . 88—89, no . 138.

P R O V E N A N C E

(? )

  Louis-François de Bourbon, prince de  C o n t i .

B a r o n  Gustave de Rot hsc hil d, Paris. Charles Davis sale,

C h r i s t i e ,  Manson  8c Woods,

  L t d . ,  L o n d o n ,

 June  29, 1906,

l o t  132 (to Stettiner). Sold

  f r o m

  the collectio n of

  M o n

sieur X . . . [M au ri ce Eph rus si] , Galer ie Georges Petit,

Paris, May 22, 1911 , lo t 63. Sold as "T he Pr ope rty o f a

L a d y

  o f  T i t l e , Sotheby's, Lon do n, Nov emb er 24, 1972,

l o t  34. Rosenberg and Stiebel, New  Y o r k ,  1974. Pur

chased b y J. Paul Ge tty in 1974.

N O T E S

1.

  I am grat eful to Dr. Tor ran ce John son fo r this

i n f o r m a t i o n .

2 .

  I am grat eful to

  W i l l ia m

 An drew s for this  i n f o r m a t i o n .

3. For the compl ete text of the tax edict, see H. Noc q,

"Quelques Marques Le C Couronne," Le   Figaro  Artistique

( A p r i l

  17, 1924), pp. 2-4. See also G. de Bellaigue,

The James

  A. de Rothschild

  Collection

  at Waddesdon Manor:

Furniture, Clocks  and

  Gilt

  Bronzes,  v o l .  1 (L on do n, 1974),

PP-3 -37-

4 .

  For a mon ogr aph on Jean-Pierre Latz and his

 w o r k ,

  see

H .  Hawley, "Jean-Pierre Latz, Cabinetmaker,"  Bulletin

  of

the

  Cleveland

  Museum

  of  Ar t  (September/October 1970),

p p .

  203—259, and Pradère,

 Les Ebénistes,

  pp. 152—161.

5.  A . N . , M i n . ,  X X V I I I ,  338, inven tory after death  o f

  Jean-

Pierre Latz, August 9, 1754.

6. For two o f the clocks, own ed respectively by the Clevela nd

M u s e u m

  o f A r t  an d Waddesd on Ma nor, see Hawley (note

4 ) , p. 2 16, pis. 1 and 2. A

  t h i r d

  cl ock, also a long-case

m o d e l

  and elaborately veneered  w i t h  brass,  horn, and

m o t h e r - o f - p e a r l ,

  is in the Schloss Charlottenburg,  B e r l i n .

I t  has a mo ve me nt by Stol len werc k. See W. Baer, "Some

C l o c k s

  of Frederick the Great,"

 Connoisseur

  (May 1977),

p p .

  22—29, fig. 1 an d co lor plate. T he

  f o u r t h

  c lock, in the

Staatl iche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden,

  w h i c h

  resembles

the uns tam ped clock in the Schloss

  M o r i t z b u r g ,

 i l lustrated

as num be r 11 in Hawley's article (note 4), is not

  o n l y

sta mpe d by Latz bu t also dat ed 1739.

7.  A . N . ,  Y 10 992. Procès verbal , po ur la Com mun aut é des

fondeurs, Jean-Pierre  Latz, December 2, 1749.

8. Hôtel Drou ot , Paris, Decemb er 13, 1963, lot 137,  w i t h  a

movement by Derblours; Sotheby Parke Bernet, Monaco,

Febru ary 8, 1 981, lot 265,  w i t h  a movement by

  A d m i r a u l t ;

Etude Cour tu r ie r

 N i c o l a y

  (Hôtel

  D r o u o t ) ,

  Paris, Decem

ber 20, 1988, lot 102,  w i t h  a movement

  b y

  Jean-André

Lepaute; Pierre Cornette de Saint Cyr (Hôtel

  D r o u o t ) ,

Paris,  A p r i l  6, 1994, lot 134,  w i t h  a movement by

  L o u i s -

François Normand.

9. Inv. 49.200 , Hawl ey (note 4), p. 215, no. 1,

  f i g .

  1.

Page 114: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 114/225

1 0 . S e e d e B e l l a i g u e ( n o t e 3 ) , p p . 8 4 — 88 , n o . 1 1 .

1 1 .  S e e H a w l e y ( n o t e 4 ) , p p . 2 1 9 — 2 2 0 , n o . 6 , f i g . 6 .

1 2 . H a w l e y ( n o t e 4 ) , p . 2 0 6 .

1 3.   Pierre  R e m y ,  Paris,  A p r i l  8 a n d  days  f o l l o w i n g ,  1 7 7 7 , l o t

2 0 0 8 . 1 a m g r a t e f u l t o  T heodore  D e l l  f o r t h is i n f o r m a t i o n .

1 4. T h i s i n f o r m a t i o n h as  been  k i n d l y s u p p l i e d b y

 Jean-

D o m i n i q u e A u g a r d e .

15 . S ee  F. J . B . W a t s o n ,

  Wallace Col lection Catalogues, Furniture

( L o n d o n , 1 9 5 6 ) , p p . 6 5 - 6 7 , p i s . 50 , 5 1 , n o . F 9 8 , a n d

P.

 Hughes ,

  French Eighteenth-Century Clocks and Barometers

in

  the Wallace Col lection

  ( L o n d o n , 19 9 4) , p p . 4 4 - 4 5 .

1 6 . S o l d f r o m t h e c o l l e c t i o n o f L é o n M a s c a r t , G a l e r i e  Char

p e n t i e r ,  Paris,  M a y 3 0 , 1 9 4 8 , l o t 8 9 . T h e d i a l i s  engraved

Inventé  par

  Alexandre

  Fortier,  Fait

  par Stol lewerck

  IJ 6 O N u m

b e r 1 6 1 i n t h e

  sale

 o f A l e x a n d r e F o r t i e r ' s e ff e c ts h e l d o n

A p r i l  1 2 , 1 7 7 0 , w a s d e s c r i b e d a s: U n e  grande Pendule

a s t r o n o m i q u e , d u S y s tè m e d e C o p e r n i c ,  marquant  le  tems

v r a i  & le  tems  m o y e n , l e s m o i s , le s j o u r s ,

  heures,

  m i n u t e s &

secondes, avec

 l e cours  d e s  planètes,  l e l e v e r d u s o l e i l :

  dans

sa   boette  &

 dans

  sa  gaine  d e b o i s d e v i o l e t t e , g a r n i e e n

b r o n z e . C e  savant  m o r c e a u e s t  f a i t  p a r S t o l w e r c k , H o r l o

g e r à Paris."  I a m g r a t e f u l t o

 Jean

  N é r é e R o n f o r t f o r th i s

reference.

1 7 . I n v . 7 4 9 2 , C o n s e r v a t o i r e N a t i o n a l d e s A r t s e t M é t i e r s ,

Catalogue du Musée, Section

  J B :

  Horologerie

  ( P a r i s , 1 9 4 9 ) ,

p p . i 3 2 - i 3 5 > f i g s. 3 6 , 3 7 , n o . J B 3 3 : 4 .

1 8 . S e e, f o r e x a m p l e , D o m   Pierre  d e  Sainte  M a r i e M a g d e -

l i e n e ,

  Traite d'Horologie Contenant Plusiers

  Manières

  de Con

struire

  sur Toutes Surfaces, Toutes Sortes de Lignes horaires;

  £sf

autres Cercles de la sphere,

  2 n d e d . ( P a r i s , 1 6 4 5 ) .

P L A N I S P H E R E  Î O I

Page 115: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 115/225

Page 116: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 116/225

Page 117: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 117/225

14A

the clock,  w h i c h  one can  assume  therefore to be the

"modele" provided.

1

 T h e  d i a l  is inscribed in ink around

the bezel collar Alibert.  The springs  o f the g oing and  s t r i k

i n g trains are signed Masson

  ( f o r

 Joseph -Ant oine Masson;

see

  B i o g . ,

  p. 192) and are dated

  Janvier

  an d  Fevrier  1763

( f i g .

  14c). As the mov em ent is  o r i g i n a l to the case, the lat

ter can also be dated to around this year.

C O N D I T I O N

The unblemished patina on the  b u l l  w o u l d  appear  to

be

  f a i r l y

  moder n. I t e i ther replaces t he  o r i g i n a l patina, o r

the

  b u l l

 was

  f o r m e r l y  g i l t .

C O M M E N T A R Y

Dru m-s hap ed clocks sup por ted on animals were

popu lar i n the mid -eight eenth century. Those h aving ele

phants  and bulls are most com mon ly fo un d, and some-

104

M A N T E L  C L O C K

times the  elephants  are of Meissen porcelain.

2

 Rhinoc-

e r i ,  horses,  and  boars  were also used and, more rarely,

donkey s and camels. Such clocks were sometimes placed

o n   elaborately mounted  caskets  containing musical

movements.

O T H E R   E X A M P L E S

A

  number of s i m i l a r clocks exist. Four have t he  name

" O S M O N D , "

  r efer rin g to the  bronzier  Robert Osmond,

stamped on their

 bases.

 One

  o f these

 clocks was so ld

  f r o m

the collection of Lucie n Surm ont at the  H o t e l  Drouot

(Paris, May 13, 1912, lot 100). It stood on a marbl e  base,

had a movement by

  V i g e r ,

  and was signed

  O S M O N D

at

th e

  l e f t

 c orner of the

  base.

 A second clock, also stamp ed,

was sold  f r o m  the collection of Madame de  Poles i n 1936

(Paris, Gallerie Charpenti er, N ovem ber 17-18, lot 151). It

too had a movement by

  V i g e r .

3

  A  t h i r d  clo ck stam ped by

Page 118: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 118/225

Page 119: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 119/225

1 4 E  T h e  s p r i n g

  o f

  th e  s t r i k i n g

  t r a i n ,

  signed Masson   Fevrier

7 6

Osmond  w i t h  a movement by Boucher was in the Edward

A r n o l d  col lect ion.

4

 Another, of precisely the  same model

w i t h  a patinated bronze  b u l l  marked "os," as a partial

stamp f or Osm ond , is in Schloss Joh anni sbur g at Aschaf-

f e n b u r g .

5

  T h e

  d i a l

 of this clock is signed

  " V I G E R

 APA RIS."

A

  closely compar able clock  w i t h  a

  s l i g h t l y

  d i f f e r i n g

base is in the

  B r i t i s h

  Royal Collection at Bucki ngha m Pal

ac e.

6

 Th e figures, th ou gh positione d in the  same way, are

more  s t i f f ly  draped. The  base  of the  case  is signed

" O S M O N D "

 on the

  r i g h t ,

  and the movement and

  d i a l

  were

replaced by  V u i l l i a m y  in 1817.

A

  clock of the  same  model  w i t h  a movement by

Etienne Le

  N o i r

  and apparently not signed by Osmond

was sold at the Galerie Charpentier, Paris, December 2,

1952, lot 192 (listed in the section entitled "Divers ama

teurs"). Other clocks of the

  same

 model  w i t h  movements

b y

  Le

  N o i r

  can be mentioned. One was sold at auction in

Paris in

  1 9 9 1 ,

7

  and another was  w i t h  a Parisian dealer in

th e  same  year. Another clock of this model,  w i t h  a move

men t signed "Lenoi r," was sold at the Ho te l Dr ouo t in

1989  ( A p r i l  26, lot 74). This movement,

  w h i l e

  old, was

apparently a replacement. A clock  w i t h  a movement by

G i l í e s

 Vainé

 was so ld  f r o m  the collection of Mada me Chai -

nau t (Sotheby's, Lo nd on , Dec embe r 10, 1936, lot 116).

T a r d y

  illustrates a clock bearing a rhinoceros

  w i t h

  a man

d a r i n

  above the drum,

  w h i c h

  has a  base  of the  same

f o r m .

8

  A l l

  o f

 these

  unsigned clocks, together  w i t h  that in

the Ge tty Museum' s collect ion, may be given to the

  bron-

zier

  Osmond.

A   clock of very similar design is in the Musée du

L o u v r e .

9

  Th e p osition of the  b u l l  is rever sed, an d thr ee

femal e figures a re i n dif fe re nt  poses.  It s

  base

  is signed

"ST .

  G E R M A I N . "

  Ano th er clock, ident ical to this and also

signed "ST.

  G E R M A I N "

 was form er ly in the Pelham Galle r

ies, Lon don . Th e  bronzier  Jean-Joseph  de Saint-Germain,

h a v i n g

  been

  made

  a

 master

  in 1748, was a contemporary

o f  Rober t Osmo nd. H e was a crafts man o f super ior  sk i l l

an d invent ivenes s, a nd i t is possible that i t was he who

  first

used this theme o f Eur opa an d the  B u l l ,  and that the

m o d e l was then

  m o d i f i e d

  by Osmond.

M O V E M E N T

Brass

 and

  i r o n ,

 partly blued

Note: The number in parentheses represents the number of

teeth on each wheel. These numbers are repeated again in the

drawings  of   the movement.

The movement

  ( f ig s .

  i 4 f and g) consists of two trains

d r i v e n

 by mainsprings,

  each

 o f

 w h i c h

  runs for more than

t w o

 weeks. The going train provides power for the

  hands

w h i c h

  indicate the hours i n ro ma n numera ls and the  m i n

utes  in arabic numeral s on the mai n

 d i a l .

 The clock strikes

the hours and

  h a l f

  hours on the

  same  be l l .

Th e goi ng tra in has one rot atin g barrel (78),

  w h i c h

holds the mainspring and

  f i v e p i n i o n

  wheels (12/78-

8/63-9/48-8/48-10/20), the last being the  escape  wheel.

The going train is regulated by an anchor

  escapement

( r e c o i l

 escapement)

 i n connection  w i t h  a pen dul um. T he

pendulum can be adjusted

  w h i l e

  the clock is running by

14F Three-quar ter view

  o f

  the movemen t .

106

M A N T E L   C L O C K

Page 120: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 120/225

14

  G

  D e t a i l s h o w i n g t h e

  escapement.

G o i n g

  t r a i n

S t r i k i n g  t r a i n

l i f t i n g  o r l o w e r i n g it s s p r i n g suspension.  T h e a r b o r o f t h e

t h i r d  w h e e l h o l d s t h e c a n n o n p i n i o n ( 3 0 ) , a p a r t o f t h e

m o t i o n

  w o r k ( 3 0 - 3 0 / 6 - 7 2 ) , a n d th e m i n u t e h a n d . T h e

h o u r w h e e l (7 2 ) h o l d s t h e h o u r h a n d . T h e c a n n o n p i n i o n

( 3 0 )

  rotates once  e v e r y h o u r ; i t h a s t w o p i n s t h a t

  release

t h e s t r i k i n g t r a i n e v e ry  h a l f  a n d  f u l l  h o u r .

T h i s t y p e o f s t r i k i n g t r a i n h a s a l o c k i n g p l a t e ( c o u n t

w h e e l ) .

  T h i s t r a i n h as o n e r o t a t i n g b a r r e l ( 7 8 ) , w h i c h

h o l d s t h e m a i n s p r i n g , f o u r p i n i o n w h e e l s ( 1 2 / 6 3 - 7 / 6 0 -

6 / 6 0 - 6 / 5 4 ) , a n d a f ly vane  ( 6 ) . T h e  t h i r d  w h e e l ( 7 / 6 0 ) h a s

t e n p i n s t h a t m o v e t h e s t r i k i n g h a m m e r .

T h e b a r r e l s o f t h e g o i n g t r a i n a n d t h e s t r i k i n g t r a i n

a r e v e r y u n u s u a l i n c o n s t r u c t i o n . N o r m a l l y t h e b a r r e l

  car

r i e s t e e t h w h i c h d r i v e t h e   f o l l o w i n g  p i n i o n i n t h e t r a i n . I n

t h i s case t h e b a r r e l s c o n s i s t  o f

  t w o

  p a r t s : a p l a i n b a r r e l a n d

a  separate  w h e e l w h i c h is  fixed  t o t h e b a r r e l

  w i t h

  screws.

T h i s c o n s t r u c t io n  appears  t o b e o r i g i n a l . T h e d i a l is n o t

o r i g i n a l  t o t h e c l o c k . T h e  holes  f o r w i n d i n g t h e c l o ck a n d

t h e h o l e f o r t h e h o u r a n d m i n u t e

  hands

  w e r e

  d r i l l e d

  i n

t h e d i a l a f t e r i t w a s

  enameled

  ( a s is t y p i c a l o f n i n e t e e n t h -

c e n t u r y d i a l s ) .

E X H I B I T I O N S

D e t r o i t

  I n s t i t u t e o f

  A r t s ,

  1 9 7 2 - 1 9 7 3 .

P U B L I C A T I O N S

W i l s o n ,  Clocks,

  p p . 56 — 5 9, n o . 1 1 ,  i l l . ;  W i l so n ,  Deco

rative Arts  ( 1 9 7 7 ) , p . 5 1 , n o . 6 7 ,  i l l . ;  Sassoon  a n d W i l s o n ,

Decorative

  Arts : A Handbook,  p . 4 1 , n o . 8 8 ,  i l l . ;  B r e m e r

D a v i d  e t a l . , Decorat ive Arts ,  p . 9 0 , n o . 1 4 0 ,  i l l .

P R O V E N A N C E

(?) L o u i s Fr a nç o is A r m a n d d e V i g n e r o t d u   Plessis,

d u c d e R i c h e l i e u ; s o l d , P a r is , D e c e m b e r 1 8, 1 7 8 8 .

1 0

  S o l d ,

C h r i s t i e ' s , L o n d o n , J u l y 5 , 1 9 7 3 , l o t 3 1 .  Purchased  b y

J . P a u l G e t t y a t t h a t  sale.

N O T E S

1.

  I a m g r a t e f u l t o J e a n - D o m i n i q u e A u g a r d e f o r d e c ip h e r

i n g   these  i n s c r i p t i o n s .

2 . F o r a m a n t e l c l o c k

  w i t h

  a p o r c e l a i n  elephant,  s e e G . d e

B e l l a i g u e ,

  The James A. de Rothschi ld Col lection at Waddesd on

Manor, Furniture, Clocks and

  Gilt

  Bronzes,

  v o l . 1 ( L o n d o n ,

1 9 7 4 ) , p p . 1 0 0 - 1 0 3 , n o . 1 6 .

3 . M a d a m e d e

  Poles

  o w n e d  another  c l o c k o f t h i s m o d e l ,

a p p a r e n t l y u n s i g n e d ,

  w i t h

  a m o v e m e n t b y H e n r y B l o n d e l .

S e e d e

  Poles sale,

 G a l e r ie

  Georges

  P e t i t , P a r i s ,

 June

  2 2 - 2 4 ,

1 9 2 7 , l o t 1 9 2 .

4 . S e e F . R u t t e r ,

  Th e

  Edward

  Arnold Col lection

  ( L o n d o n , 1 9 2 1 ) ,

n o . 1 1 . T h i s c l o c k w a s f o r m e r l y i n t h e D e m i d o f f c o l l e c t i o n .

5 . I n v . A s c h . V a r 2 , O t t o m e y e r a n d P r ô s c h e l ,

  Vergoldete

  Bron-

zen,

  v o l .  1 , p . 1 2 5 .

6 . S e e J . H a r r i s , G . d e B e l l a i g u e , a n d O .

  M i l l a r ,  Buckingham

Palace

  ( L o n d o n , 1 9 6 8) , p . 2 0 0 . T h e m u s i c a l b o x o n w h i c h

t h e c l o c k n o w

  stands

  is n o t o r i g i n a l t o t h e p i e c e .

7 . H ô t e l D r o u o t , P a r is ,  December  6 , 1 9 9 1 , l o t 4 3 .

8 . T a r d y ,

  La Pendule française, 1ère partie, des or igines au

  Louis

XV

  ( P a r i s , 1 9 7 4 ) , p . 1 6 9 , f i g . 2 .

9 . I n v . O A 5 1 6 8 , C D — 3 2 3 , C . D r e y f u s ,

  Catalogue sommaire du

mobil ier et des objets d'ar t

  ( P a r i s , 1 9 2 2 ) , p . 6 8 , n o . 3 2 3 ,

  i l l .  V I L

1 0 . A c l o c k i s d e s c r i b e d i n t h e

  sale

 catalogue  a s 6 9 2 U n e  Pen

d u l e , m o u v e m e n t d ' E t i e n n e l e N o i r ,

 dans

  s a b o î t e

  terminée

pa r un e f i g ur e , e t

  soutenue

  p a r u n

  taureau

  e n b r o n z e e n

c o u l e u r a n t i q u e ,  aussi  a c c o m p a g n é d e f i g u r e s s u r

  terrasse

à r i n c e a u . I t i s p o s s i b l e t h a t th i s c l o c k a n d t h e M u s e u m ' s

e x a m p l e a r e o n e a n d t h e

  same.

  H o w e v e r , i t h a s

  been

  n o t e d

t h a t t h i s m o d e l

  seems

  t o  have been  f i t t e d

  w i t h

  m o v e m e n t s

b y E t i e n n e L e

  N o i r  f a i r l y

  f r e q u e n t l y . I a m g r a t e f u l t o

 Jean-

D o m i n i q u e A u g a r d e f o r t h is i n f o r m a t i o n .

M A N T E L  C L O C K

  107

Page 121: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 121/225

X V

W a l l

 Clock on a Bracket

F r e n c h  (Paris); circa 1764

Case

 by

  A n t o i n e

 Foullet (1710—

1 7 7 5 ) ; m ovem ent by Lapi na (dates

u n k n o w n )

C l o c k :

H E I G H T :  2 ft.  SVz  in . (82.5 cm)

W I D T H :

  1 ft. 4V2 in . (41.9 cm)

D E P T H :

  8 in . (20.3 cm)

B r a c k e t :

H E I G H T :

  1 ft. 2V 4 in . (36.2 cm)

W I D T H :

  1 ft. 7

  Vs

  in . (49.5 cm)

D E P T H :  1 i Y

4

  in . (28.6 cm)

75.DB.7

D E S C R I P T I O N

T h e

  c l o c k is toppe d by a gilt-bronz e ur n placed on a

w o o d e n

  p l i n t h

  veneered  w i t h  horn that is painted green

o n

  its under side. Th e  p l i n t h  is su rr ou nd ed on three sides

b y  a freestanding  brass  f r e t  pierced  w i t h  a greek key

p a t t e r n .

T h e

  w h i t e

  enamel

  d i a l

  is centered in the main octag

o n a l  area. A bov e is a lion's mask

  w i t h

  a  r i b b o n  bow i n its

m o u t h .  A t the two  f r o n t  corners are  s m i l i n g  satyr's faces

set on consoles

  w i t h

  s c r o l l i n g  tops an d flutes (f ig. 15a).

Suspended by

  r i b b o n

  bows

  f r o m

  th e

  base

  o f

  these

  con

soles is a swag of oak leaves

  w i t h

  acorns, caught up at the

center below the  d i a l .  T h e concave surface o f the  case

a r o u n d   th e

  d i a l

 is veneered  w i t h

  brass

 sheeting  w i t h  geo

m e t r i c  cutouts inset  w i t h  red, green, and cream-colored

h o r n .

T h e  ou tcurv ing base  of the

  c l o c k

  is occupied at its

center by a glass panel of trapezoidal

 shape.

 The panel is

p a r t i a l l y covered by a  f l a m i n g  u r n  w i t h  a length of drap

e r y  thr ea ded t hr ou gh its handles to ha ng loose at the

sides. The canted lower  f r o n t  corners are set  w i t h  acan

thus leaves and leafy buds and e nd i n rec tang ular blocks

decorated on the sides

  w i t h

  a greek key and on the

  f r o n t

w i t h  a rosette. The r em ai nin g surface o f the  case  is

veneered

  w i t h

 brass sheeting

  w i t h

  geometric cutouts inset

w i t h  red, green, and cream-colored hor n.

T h e  sides  o f  th e

  c l o c k

 are decorated  w i t h  three panels

o f  pierced brass o f t r e l l i s design  w i t h  rosettes at the cross

i n g s  ( f i g .  15b). Each is surrounded  w i t h  a frame of

 brass

a n d  hor n marquetry cut  w i t h  a greek key pat ter n. At the

l e v e l  o f the mov em ent is a glass  v i e w i n g  panel. Towards

the rear is a console decorated  w i t h  a scrolled top set  w i t h

108

Page 122: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 122/225

Page 123: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 123/225

1

5

A

H O   W A L L  C L O C K

15B

Page 124: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 124/225

an  acanthus  l e a f  and

  piasters.

  Below, each lower  edge  is

decorated  w i t h  a  h a l f  rosette above  w h i c h  is an

  acanthus

l e a f halved down its length.

T h e  carcase  of the clock and the bracket are of oak,

painted red. The octagonal hinged door of the former is

covered on its inner surface  w i t h  a sheet o f brass. Anoth er

h i n g e d  door, for

  access

  to the pendulum, is

  s i m i l a r l y

decorated.

The clock is supported on  f o u r  short,  f l u t e d  feet

w h i c h

  rest on the bracket; the latter is  fitted  on its top

  w i t h

a rectangular  p l i n t h  w i t h  concave  sides  veneered  w i t h

brass.

  The upper

  edge

  of the bracket is mounted

  w i t h

  a

broad gilt-bronze  m o l d i n g  decorated  w i t h  V i t r u v i a n

s c r o l l s

 a l ternating

  w i t h

  panels of v e r t i c a l grooves. Below,

five  g i l t - b r o n z e  consoles  separate  the fan-shape d brack et

i n t o f o u r

  panels, each veneered  w i t h  brass  sheeting  w i t h

geometric cutouts inset

  w i t h

  red, green, and cream-

c o l o r e d  horn. Goat's  heads  decorate the  f r o n t  three con

soles,

  w i t h

  a ribb on swag suspended between  these  and

the two back consoles

  ( f i g .

  15c). Th e brack et termina tes in

a large  acanthus  bud. The top of the bracket  bears  two

stout  i r o n  rings for attachment to the  w a l l .

M A R K S

The clock

 case

  is stamped on its underside and the

brack et on its up pe r s urface, t ow ar d the back: ANT-/

F O V L L E T / J M E

  ( f i g .  i5 d) . Th e movement is signed  Lapinal

A-PARIS   (fig. 15c). The spring of the going  t r a i n  is

i n s c r i b e d  Richard

  X de 1764 Mouvement foule M  Ebeniter.

Th e spri ng of the  s t r i k i n g t r a i n is inscri bed

 Richard

  X  (see

B i o g . ,  p. 193)  de 1764 Sonnerie A foule

  Eben.

  Th e back of

the enameled

  d i a l

  plate is inscribed

  dia- metre

 I

 du cadran

aul santre   de la

 I

  lentille 8  PI  A.  foule  an d  A   J Noordanus  for

J Paul

  Getty 1 May 1976.

15c

C O M M E N T A R Y

Th e clock-mak er Lap ina is not record ed. H e was pos

s i b l y  a mi no r clock-maker or jo urn eym an who has

i n s c r i b e d   his name in a somewhat amateurish way.

A n o t h e r  clock

  w i t h

  a movement signed by Lapina was

s o l d  at public auction in 1902; it was described as a Louis

X V I  clock

 w i t h

  a horizontal  d i a l.

1

A n t o i n e  Foullet (171 0-17 75; master 1749;  jure

1 7 5 6 ) ,  whose name is stamped on both the

  case

  and the

bracket a nd is inscri bed twice on the springs of the move

ment and once on the back of the enamel  d i a l , was a

  w e l l -

k n o w n   ébéniste. His comparatively large workshop on the

rue d u Faubou rg Saint-Ant oine contained six  benches

and two vises as indi cated in the invent ory dra wn up after

his deat h on Septe mber 24, 1775 .

2

  A l s o  listed are

  f o r t y

c l o c k  cases

  and twe nty -fou r clock brackets, all inc om

plete, and approximately twenty completed clock  cases,

some entirely of bronze. The  same  documents indicate

that F oullet was in debt to the clock-make r Louis Musson

[ M a s s o n ]  in 1775 and to the Swiss clock-maker Abraham-

L o u i s - H u m b e r t   Droz in 1767. The  bronziers  Caron  père

and Claude-Bernard Héban's

  w i d o w ,

 as

  w e l l

 as the  ciseleur

B o u l l a n g e r , among others, are also indicated as debtors at

the ti me of Foullet's deat h.

15

 D

  Th e stamp of Ant oin e Foullet.

W A L L

  C L O C K

111

Page 125: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 125/225

1 5 E

A n t o i n e  F o u l l e t is  g e n e ra l ly t h o u g h t  to have  w o r k e d

a l m o s t e x c l u s i v e l y  i n the  r o c o c o s t y l e , t h o u g h  hi s  d e a t h

i n v e n t o r y  i n d i c a t e s t h a t  a few o f the  c l o c k s  i n his w o r k

shop

  w e r e "a la g r e c " or "a  l' a n t i q u e , " t e r m s w h i c h

  w o u l d

a p p l y  to the d e s i g n o f t h e M u s e u m ' s c l o c k .

3

 A l t h o u g h  the

s t y le  of the  G e t t y c l o c k case is m o r e  i n character  w i t h  the

w o r k  o f  h i s

 s on

 P i e r r e - A n t o i n e , A n t o i n e F o u l l e t d e f i n i te l y

h a d c l o c k cases i n the

 gout grec

  s t y l e i n h i s w o r k s h o p  at the

t i m e

  o f t h i s d e a t h .

A

  d r a w i n g o f  t h i s c lo c k w i t h o u t th e e l a b o r a t e i n l a y s o f

c o l o r e d h o r n   has  r e c e n t l y

  been

  d i s c o v e r e d . I t i s i n s c r i b e d

" C a b i n e t d ' e b e n i s t e r i e  a la grecque  . . . F o u l e t . "

4

O T H E R

  E X A M P L E S

T w o  s i m i l a r c l o c k s

  a n d

  b r a c k e t s

  w i t h

  p l a i n  veneers

have been

  s o l d a t a u c t i o n , t he

  first,

  w i t h  a

 d i a l

  s i g n e d  "Jos-

s e l i n / A P a r i s , "  i n  1 9 2 5 ,

5

  the  s e c o n d ,  w i t h  no s i g n a t u r e ,  i n

1 9 8 2 .

6

  A

  t h i r d

  e x a m p l e  was o n the

  Paris

  a r t  m a r k e t  i n

1 9 8 7  (it is no t  k n o w n w h e t h e r  the

  d i a l

  of the  l a t t e r  was

s i g n e d ) .

A n o t h e r e x a m p le ,

  also

  w i t h  p l a i n

 veneers

 a nd  po s s i

b l y  i d e n t i c a l to one o f

  those

 a l r e a d y m e n t i o n e d a b ov e , was

r e c o r d e d i n 1 9 55

  as

 b e i n g i n

 the

 W a s h in g t o n  residence o f

t h e F r e n c h  ambassador,  H e n r i B o n n e t .

7

A  b r a c k e t s i m i l a r  to the  M u s e u m ' s e x a m p l e ,  but

v e n e e r e d   w i t h  t u l i p w o o d  a n d  p u r p l e w o o d ,  was  s o l d  at

a u c t i o n i n 1 9 7 5 .

8

1 1 2

W A L L

  C L O C K

1 5F

  Th r e e - q ua r t e r

  v i e w

 o f the

  m o v e m e n t .

G o i n g t r a i n

S t r i k i n g   t r a i n

Page 126: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 126/225

M O V E M E N T

Brass

 a nd

  i r o n ,

 partly blued

Note: The number in parentheses represents the number of

teeth on each wheel. These numbers are repeated again in the

drawings

  o f

  the movement.

The movement

  ( f i g .

  15F) consists o f tw o trai ns dri ve n

b y

  mainsprings,

  each

  o f

  w h i c h

  runs for one week. The

g o i n g   train provides power for the

  hands,

  w h i c h  indicate

the hours i n ro ma n numerals a nd the minutes in arabic

numerals on the main

  d i a l .

  Th e clock strikes the h our s

and  h a l f  hours on the  same  b e l l .

Th e go ing train has one rota ting barre l (80),

  w h i c h

holds the mainspring and four  p i n i o n  wheels (12/84-

8/72-6/60—6/31), the last being the

  escape

  wheel. The

g o i n g   train is regulated by an anchor  escapement

  ( r e c o i l

escapement)

  in connection  w i t h  a pen dul um. Th e pen

d u l u m

  can be adjusted

  w h i l e

  the clock is running by

  l i f t

i n g

  or low er ing it via its

  s i l k

  suspension. The arbor of the

t h i r d

  wheel holds the cannon

  p i n i o n

  (3 0), a pa rt o f the

m o t i o n w o r k

  (30—30/6—72), an d the mi nu te han d. Th e

hour wheel (72) holds the hour hand. The cannon  p i n i o n

( 3 0 )

  rotates onc e every hour ; it has two pins that

  release

th e

  s t r i k i n g

 t rai n every

  h a l f

  and

  f u l l

  hour.

T h i s  type of s t r i k i n g  train has a  l o c k i n g  plate (count

w h e e l ) .

  Thi s train has one rot atin g barre l (80),

  w h i c h

holds the mainspring, four

  p i n i o n

  wheels (12/72 -8/6 0-

6/60- 6/54) , and a fly vane (6). Th e  t h i r d  wheel (8/60) has

ten pins that move the

  s t r i k i n g

  hammer.

The stop  w o r k f or bot h barrels is missing.

E X H I B I T I O N S

D e t r o i t

  Institute of

  A r t s ,

  on loan, June  16-October

3

1

* 975-

P U B L I C A T I O N S

G .

  W i l s o n ,  Clocks,  pp. 60-6 3,

  n o

-

  1 2

> iU-î W i l so n ,  Dec

orative

  Arts

  (1977) , p. 65, no. 85,

  i l l . ;

 Sassoon and  W i l s o n ,

Decorative  Arts:  A Handbook,  p. 41 , no. 89,

  i l l . ;

  Ottomeyer

and Prôschel,  VergoldeteBronzen,

  v o l .

  1, p. 158,

  i l l . ;

  Verlet,

L e s

  Bronzes,  pp. 112—113, fig. 137; Pradère,  Les Ebénistes,

p .

  275; Bre mer

  D a v i d

  et

  a l . ,

  Decorative

  Arts,

  p. 90, no. 141.

P R O V E N A N C E

A

  Corni sh private collection, England . Alexan der

and Berendt,

  L t d . ,

  Lon don . Purchased

  b y

 J. Paul Getty in

9 7 4 -

N O T E S

1 .

  Fr om the collect ion of the Ho n. W. F. B. Massey-

M a i n w a r i n g ,

  Christie's, Lon do n, Jul y 2, 1902, lot 255.

2 . A . N . , M i n . , X X V I I I ,

  452. Doc ume nt dated September 30,

1775. See Pradère,  Les Ebénistes,  p. 279, where the inven

t o r y

  is part ial ly repr inted . Svend Eriksen  (Early  Neo-

Classicism  in

  France

  [L on do n, 1974], pp . 181—182)  discusses

the inventory, thou gh he  states  there were two inventories

after Foullet's death an d at least  seven  benches  listed in the

w o r k s h o p .

3. A com mod e in the Nati onal mus eum, Stock holm, in the

t r a n s i t i o n a l

  style generally associated  w i t h  th e

  w o r k

  o f

Foullet's son Pierre-Antoine (circa 1732—circa 1780,  mas

ter 1765), is stamped  ' A N T . F O U L E T , "  for the father, and

" B O U D I N , "  for Léonard B oud in. Alexan dre Pradère has

stated (letter to the author, dated July 25, 1990) that this

commode was  made  by the son and

  passed

  on to the fath er

f o r  repa ymen t of certain debts. Th e father stamped the

com mod e i n ord er to sell it, and t hen

  passed

  it on to

  B o u

d i n ,  again in repa yment o f certain debts. Bo ud in  w o u l d

also

  finally

  have had to stamp the commod e in orde r to

s e l l it.

4 .  Bibliot hèque Doucet, Paris, V I E Rés. fol . 8.

5. Galerie

 Georges

  Petit, Paris, December 4, 1925, lot 26.

6. Kunsthaus Lempe rtz , Cologne , May 24- 26, 1982, lot

1 7 1 1 .  I l lust rated in Ottomeyer and Prôschel ,  Vergoldete

Bronzen,   v o l .  1, p. 90.

7.  Maison et

 Jardin

  33 (De cem ber 1955—January 1956),

p .  104.

8. New  Y o r k ,  Sotheby Parke Bern et, No vem ber 1, 1975, lot

227 (not  i l l u st r a t e d ) . Acquired at that auction by Dalva

Brothers, New  Y o r k .

W A L L

  C L O C K

  113

Page 127: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 127/225

XVI

M a n t e l C l o c k

Fre nch (Paris), circa 1772

Movement

  by Et ienne- August in

L e

  Roy (1737 -179 2; master 1758)

(see

  B i o g . ,

  p. 183); case by Etienne

M a r t i n c o u r t

  ( die d after 1791 ;

master 1762)

H E I G H T :  2 ft. 4  i n .  (66 cm)

W I D T H :

  1 ft.  11 % in . (59.7 cm)

D E P T H :  1234  i n .  (32.4 cm)

7 3 . D B . 7 8

114

D E S C R I P T I O N

T h e  case  is constru cted entire ly of

  g i l t

  bronze. T he

move ment is contai ned in an  o v o i d  u r n , g i r d l e d by a band

o f  rosette-filled  g u i l l o c h e . A t the center o f each side, rect

angular brackets  h o l d  loose rings  ( f i g .  16c). Th e body of

the urn is decorated  w i t h

  f o u r

  large acanthus leaves set

w i t h i n   burnished frames between  w h i c h rise rods tha t ter

min ate above i n leafy buds. Wrea ths o f lau rel leaves,

  t i e d

at the top  w i t h  a  r i b b o n , sur r ound the  d i a l  and the hinged

door at the back.

T h e  fluted  stem of the u rn  ends  in a laurel-wreath

base,  w h i c h  rests  on a simple square base  w h i c h  is in  t u r n

placed on a  h i g h  p l i n t h  w i t h  incurva te corners decorated

w i t h  panels of rosette-filled  t r e l l i s .  A t eith er side of this

p l i n t h

  is  seated  a female  f igure.  Th at on the

  l e f t ,

  repre

sent ing Ast ro no my , hold s a globe in one a rm ( fig. 16a),

w h i l e  that on the  r i g h t ,  representing Geography, holds a

s c r o l l o f paper  ( f i g .  16b). B o t h wear loosely

 g i r d l e d

  robes.

Th e ent i re sculpted composi t ion thus form ed  rests

on  a rectangular  p l a t f o r m ,  the semicircular

 ends

  o f  w h i c h

are decorated  w i t h  panels o f studde d gu illoche, and the

f r o n t  and back  w i t h  reeded gadro oning. This p l a t f o r m  i n

t u r n  rests  at either end on a  recessed  semicircular sub

s tructure  b o l d l y  mode led  w i t h  a  m o d i f i e d  egg-and-dart

m o t i f .

  T h e  f r o n t  a nd back corne rs of the rectang ular cen

t r a l  section rest on turned feet. The hinged and latched

door at the back is elaborately pierced  ( f i g .  i6e).

M A R K S

T h e  d i a l  is signed

  CH A RL E S

  LE  R O Y / A

  PARIS.

  The

movement is engraved  Ch !

es

  LeRoy  JParis  and stamped

"2417"

 on the back plate  ( f i g .  i6 d) ; two springs are signed

Page 128: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 128/225

Page 129: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 129/225

and dated  Richard

  fevrier

  1JJ2  (fig. i 6 f ) (see  B i o g . ,  p.

1 9 3 ) .

  T h e  f o l l o w i n g  repairer's marks are fou nd on the

d i a l

  plate:

  Grandperrinfilsfevrier

  1826 GBonnefont neveul

20   Juine   1889.  Th e cock fo r the

  b e l l

  is marked  w i t h  the

number "1962."

C O M M E N T A R Y

The clock case  is a remarkably  fine  example of

  g i l t -

bronze  w o r k

  f r o m

  the second

  h a l f

  of the eighte enth cen

t u r y .  The body is composed of a number of  separate,

f a i r l y   massive elements: the

  o v o i d

 urn housing the move

ment, the former's  finial,  its stem and

 base,

 the tw o figures

and the  p l i n t h  on  w h i c h  they sit, the  p l a t f o r m  and the

feet.  W i t h  th e except ion of the rings and thei r brackets,

a ll  the decora tion of the ur n, the

  p l i n t h ,

  and the

  p l a t f o r m

is cast  complete  w i t h  the section on  w h i c h  it is placed and

is  not attached

  w i t h

  pins or screws. The chasing,  g i l d i n g ,

and bu rni shi ng are of the highest  q u a l i t y ,  w i t h  the heavy

l a y e r  o f g i l d i n g  showing v i r t u a l l y  no wear.

A   d ra wi ng of this clock, shown sta ndin g on a large

m u s i c a l base, has recently been discovered

  ( f i g .

  16g).

1

 I t is

s igned " Mart incou rt" for the  bronzier  Etienne

  M a r t i n -

c o u r t . Jean -And ré Lepaute also associated Martinco urt 's

name

  w i t h

  a clock

  w i t h

  similar characteristics,

  w h i c h

  he

described in his book

  Description

  de  plusieurs  ouvrages

d'Horlogerie  (Paris, 1764), und er num be r 6:

I 6 A

l l 6  M A N T E L  C L O C K

Page 130: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 130/225

Une Pendule de  2 y pouces de hauteur de 22 pouces de

large,

  placée dans un beau vase déforme  antique couronné

par des fruits  £s? d es

 fleurs,  accompagné

  de ses anneaux

avec des impostes   ornés d'entrelas. Le C adran qui a  5

pouces   £s f  demi, est placé dans une lunette qu'entourent des

guirlandes de laurier, le vase se termine en   oeuf, il est

soutenu sur une base ronde ornée de canelures, dans

lequelles sont des feuilles de laurier, son tore est aussi

enrichi

  dbrnemens.

Deux

  figures

  placées noblement richement  drapées

sont assises sur un grand socle qui porte la Pendule   £s f  sa

base, elles expriment l'Astronomie la Géog raphie; le

socle

  est orné dune  mosaïque garnie en rosaces.

Cet assemblag e est placé sur un grand p lateau de

bronze qui a une partie

  quarrée,

  terminée par d eux demi-

cercles  avec des retours en équerre; ce plateau est orné de

moulures formant quart de rond,   quarré  cavet, le quart

de rond est orné de canaux feuilles d'eaux dans les

milieux

  f

  dan s les angles;

  le s

 parties

  cintrées

 sont ornées

par

  des

  rises,

  au milieu d esquelles sont des doubles entrelas;

le   total est

 porté

  sur six pieds  ornés d'oves, i l en

 résulte

un

  tout d une

 forme nouvelle, noble  £s f  gracieuse. Je ne suis

entré

  dans le détail des ornemens

  £s f

  des petites parties; que

pour  faire  voir qu'on les a composés avec choix avec

dessein. Ce modèle est de  M . M a r t i n c o u r t,  très-habile

Ciseleur,

  aussi-bien que le suivant. La Pendule vaudra

3000 liv. quand elle sera dorée en entier: mais quand les

figures seront seulement en couleur de bronze,   2 y00 liv.

2

I 6 B

M A N T E L  C L O C K

117

Page 131: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 131/225

Th e latter par t of the descript ion closely resembles

th e

  base

  of the clock un de r discussi on. Lepaut e clearly

states  that "this model is by the  ciseleur  M a r t i n c o u r t . "  I n

subsequent  clock descriptions in the

  same  l i s t ,

  Lepaute

shows  h i m s e l f to be very precise as to what each workman

was responsible for —me nti oni ng the designer Cauvet

3

and the  bronzier  Osmond.

4

  W i t h  this  i n f o r m a t i o n  and the

evidence o f the signed d raw in g, there can be

  l i t t l e

  doubt

that M ar ti nc ou rt or his wor ksh op was responsible for at

least the m od el i f not the actual ma kin g of the  case.

I t  has been sug gested, almost certai nly inco rrect ly,

that the figures of As tr on om y and Geogr aphy were

designed by Aug ust in Pajou (1730-1 809) ,

5

 who is know n

t o

 have worked on a number of clock designs during his

l o n g

  career.

6

 However, the recent

  p u b l i c a t i o n

 o f the clock

d e l i v e r e d

  i n 1755 for the bed roo m of Louis X V at Fon-

tainebleau  w o u l d  tend to discount this

  a t t r i b u t i o n .

7

  That

c l o c k  is decorated  w i t h  allegorical figures of "La Force"

and " La Prudence," the latter of  w h i c h  is  v i r t u a l ly i d e n t i

c a l

 to the figure

  o f

  A s t r o n o m y

 on the Museum's clock dat

i n g  at least ten  years  later.

8

  Pajou was a student at the

French Academy in Rome  f r o m  1751 to 1756 and there

f o r e  probably  w o u l d  not have been asked by the Menus-

Plaisirs for such designs. Whoever was responsible for the

desi gn o f the figures on the Muse um' s clock, it is obvio us

tha t he was someon e o f tale nt  l i k e  Pajou.

A

  pencil and wash drawing of a different clock

  w i t h

i d e n t i c a l

  figures, at tr ib ut ed i n 1970 to Jean-Dem osth ene

D u g o u r c  (1749—1825)

  w i t h

  scant foundation, is in the

K u n s t b i b l i o t h e k ,  B e r l i n .

9

  Three eighteenth-century ex

amples of this later clock are

  k n o w n ,

  al l

  w i t h

  figures o f

A s t r o n o m y

  an d Geog raph y ident ical to the Getty exam

p l e

  in patinated rath er than  g i l t  bronze.

1 0

I t

 has been ass umed tha t Charles Le Roy, wh o signed

b o t h  th e  d i a l  and the back plate of the Getty clock, was

h i m s e l f

  responsi ble f or its movem ent. However, the fact

that the two mainsprings,

  w h i c h

  are probably

  o r i g i n a l ,

are signed and dated " Rich ard fevrier 1772" w o u l d  make

t h i s

 impos sibl e since Charles Le Roy died the year be fore.

Therefore, the movement must have been made in his

w o r k s h o p

  un de r the super vision of his son Etienne-

A u g u s t i n ,

  who continued to use his father's name, as was

the accepted custom at the time.

Since the clock

 bears

 no inventory marks, tracing its

e a r l y  history has proved

  d i f f i c u l t .

  Etienne- Augusti n Le

R o y  was attached to the personal hous ehold o f the Dau

p h i n ,  later Louis X V I ,  w ho purc has ed six clocks

  f r o m

  the

you nger Le Roy between September 1773 and January

1777. Since the Getty clock is the

  o n l y

  example known

w i t h

  a

  d i a l

  painted

  w i t h

  the n ame o f Charles Le Roy it is

assumed tha t it is the one descr ibed i n the 1790 in ve nt ory

o f

 t he Salle du Conseil at the Tui ler ies:

1 1

16c

I 6 D

118

M A N T E L   C L O C K

Page 132: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 132/225

I 6 E

I 6 F  T h e s p r i n g o f t h e g o i n g t r a in ,  signed  Richard fevrier

1772

M A N T E L  C L O C K l i g

Page 133: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 133/225

I 6 G  Etienne

  M a r t i n c o u r t ,

 draw ing for a clock on a musi

ca l

 base

  (Paris, Bibl iotheque Doucet, inv. V I E Res,

f o l . 8 6 ) .

Unependule de2 6po. de haut compris

  le socle,

 de 22po.de 

large

  representant un vase soutenupar 2femmes, Vune te

nant une sphere,

  I'autre

 une carte geographique;

  le

 vase orne

de fleurs d'ornements, le mouvement de

 Char les

  Le Roy.

12

Th e Tuile ries was sacked o n Augu st 10, 1792, an d

much

  o f its contents was tra nspo rted to the Maiso n

C o i g n y .  Th e abov e-me ntion ed clock is described as com

i n g f r o m

  that depot i n a docu ment dated 24 Prairial A n I I

(June  12, 1794).

1 3

  I t was subsequently mov ed to the  cabi

net de physique  at the Louvre,  f r o m  where, on 24 Brumaire

A n  I V (No vem ber 15, 1795), it was requested  w i t h

twen ty-t hree oth er clocks by Pierre Benezech, mini stre de

l ' l n t e r i o r ,

  for the deco rati on of the apartments of the

Directorate at the Palais de Luxembourg .

1 4

 A l l  the clocks

were de liv ere d to the clock-m aker Rober t Rob in by 27

Bruma ire A n IV (November 18, 1795),

1 5

  to the Gar de

Meub leby 29 Frimaire A n I V (December 20, 1795),

16

  and

f i n a l l y

  to the service of the Dire cto ire Execu tif at the  L u x

emb our g on 7 Ventose A n IV (February 26, 179 6).

17

T h e  subsequent hist ory of the clock is unc ert ain. Th e

l a c k o f inventory numbers  w o u l d  seem  to indicate that it

had  l e f t  th e Fren ch pu blic collec tion by 1832, whe n a gen

eral inve ntor y of all the roy al residences  was completed

( t h i s

 entaile d new numbe rs bei ng placed on all the objects

f o l l o w i n g  the coronation of L o u i s - P h i l ip p e  tw o years ear

l i e r ) .  A similar inve ntor y and nu mb eri ng was done und er

the Second Em pi re . Th e clock can possibly be

  i d e n t i f i e d

as lot 1 i n the 1861 auc tio n of the

  possessions

 of the mar

quis de Saint Cloud.

1 8

O T H E R   E X A M P L E S

A t  least

  three other eighteenth-century examples of

th e

  same

  f o r m  as the Mus eum 's clock are kn ow n. On e, its

case

  identical except for the bezel surr ou nd ing its  d i a l ,

was auct ione d i n Paris in 1994, havin g

  been

  owned,  l i ke

the Getty clock, by Krae mer & Cie in the early 19 70s .

19

  Its

d i a l  bore the  names  of the clock-maker Lepaute—proba

b l y  Jean-An dre Lepaute —and the enameler Georges-

A d r i e n   Mer let . A second clock, its  d i a l enameled  w i t h  the

name  Pie rre Le Roy (1717—1785) and con tai nin g a later

movement, was auctioned in Lon do n in 1959.

2 0

  A

  t h i r d ,

bearing no makers '  names,  is own ed by the Cooper -

H e w i t t

  Museum, New  Y o r k ,  and is on exten ded loan to

the Detr oit Instit ute of  A r t s .

2 1

  T ha t clock differs  f r o m  the

Getty example i n that its pla tfo rm

 base

  is of red marb le

rather than  g i l t  bro nze an d the frieze plaque above

depicts disporting

 cherubs

  rather than  t r e l l i s .  The crisper

chas ing o f its tw o figures, t oge the r  w i t h  the red marble

base  and the

  swags

  of flowers enameled aro und its  d i a l ,

suggests  that it dates  far later in the eigh teen th century.

A  possible

  f o u r t h

  ex ample , consisting of the cen tral

u r n   o n a  s l i g h t l y  d i f f e r i n g  stem, was sold in Paris in

1995.

22

  It s  d i a l  was enameled,  l i k e  the clock aucti oned i n

L o n d o n  i n 1959, "PIERRE LE ROY A PARIS," and i ts mov e

ment was  s i m i l a r l y a repla cement . Th re ad ed holes on the

undersi de of its base suggest  that it was

  once

  attached to

somethi ng an d that i t too started  l i f e  as a complete ver

s i o n .

  T h e possibility that i t is the cen tral section o f the

1959 clock canno t be ign ore d.

Variou s oth er versions of the

  present

  example can be

seen

  i n publ ished interior views,

2 3

  bu t given the great

nu mb er o f later copies made, it is impossible to

  date

  any

o f

  these

  f r o m  small-scale illustr ation s. A m on g the

nineteenth-century  bronziers  known to

  have

  made  copies

o f  this  h i g h l y  adm ired mod el are Hen ri Dasson,

24

  Ferdi

nand Barbedienne,

2 5

  Denie re,

2 6

 Delafontaine ,

2 7

 and  V i c

t o r  Pa i l l a rd.

2 8

 A nu mb er o f such examples were pai red

w i t h  candelabra.

120

M A N T E L

  C L O C K

Page 134: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 134/225

Page 135: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 135/225

Page 136: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 136/225

1 1 .  Information  supplied by Jean-Dominique Aug arde, who

also suggests (letter to the author, dated  A p r i l  17 ,  1 9 9 1 )

that the Museum's clock was purchased through the

Menus-Plaisir.

1 2 . A . N . , O

1

  3 4 1 8 , f o l . 1 2 4 .  Inventory dated May 2 1 ,  1790.

Information

  kindly

 su pplied by Chris tian Baulez.

1 3 . A . N . , T  1 o 7 7 .

1

E ta t des instruments de physique  en depot a

P   . . . [?] section de physique etprovenant de la Mais  on Coigny.

Le  24 prairial  an 2. [. . .]No. 22: "Une pendule a vase

 avec

deux figures representant la geographie et l'astronomie en

bronze dore d'or  moulu. Mouvem ent ordina ire de Charles

le Roi."  Information provided by Patrick Leperlier.

1 4 . A . N . , O

2

  4 4 4 .  Letter

 from

  the Minister o f the  Interior  to

Citoyen Charles, Conservateur du Cabinet de Physique au

Louvre. Information  supplied b y Jean-Dominique

Augarde.

1 5 . A . N . ,

 O

2

  4 4 4 .

  Letter

 from

  Jacques-Alexandre-Cesar

Charles to the Minister o f the Interior. T he clock is also

described in the

 Etat des Pendules Remises

  au

 C. Robin

  en

vertu de Vordre

 du

 ministre de VInterieur 10:

  "Pendule a

 vase

avec

 deux figures de la geographie et l'astronomie dore

d'or  moulu par Charles le

 Ro i .

  Inv.

 Coigni,

 n °

 2 2 ,

 au com-

it e

  de

 division"  ( A . N . ,

 Paris, O

2

  4 4 4 ) .

 I t is possible that

Robert Robin had previously had  possession o f

 this

 clock.

I n

  the

  Etat de Vhorlogerie particuliere

  du

 cy-devant Roy,

  en

1793,

  it is described unde r num ber 5 as

  follows:

  "Une pen

dule

 en forme de

 vase

 ornee de deux figures representant

l'astronomie et la geographie, le tout en cuivre dore et or

moulu, le mouvem ent a sonnerie—2 pieds de haut et 1

pied 6 po de large—par Charles Le

 Ro i ,

  Chez

  M .

  Robin."

Information

  pro vid ed by Guy Kuraszewski.

1 6 . A . N . , O

2

  4 4 4 .  Letter

 from

  Ba yard, Inspecteur d u Garde-

Meuble

 National, to the Minister o f the  Interior.

1 7 . A . N . , O

2

  4 1 3 , f o l . 1 0 7 .  Garde

  Meuble,

  Journal  des Sorties de

Meubles.

  Information  supplied by Jean-Dominique

Augarde.

1 8.   Hotel Drouot, Paris, February  2 5 — 2 6 , 1 8 6 1 , lo t  1 :

 "Magni-

fique pendule ancienne du temps de Louis X V I , en bronze

dore. Elle est en for me de

 vase

 richem ent orne de feuilles

d'acanthe

 et de guirlandes; le socle, orne de

 rosaces,

 sup-

por te deux figures de femmes alle goriq ues. Cette piece

remarq uable est, en ce genre, l'une des plus belles produc

tions

 de cette epoque. Mou vem ent de Charles  Leroy, a

Paris."

1 9.   Etude Couturier Nicolay, Hotel Drouo t, Paris, March  3 1 ,

1 9 9 4 , 1 0 1 7 3 .

2 0 .  Sotheby's,

  London,

 July 3,  1 9 5 9 ,  lo t  1 09  (not

 illustrated).

2 1 .  Inv. 1 9 4 7 - 1 2 9 - 1 , J .

 Mannheim,

  Catalogue  of   the Rodolphe

Kann Collection: Objets d'Art,  v o l . 2 , Eighteenth Century  (Paris,

1 9 0 7 ) , no .  1 8 4 ,  i l l .  facing p. 68.

2 2 .  Etude Tajan, Hotel Drou ot, Paris, July  4 , 1 9 9 5 , lot 75.

2 3 .  See, for example, the pho tog rap h of a clock on the man

telpiece in the gr and salon of the Hotel

  Bouligneux

( H .  Soulange-Bodin, Le Quartier Sainte-Avoye,  v o l .  15 of   Les

Vieux Hotels de  Paris  [Paris,  1 9 2 3 ] , p i . 3 9 ) as  wel l as that

photographed circa  1 9 1 5  on the mantelpiece o f the  Konigs-

kamm ern, Schloss  Berlin  (A . Geyer,  Geschichte des Schlosses

zu   Berlin  [Berlin, c.  1 9 9 2 ] , p .  7 4 , p i . 1 0 7 ) .

2 4 .  Liquidation sale

 of

 H .

 Dasson et Cie,

 Hotel

 D rou ot, Paris,

December

  1 0 - 1 2 , 1 8 9 4 ,

  lo t

 2 6 .  Information  kindly

  sup

plied  by

 Jean-Dominique Augarde.

2 5 .  Sotheby's, Am ster dam , December  2 1 , 1 9 9 3 ,  lo t  4 9 2 .

2 6 .

  Laurin, Guilloux,

  Buffetaud  & Tailleur, Palais d'Orsay,

Paris, A p r i l  3,  1 9 7 9 ,  lo t  78 .

2 7 .

  Jean

 Gerard-Tassel and Robert

 Juge,

 Succession Rethore,

Chateau de la Merce rie a Magnac-Lavalette, Angou leme ,

June

  2 4 - 2 5 , 1 9 8 7,  lot 2.

2 8 .  A clock o f

 this

 model w i t h  gilded  figures and a

 dial

 signed

" V I C T O R

  P A I L L A R D /

  F T .

  D E

 B R O N Z E S / A P A R I S "

  is in the

collection o f the

  Italian  bronzier

  Mascaro Renato,

  Treviglio

(Bergamo).

 According to Tardy

  (Dictionnaire des H orlogers

Franqais ,

  p. 4 9 9 ) , Paillard was active in Paris between 184 0

an d  1 8 7 0 .  Renato, who owns a second example  w i t h  pati-

nated figures and a

 dial

 signed

  " L A F O N T A I N E /  B R O N Z E S /

P A R I S ,

has made his own reproductions curiously

mounted  w i t h dials painted  w i t h  streams, bridges, and

figures.

M A N T E L

  CLOCK

123

Page 137: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 137/225

X V

M a n t e l  C l o c k

F r e n c h ( P a r i s ) ; c i r c a 1 7 8 5

Case  a t t r i b u t e d t o P i e r r e - P h i l i p p e

T h o m i r e ( 1 7 5 1 - 1 8 4 3 ) ; d e s i g n

a t t r i b u t e d t o J e a n - G u i l l a u m e

M o i t t e

  ( 1 7 4 6 - 1 8 1 0 ) ; r i n g s

e n a m e l e d b y H . F r . D u b u i s s o n

( d i e d  c i r c a 1 8 2 3 ; m a s t e r 1 7 6 9 )

(see  B i o g . ,  p . 1 6 9 ) ; m a k e r o f

m o v e m e n t u n k n o w n

H E I G H T :  1 f t . 8 % i n . ( 5 3 c m )

W I D T H :

  2 f t .  1

 Vs   i n .

  ( 6 3 . 8 c m )

D EP TH: 9V 4 i n .  ( 2 3 . 5 c m )

8 2 . D B . 2

D E S C R I P T I O N

T h e m a n t e l c l o c k i s i n t h e  f o r m

  o f

  b r o n z e f ig u re s p e r

f o r m i n g  a c la s s i ca l

  l i b a t i o n .

  T w o p a t i n a t e d b r o n z e f e m a l e

f ig u re s t e n d t h e f l a m e , o n e p o u r i n g a

  l i b a t i o n

  i n t o a f lame

a t o p a w h i t e m a r b l e d r u m - s h a p e d a l ta r . T h e a l t a r,  w h i c h

houses  t h e m o v e m e n t , is

  fitted

  w i t h  h o r i z o n t a l e n a m e l e d

a n d j e w e l e d h o u r a n d m i n u t e r i n g s ( f i g . 1 7a ) a n d d e c o

r a t e d b e l o w   w i t h  a g i l t - b r o n z e

 r e l i e f

  d e p i c t i n g a s a c r i f i c i a l

p r o c e s s io n . T h e a l t a r is t o p p e d b y a b r o a d m o l d i n g o f

m i l l e d  g i l t  b r o n z e  w i t h  t w o g i l t - b r o n z e ra m ' s  heads  a t

e i t h e r s i d e ; b e h i n d  these

  pass

  t h e e n a m e l e d c h a p t e r

r i n g s . T h e w h i t e m a r b l e d i s k t h a t f o r m s t h e t o p o f t h e

a l t a r i s c e n t e r e d b y a g i l t - b r o n z e b r a z i e r c o n t a i n i n g t h e

s a c r i f i c i a l  f la m e . A t t h e  f r o n t  a g i l t - b r o n z e  floral  s p r a y

f a l l s

  o v e r t h e

  edge

  o f t h e a l t a r t o m a r k t h e t i m e .

T h e p a t i n a t e d b r o n z e f i gu re s r e s t u p o n a r e c t a n g u l a r

w h i t e  m a r b l e  p l i n t h  w i t h  s e m i c i r c u l a r  ends,  u p o n  w h i c h

a r e a l s o p l a c e d a g i l t - b r o n z e b a s k e t o f f l ow e rs ( F i g . 1 7 b ) , a

p a t i n a t e d b r o n z e u r n   across  w h i c h  i s a d r a p e d  c l o t h  (a t

l e f t ) ,

  a n d a l o w g i l t - b r o n z e b r a z i e r d e c o r a t e d

  w i t h

  r i n g e d

l i o n ' s masks

 a n d i s s u i n g c l o u d s  o f  p a t i n a t e d b r o n z e s m o k e

(a t

  r i g h t ) .

  T h e

  p l i n t h ,

  w h i c h  rests  o n f o u r b u n - s h a p e d

fee t , i s i n s e t

  w i t h

  a g i l t - b r o n z e o p e n w o r k f r ie z e  across  t h e

f r o n t  a n d g i l t - b r o n z e g a r l a n d s a t

 each

  e n d .

M A R K S

T h e  i n t e r i o r  o f  t h e h o u r  r i n g  i s s i g n e d b y t h e e n a m e l e r

D u b u i s s o n

 b e h i n d

  t h e n u m e r a l  V I .  T h e

  s p r i n g o f

  t h e

  s t r i k

i n g

  t r a i n  i s s i g n e d :  S NDVIK/  Sweden.  T h e  f o l l o w i n g  g r a f

f i t i   a r e f o u n d o n t h e  d i a l  p l a t e :

  Repar

  of

  AJG   . .

  .

  pe 1811 d

. . .

 o f

  Stockholm   a n d t h e n u m b e r s /  H5522 H609 8 .

T h e p e n d u l u m s u sp e n s i o n i s s i g n e d b y

 A c h i l l e

  B r o c o t .

1 2 4

Page 138: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 138/225

Page 139: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 139/225

17A

C O M M E N T A R Y

Th e two femal e figures r epre sent vestals te nd in g the

f l a m e

 of the Temple of Vesta, the

  goddess

  of the heart h.

The clock w o u l d  have been placed on a mantelpiece and

thus the classical theme  w o u l d  have been suitably related

t o  the hearth beneath it.

A

  clock of the

  same

  mode l

  appears

  in a watercolor

d r a w i n g

 i n the Mu see des

  A r t s

 Decoratifs, Paris

  ( f i g .

  17c),

that  represents  a mantelpiece set

  w i t h

  various objects.

1

The two halves of the drawing  d i f f e r ,  and it w o u l d  seem

tha t it was in te nd ed as a  scheme  for alternate arrange

ments . Th e clock is plac ed on the center o f the man tel

piece. I t

  does

  not have bun- sha ped feet bu t a  s o l i d

counterbase. Th e artist has also indi cated

  l i q u i d

  s p i l l i n g

f r o m  the

  l i b a t i o n

  b o w l held by the standing  figure.

M o s t o f the objects shown i n the dr awi ng are kno wn

t o

 exist and

  a l l

 are known to be by, or have been attributed

t o ,

  th e  bronzier  Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843).

2

Examples of the candelabr um o n the  r i g h t  end of the

mantelpiece are fo un d i n Sweden

3

  and i n the Getty

M u s e u m

  (86.DF.521). Th e

  w r i t i n g

  figure on th e

  o i l

  lamp

is  kn own as La  Philosophie  an d was desi gned i n abou t 1780

17B

126

M A N T E L

  C L O C K

Page 140: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 140/225

17c At tr i but ed to Pierre-Phil ippe Tho mi re , drawings for a mantelpiece  w i t h  alternate designs, sup por tin g a clock,

vases,  and cand elabr a (Paris, Musée des Art s Décoratif s, inv. 8195) .

M A N T E L

  C L O C K

  127

Page 141: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 141/225

b y

  L o u i s - S i m o n B o i z o t ( 1 7 4 3 - 1 8 0 9 ) .

4

  I n t h a t

 year,

  B o i z o t

s o l d

  t h e m o d e l t o t h e p o r c e l a i n f a c t o r y a t

  Sevres

  a l o n g

w i t h  t h e c o m p a n i o n f ig u re

  L'Etude

  ( R e a d in g ) . M a n y

e x a m p l e s o f  these  tw o f igures  have  s u r v i v e d e i t h e r i n

b r o n z e o r b i s c u i t p o r c e l a i n .

5

A n

  e x a m p l e o f t h e c a n d e l a b r u m o n t h e

  l e f t

  i s no t

k n o w n ,  t h o u g h t h e

  t r i p o d

  base  w i t h  w i n g e d  g r i f f i n s

c l o s e l y

  resembles

  t h e b r o n z e a n d

  Sevres  t r i p o d

  a l t a r

  used

b y  T h o m i r e o n t h e c lo c k h e  made  i n 1 7 8 8 f o r t h e b a t h

r o o m

  o f M a r i e A n t o i n e t t e a t t h e T u i l e r i e s .

6

  E v e n m o r e

t e l l i n g   is t h e c o m p a r i s o n o f t h e c a n d e l a b r u m i n t h e d r a w

i n g

  t o a p a i r o f s i m i l a r c a n d e l a b r a

  f r o m

  1 7 9 0 — 1 7 9 1

s i g n e d b y T h o m i r e a n d n o w i n t h e R oy a l  Palace  i n

M a d r i d .

7

  These also bear

  t h e  same

  Sevres  t r i p o d

  w i t h

b r o n z e   g r i f f i n s .

T h e f ir ed og s s h o w n o n t h e h e a r t h

  also

 e x i s t . T h e o n e

w i t h  t h e s p h i n x  resembles  t h e p a i r  made  i n 1 7 8 6 f o r t h e

S a l o n d e s N o b l e s d e l a R e i n e a t V e r s a i ll e s f o r w h i c h

T h o m i r e  chased  th e f igure  o f  t h e s p h i n x a n d s u p p l i e d t h e

m o d e l o f t h e f a c e i n t h e f r ie z e o n t h e f r o n t .

8

  I n th e  same

year,  T h o m i r e w as  also  w o r k i n g o n a n o t h e r p a i r o f  fire-

dogs

  w h i c h resemble  th e f i redog  w i t h  a  l i o n .  T h e y w e r e

made  f o r t h e S a l o n d e l a P a i x a t V e r s a i l l e s , w h e r e t h e y

n o w a re e x h i b i t e d .

9

  A n o t h e r p ai r , also a t V ers a i l le s , s ho w s

g r e a t s i m i l a r i t i e s  w i t h  t h e  l i o n  e x a m p l e , e v e n t o h a v i n g a

m a s k i n t h e  center  o f t h e f r o n t f r i e z e .

1 0

T h e f ire pl ac e i n t h e d r a w i n g

 also

  h as a p o ss i b l e c o n

n e c t i o n

  w i t h

  T h o m i r e . H e is k n o w n t o have  s u p p l i e d

  v i r

t u a l l y

  a l l t h e g i l t - b r o n z e m o u n t s f o r p o r c e l a i n

  made

  a t

a n d s o l d b y  Sevres.  I n 1 7 8 9 a n d a g a i n i n 1 7 9 1 , T h o m i r e

m o u n t e d fi re pl ac es  w i t h

  Sevres

  p o r c e l a i n p l a q u e s , o n e o f

w h i c h  w a s s o l d t o t h e d u e d ' O r l e a n s , t h e o t h e r t o t h e  p r i n -

cesse  K i n s k i ,

  each

  f o r 6 , 0 0 0

  livres.

11  

I t

  i s p o s s i b l e t h a t J e a n - G u i l l a u m e M o i t t e ( 17 46 —

1 8 1 0 ) p r o v i d e d th e d e s i g n f o r th i s c l o c k .

1 2

  B o t h h e a n d

T h o m i r e

  w e r e p a r t o f a s m a l l b u t

  i n f l u e n t i al

  g r o u p o f a r t

i st s w h o w e r e m u c h s o u g h t a f t e r i n  Paris  b e f o r e t h e R e v

o l u t i o n .

  M o i t t e w a s o n e o f t h e f o r e m o s t  exponents  o f t h e

f a s h i o n a b l e E t r u s c a n a n d R o m a n s t yl es d u r i n g t h e l as t

decade  o f t h e a n c i e n r e g i m e . M a n y o f h i s d r a w i n g s d e a l

w i t h  c la s s i ca l

  subjects

  a n d d e m o n s t r a t e h i s c o n s u m m a t e

s k i l l  i n t h is m e d i u m . O n e o f these,  n o w o w n e d b y t h e E . B .

C r o c k e r A r t G a l l e r y i n

 Sacramento

  p o s s i b l y i n s p i r e d t h e

o r i g i n a l

  d e s i g n o f th e G e t t y c l o c k .

1 3

  I t s h o w s a c i r c u l a r

a l t a r t o t h e

  l e f t

  o f w h i c h s t an d a m a n a n d a w o m a n w h o

t o g e t h e r p o u r a

  l i b a t i o n

  f r o m  a s h a l l o w d i s h o n t o a s m a l l

fire,  t h u s c r e a t i n g   b i l l o w i n g  s m o k e . T o t h e r i g h t , a k n e e l

i n g   w o m a n o f f e r s a g a r l a n d o f f l o w e r s t o t h e c o u p l e , o n

e i t h e r s id e o f h e r a r e a n o v e r t u r n e d

  basket

  o f

  f l o w e r s

  a n d

a n u r n . T h e m a j o r d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t h e d r a w i n g a n d

t h e G e t t y c l o c k i s t h a t t h e f o r m e r s h o w s b o t h a m a n

a n d a w o m a n p o u r i n g th e  l i b a t i o n .  I f o n e c o m b i n e s t h e

w o m a n ' s b o d y   w i t h  t h e

  man's

  a r m s , t h e c o m b i n a t i o n

w o u l d

  b e e x t r e m e l y c lo s e t o t h e s t a n d i n g f ig ur e. A c c o r d

i n g   t o R i c h a r d James  C a m p b e l l , M o i t t e e x h i b i t e d a t t h e

S a l o n o f 1 7 8 5 a w o r k d e s c r i b e d a s: " U n e

  vestale

  f a i s a n t

l ' a s p e r s i o n d e l ' e a u , m o d e l e e n p l a t r e d e 3 p i e d s d e

t o u t . "

1 4

  T h i s s u b je c t m i g h t   w e l l  be t ha t o f t he f ig ures o n

t h i s c l o c k .

I t  h a s  been suggested  t h a t t h e g i l t - b r o n z e f r i e z e o n

t h e  base  o f t h e G e t t y M u s e u m ' s c l o c k w a s d e s i g n e d a f t e r

t h e f ri e z e w h i c h r u n s a r o u n d t h e  r o o f  l i n e o f t h e T e m p l e

o f  A n t o n i n u s a n d F a u s ti n a i n t h e R o m a n F o r u m .

1 5

  I t

 cer

t a i n ly w o u l d have been  p o s s ib l e f o r M o i t t e t o have  s t u d i e d

t h i s b u i l d i n g w h i l e h e w a s a st u d e n t i n R o m e . T h e   same

p u b l i s h e d

  source  suggests

  t h a t t h e d e s i g n f o r t h e s t a n d

i n g

  f ig u re a t t h e a l t a r m i g h t have been  i n s p i r e d by d r a w

i n g s e x e c u t e d b y

 Jacques

  L o u i s

  D a v i d

  w h i l e i n R o m e a n d

t o w h i c h h is  students  l a t e r h a d f r e e  access.  A d r a w i n g b y

D a v i d

  r e p r e s e n t i n g t h e f u n e r a l o f a w a r r i o r , n o w i n t h e

E .  B . C r o c k e r A r t G a l l e r y , h a s  also been suggested  as a

p o s s i b l e

  source

  f o r t h e d e s i g n o f t h i s c l o c k i n g e n e r a l , i f

n o t f o r th e f r ie z e a r o u n d t h e a lt a r d r u m i n p a r t i c u l a r .

1 6

U n f o r t u n a t e l y ,

  m a n y o f th e a rt i st s w o r k i n g i n  Paris

d u r i n g

  t h e t e n o r s o

  years

  b e f o r e t h e R e v o l u t i o n p r o

d u c e d s i m i l a r d r a w i n g s   f r o m  i d e n t i c a l sources.  I t i s t h e r e

f o r e

  i m p o s s i b l e t o p o i n t t o D a v i d ' s d r a w i n g s a s t h e

  source

o f  i n s p i r a t i o n . M o i t t e h i m s e l f is k n o w n t o  have  d e s i g n e d

s i m i l a r

  f r i ez e s , n o t a b l y t h e o n e h e e x e c u t e d i n 1 7 8 3 f o r

t h e p r i n c e d e S a l m - K y r b o u r g a t t h e H o t e l d e S a l m i n

P a r i s .

1 7

  A c l os e c o m p a r i s o n o f t h e f r i e z e  w i t h  t h e c l o c k

reveals  m a n y s i m i l a r i t ie s , n o t a b l y t h e  presence  o f a s a c r i

ficial

  b u l l  b e i n g l e d t o s l a u g h t e r a n d t h e i d e n t i c a l shape o f

t h e a l t a r

  w i t h

  ram's heads a t t h e t o p . O n a d i f f e r e n t  facade

o f  t h e H o t e l d e S a l m , t h e s c u l p t o r P h i l i p p e - L a u r e n t

R o l a n d ( 1 7 46 — 1 8 1 6 ) s u p p l i e d a p a i r o f fr i ez e s

  represent

i n g

  s a c r i f i c i a l processions w h i c h d is p la y m u c h  o f  t h e  same

i m a g e r y a n d c o u l d

  also

  b e t h o u g h t t o

  have

  i n s p i r e d t h e

bronzier.

18

T h e s pe c i fi c  sources  f o r t h e s a c r i f i c i a l p r o c e s s i o n

a r o u n d t h e a l t a r o f t h e c l o c k

 have

  n o t a s y e t

 been

  l o c a t e d .

O T H E R

  E X A M P L E S

F o u r o t h e r e x a m p l e s o f t h e  same  m o d e l a re k n o w n .

A l l   a r e s l i g h t l y d i f f e r e n t  f r o m  t h e G e t t y c l o c k a n d  none

bear

  t h e j e w e l i n g o n t h e h o u r a n d m i n u t e r i n g s n o r t h e

p a t i n a t e d b r o n z e c l o t h o v e r t h e m a r b l e  vase  t o t h e  l e f t  o f

t h e a l t a r . T h e m o s t s i m i l a r c l o c k i s i n t h e c o l l e c t i o n o f

A n d r e w

  C i e c h a n o w i e c k i i n L o n d o n a n d w as e x h i b i t e d i n

1 9 72 i n " T h e A g e o f N e o - C l a s s ic i s m . "

1 9

  I n t h i s e x a m p l e

t h e s m o k e

  f r o m

  t h e b r a z i e r o n t h e r i g h t i s i n

  g i l t

  b r o n z e

r a t h e r t h a n p a t i n a t e d b r o n z e .

A n o t h e r

  e x a m p l e , s o l d b y S o t h e b y 's , M o n a c o , i n

1 9 8 0, h as b l u e e n a m e l e d h o u r a n d m i n u t e r in g s .   G i l t -

1 2 8

M A N T E L

  C L O C K

Page 142: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 142/225

Page 143: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 143/225

G o i n g  t rain

S t r i k i n g

  t rain

130  M A N T E L

  C L O C K

(30—30/6—72) ,

  and the minute

  r i n g .

  The hour wheel (84)

holds the hour  r i n g .  The cannon

  p i n i o n

  (30)

 rotates once

every hour ; i t has two pins that

  release

  th e

  s t r i k i n g

  t rain

every  h a l f  and  f u l l  hour.

T h i s

  type of

  s t r i k i n g

  train has a

  l o c k i n g

  plate (count

w h e e l ) .

  Thi s tr ai n has one rot at ing bar rel (80),

  w h i c h

holds the mainspring, four

  p i n i o n

  wheels (12/6 3-7/ 60-

6/54-6/48), and a fly

 vane

  (6). Th e

  t h i r d

  wheel (7/60) has

ten pins that move the

  s t r i k i n g

  hammer.

The p endu lum is modern.

P U B L I C A T I O N S

G .

  W i l s o n ,

  "Acquisit ions Made by the Dep art men t of

Decorative

  A r t s , 1 9 8 1 , "  GettyMusJ

  10 (19 82) , pp . 79—84,

i l l . ;  "Some  Acquisitions (1981-82) i n the Depar tment of

Decorative

  A r t s ,

 The J. Paul Getty Museum,"

 The

  Burling

ton Magazine

  (Ma y 1983), ill ust rat ed on p. 322 and on t he

cover; A. González-Palacios,

 The Adjectives  of   History:

  Fur

niture   and Works  of   Ar t  1550—1870

  (P.

  8c

 D. Colnagh i and

C o . ,

  London, 1983), pp. 44-45; G.

  W i l s o n ,

  Selections

  f rom

the Decorative

  Arts

  in the J .

  Paul

  Getty Museum  ( M a l i b u ,

1 9 8 3 ) ,  pp. 84-85, no. 42,

  i l l . ;

  Sassoon  and

  W i l s o n ,

  Deco

rative Arts:  A Handbook,

  p. 42, no. 91,

  i l l . ;

  Ottomeyer and

Proschel,

  Vergoldete Bronzen,

  vol . 1, p. 299,

  i l l . ;

  Bremer

D a v i d

  et

 ah, Decorative  Arts,

  p. 92, no. 144,

  i l l .

P R O V E N A N C E

I n   Sweden by 18 11. Ba ro n de Klingsp or, Stora

Sundby Castle, Sweden. Sold, Sotheby's, Lon don, Decem

ber 11, 1981, lot 99. Ac qu ir ed by the J. Paul Getty

M u s e u m   at that

  sale.

Page 144: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 144/225

NOTES

1.  Inv.

 8 1 9 5 ,

  Cliche

 5 1 9 3 .

 The drawing has

  traditionally

 been

given

 to Pierre-Philippe Tho mi re. This attribut ion can be

seriously questioned  since this artist is not k now n to have

drawn

 objects or rooms.

 Jean-Demosthene

  Dugourc

( 1 7 4 9 — 1 8 2 5 )

  has  also been

 suggested

 as the drawing's

author. This is certainly more

 likely,

  though no substantial

proof has  been offered. For the time being, therefore, the

artist must remain anonymous. Christian Baulez has sug

gested

 that this drawing

 comes

 from

  a catalogue by the

marchand-mercier   Domi nique Daguerre (circa

  1 7 4 0 — 1 7 9 6 ) .

2 .  For a biograph y of

 Thomire,

 see J. Niclausse,  Thomire

(Paris,  1 9 4 7 ) , and D . H . Cohen, "Pierre-Philippe Th o

mire—Unternehmer und Kimstler," in Ottomeyer and

Proschel,  VergoldeteBronzen,  v o l . 2 , pp.  6 5 7 - 6 6 5 .

3 .  Stockholm, Husgeradskammaren HG K 6 8 ,  Ottomeyer

and Proschel,  Vergoldete Bronzen,  v o l .  1, p.  2 9 8 ,  no.  4 . 1 8 . 7 .

4 .  See R. Savill, The Wallace Collection: Calatogue  of   Sevres  Porce

lain,  v o l . 3 (London,  1 9 8 8 ) ,  pp .  96 7—96 9.

5.   Th e Getty Muse um owns one set of these bronze figures

(88.SB.113). Th ey were sold at auction by Sotheby's,  Mon

aco, February 5,  1 9 7 8 ,  lo t 2 0 . T he bronzes were also used

to   decorate clocks. Many o f these have passed through the

art market. A pair were sold at the Hotel Drouot, Paris,

June

 28 ,

  1 9 8 9 ,

  lo t

  1 1 1 .

6.   Musee des Ar ts Decoratifs, Paris

 (dial

 signed by Robert

Robin), Verlet, Les Bronzes,  p. 3 2 6 , fig. 360.

7 .  See Verlet, Les Bronzes,  pp .  4 1 , 47,  i l l .

8 . I b i d . ,  pp. 214, 215, figs.  2 4 1 , 2 4 2 . The firedogs were cre

ated under the direction o f Jean Haure. Louis-Simon  B o i -

zot was responsible f or the sphin x models; the  fondeur  was

probably Pierre-Auguste Forestier; the  gilding was done

by  Claude Galle; Boivin supplied the model for the cornu-

copiae frieze across the  front; and Coutelle supplied the

frise  enposte  for the semicircular ends.

9.   Inv. V . 3 3 2 9 ,  Chateau de Versailles, Verlet, Les Bronzes,

p . 3 6 9 , f i g . 3 8 0 .  Some of the same artists worked under

Haure in the making of these firedogs as for the ones pre

viously discussed.

1 0 .  Inv. Vmb. 1 3 8 9 ,

  Chateau

 de Versailles.

1 1 .  See Verlet , Les Bronzes,  p. 80.

1 2 .  I t has bee n suggested withou t documen tation that the

designer o f the clock was Loui s-Sim on Boizot. See  Th e Age

of   Neo-Classicism

  (The Royal Academy, Lond on,  1 9 7 2 ) ,

p . 7 5 9 ,  no .  1 6 2 0 .

1 3.

  Inv.

  1 8 7 1 . 4 5 1 , 8 .

  Howard , ed.,  Classical  Narratives  in  Master

Drawings Selected from the Collection  of   th e E. B.  Crocker Art

Gallery  (Davis and  Sacramento,

  1 9 7 2 ) ,

 p. 25, no.

  2 1 ,

 where

it

 was renamed "Ritual Marriage Preparation." Moitte's

drawing

 might have been ins pire d by the so-called  Aldo-

brandini

 We dding fresco. T he frieze-like format of the

fresco was a great inspi ratio n to many of the

 students

  and

artists who studied in Rome at this time. Moitte could have

seen

 the fresco

  while

 he was

  a

 pensionnaire

  at the French

Academy in Rome  from

  1 7 7 1

  to

  1 7 7 3 .

  His subsequent

designs

 demonstrate his affinity  for this type of pictorial

structure. T he processional frieze aroun d the altar of the

clock

 conforms

  well

 to this prototype.

1 4.   R.J.  Campbell,Jean-GuillaumeMoitte:  The Sculpture  and

Graphic

  Arts  1785—1799 (University

 Microfilms

  Interna

tional, An n Arbor, Mich.,  1 9 8 4 ) , p . 12.

15 .  A . Gonzalez-Palacios,  The Adjectives  of   History: Furniture  and

W orks  of   Ar t  1550—1870, exh. cat. (P. & D. Colna ghi and

Co.,  London,  1 9 8 3 ) ,  pp .  4 4 - 4 5 .

1 6.   Inv. 4 0 8 ;  S. Howard, Sacrif ice

  of

  a  Hero: The Roman Years—

A   Classical Frieze  by

 Jacques

  Louis  Dav id ,  E. B . Crocker Art

Gallery

 Monograph

 Series

 (Sacramento,  1 9 7 5 ) .

1 7. S t i l l i n situ. See  A . Guerinet,  Monographie  du Palais de la

Legion

  dHonneur—Style  Louis  XVI

  (n.d.),

 p i .

 1 1 .

 See also

H . Thi r ion  and

  L .

 Bernard, Le Palais de la Legion dHon

neur—Ancien Hotel de Salm—D epenses et Memoires Relatifs  a

sa

  Construction et a sa Decoration  (Versailles,  1 8 8 3 ) , pp .  76—

7 8 (f or the original expenses submitted by Moitte).

1 8.

  Guerinet (note

  1 7 ) ,

 pis. 5 and 6. Bot h friezes are

  stil l

 in

situ.

 See  Thir ion  and Bernard (note

  1 7 ) ,

 p. 78 (for the

related

  expenses

 submitted by Roland).

1 9.   See  Th e Age

 o f

  Neo-Classicism  (note  1 2 ) . Also illustrated in

Connaissance des Arts  29 5 (September  1 9 7 6 ) , p. 13.

2 0 .  May 27, 1 9 8 0 ,  lo t 6 5 6 .  It is now in a Parisian pri vate collec

tion.  I n  1 9 9 4  a "jardiniere"

 made

 o f bleu turquin  and

mounted on one  side

 w i t h

 a gilt-bronze sacrificial proces

sion  similarly

 cast

 and

  chased

 to the frieze on the Getty

clock sold at Christie's, New

 York,

 March 2 4 , lot 13. I t is

possible that the frieze was once attached to the afor emen

tioned

 clock, and that the gilt-bronze

 swags

 and ribbons

are later replacements. The

 bases

 of a pair of candelabra

i n

  the Musee municipal

 Massena,

 Nice, are also  decorated

w i t h  this gilt-bronze procession. They are i n the Em pire

style and are u npu blis hed (see photo by D. Cohen, Photo

Archive, J. Paul Getty Center f or the Art s and

Humanities).

2 1 .  See J. Bourn e, "Many Questions,

  Some

 Answers: French

Furniture

 i n

 British

 Collections," Country  Life  (October 24,

1 9 8 5 ) ,  p.  1 2 6 1 , f i g . 1 .

2

 2.  Illustrated in A. Guerinet, Le Mobilie r, style du  premier

empire,  au Musee municipal Massena a Nice  (Paris,  1 9 2 2 ) ,

p i . 28.

2 3 .

  These trophies also appear on the plinth o f a mante l clock

signed by Tho mi re in the

 British

 Embassy in Paris, J. Vac-

quier, Le Style Empire,  v o l .  1 (Paris,  1 9 2 0 ) .

M A N T E L

  CLOCK

  131

Page 145: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 145/225

X V

Long-case

M u s i c a l

 Clock

Ger ma n (Neu wied ); circa 1786

Case

 by  D a v i d  Roentgen (1743—

1 8 0 7 ) ; gil t-bron ze mou nts by

Francois Remond (1747—1812;

master 1774); mov emen t by  Peter

K i n z i n g  (1745—1816); musi cal

mechanism by Johan n  W i l h e l m

[Jean Guillaume]  W e y l (1756—

1813)

H E I G H T : 6 f t. 3 i n. (190.5 cm)

W I D T H :  2 ft.  1 Va in . (64 cm)

D E P T H :

  1 ft . 11V

2

 in . (54.5 cm)

8 5 . D A . 1 1 6

D E S C R I P T I O N

Th e clock is made up o f two parts, both of rec tangu

l a r  f o r m ,  and is veneered

  w i t h

  burr maple over a carcass

o f

  oak. The upper section contains the movement. The

d i a l is set

  w i t h i n

  a recessed  rectangul ar panel of stip pled

g i l t

  bronze and is sup port ed by a figu re o f Ti me who

kneels on his  l e f t  knee and  steadies  th e  d i a l  on his  l e f t

shoulder  w i t h  his outstretched  l e f t  arm and his  le f t w i n g .

He  holds a scythe in his  r i g h t  hand  ( f i g .  18b). Abo ve the

d i a l  a ribbon ties the  ends  of two garlands composed of

f l o w e r s ,

  wheat,  grapes,  and

  h o l l y ,

  w h i c h  symbolize the

Four Seasons.

A b o v e  is a wide frieze set

  w i t h

  gilt-bronze triglyph s

and guttae, alternating

  w i t h

  four metopes

  w i t h

  g i l t -

bronze disks decorated  w i t h  the  heads of Day and

  N i g h t

( f i g .

  18a). Th e ped im ent is inset

  w i t h

 a gilt-bronze plaque

decorated

  w i t h

  a

  l y r e

  and cupids  ( f i g .  18c).

1

 A gilt-bronze

balustrade,

  w i t h

 an u r n set on the pier at each corner, sur

rounds the top.

The remaini ng three  sides  of the upp er secti on are

a r c h i t e c t u r a l l y  consistent

  w i t h

  th e  f r o n t ,  though deco

ra ted

  w i t h

  simpler gilt-bronze mounts  ( f i g .  i8 d) . The two

sides  are  f i t t e d

  w i t h

  do ors, cont ain ing panels o f fabric,

that  a l l o w  access  to the movement. A door at the back is

inset

  w i t h

  a shallow brass d r u m

  w i t h

  a  glass disk thr oug h

w h i c h  the mov emen t and part of the musical mechanism

can be

  seen.

  T h e  base  of this upp er section consists o f a

stepped

  p l i n t h

  veneered

  w i t h

  mahogany above a single

g i l t - b r o n z e   m o l d i n g .

132

Page 146: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 146/225

Page 147: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 147/225

I 8 A

I 8 B

1 34 L O N G - C A S E M U S I C A L C L O C K

Page 148: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 148/225

i 8 c

T h e f r o n t a n d t h e tw o

 sides

  o f t h e l o w e r s e c t i o n

  have

recessed panels  f r a m e d , a t t h e f r o n t ,

  w i t h

  t w o g i l t - b r o n z e

m o l d i n g s , a n d a t t h e

  sides,

 w i t h  a p la i n w o o d e n m o l d i n g .

T h e w h o l e rests  o n a stepped  p l i n t h  t o p p e d  w i t h  a s i m p l e

w i d e

  g i l t - b ro n z e m o l d i n g .

M A R K S

T h e b r a c k e t h o l d i n g t h e p i n n e d b a r r e l c y l i n d e r is

i n s c r i b e d   Roentge n et Kinzing à Neuwied  ( f i g . 1 8e ) . T h e r e

a r e t w o p e n c i l e d i n s c r i p t i o n s . T h e   first,  f o u n d o n t h e b e l

l o w s ,  reads Jean  Gui l laume Weyl .  Fait  a Neuwied  I  le 16 May

ij86l

  No. 18

  ( f i g .

  i 8 f ) .

2

  T h e

  second,

  f o u n d o n t h e  w i n d

chest,

 r e a ds /

  W Weyl ait i y 86

 

N°i8.

C O M M E N T A R Y

A

  la r g e g i l t - b r o n z e f ig u re o f  A p o l l o  p l a y i n g h is l y r e

w o u l d  a l m o s t c e r t a i n l y  have been  p l a c e d o n t o p o f t h e

c l o c k

  w h e r e t h e

  holes

  f o r a n a t ta c h m e n t c a n

  s t i l l

  b e  seen.

I n  1 7 84 R o e n t g e n d e l i v e r e d to C a t h e r i n e t h e G r e a t a

c l o c k  o f  t h e  same  m o d e l ( b ut  o f

  d i f f e r e n t

  w o o d )  w i t h  a  fig

u r e o f

  A p o l l o

  o n t o p . I t i s d e s c r i b e d i n a n i n v o i c e s u b m i t

t e d i n t h a t  year,  e n t i t l e d L ' E t a t d e s  meubles  a c h e t é s a u

M a i t r e  R o e n t g e n  [ D a v i d ] , as n u m b e r t h r e e :

Grande

  pendule avec [jeux  de ]

 flûtes

  et [de] clavecins dans

une boîte de bois

 gris

  ondé. Ornements de bronze doré ,

consistant en un fronton, une galerie, des corniches, quatre

vases, des guirlandes [autour du cadran] et une figure

représentant  le Temps . Au haut de la boîte ,  la figure assise

sur un rocher représente Apollon jouant de la lyre; i l est sur

un socle de bronze doré (1784).

M a n y o f t h e c o m p a r a b l e

  examples

  m e n t i o n e d b e l o w

also  i n c l u d e t h e f ig u re o f  A p o l l o ,  as  does  a s l a n t - f r o n t

desk,  w h i c h w a s o n e o f t h e e a r l i e s t

  pieces

  o f f u r n i t u r e

d e l i v e r e d b y R o e n t g e n t o C a t h e r i n e t h e G r e a t i n 1 7 8 3 .

5

T w o  a n o n y m o u s w a t e r c o l o r d r a w i n g s o f a c lo s e ly c o m

parable

  long-case  c l o c k s h o w t h e  same  f i gu re o f  A p o l l o

w i t h  h i s l y re .

6

T h e f i g u r e  o f  A p o l l o ,  t o g e t h e r  w i t h  t h e m o u n t o n t h e

p e d i m e n t o f t h e c l o c k o f t w o c h i l d r e n  w i t h  a l y r e , a n d t h e

e n t i r e  face

  w i t h

  t h e f ig u re o f T i m e w e r e a m o n g t h e

m o u n t s t h a t w e r e s u p p l i e d t o R o e n t g e n b y F r a nc o i s

R e m o n d b e t w e e n t h e  years  1 7 85 a n d 1 7 8 7 . T h e f i g u re o f

T i m e w as m o d e l l e d b y S i m o n - L o u i s B o i z o t .

7

Roentgen's  j o u r n e y m a n , D a v i d H a c k e r ( a c t iv e c ir c a

1 7 7 0 — 1 8 0 2 ) ,

  seems

 t o have  c o p i e d t h e d e s i g n

  o f

  t h i s c l o c k .

A f t e r

  R o e n t g e n c l o s e d h i s N e u w i e d w o r k s h o p i n 1 7 9 1 , h e

requested  p e r m i s s i o n  f r o m  t h e

  Prussian

  g o v e r n m e n t t o

a l l o w   H a c k e r t o e s t ab l i sh a w o r k s h o p i n  B e r l i n .  T h i s w a s

g r a n t e d a n d b y 1 7 9 4 a t t h e

  latest,

  H a c k e r w a s w o r k i n g i n

t h a t  c i ty .  A  year  l a t e r , i n 1 7 9 5 , t h e p e r i o d i c a l  Berliner

Damenzei tung  p u b l i s h e d a n e n g r a v i n g o f a v e r y s i m i l a r

long-case  c lo c k d e s i g n b y H a c k e r .

8

O T H E R  E X A M P L E S

J u d g i n g b y t h e n u m b e r o f e x t a n t e x a m p l e s , t h i s

m o d e l  seems  t o

 have been

  t h e m o s t p o p u l a r o n e

  made

  b y

R o e n t g e n . T h e H e r m i t a g e i n S t.  Petersburg  o w n s t w o

e x a m p l e s , b o t h

  w i t h

  t h e  same  m o d e l o f T i m e ( b o t h la c k

i n g

  s c yt h e s ) , t h o u g h o n l y o n e h a s t h e c r o w n i n g f i g ur e o f

A p o l l o

  w i t h

  h i s l y r e .

9

  A n o t h e r e x a m p l e,

  w i t h

  t h e v a r i a n t

figure

  o f

  T i m e a n d n o c r o w n i n g  A p o l l o ,  w a s  also  i n t h e

H e r m i t a g e  u n t i l  1 9 2 7 , w h e n i t w a s t r a n s f e r r e d t o t h e

K r e m l i n  i n M o s c o w .

1 0

L O N G - C A S E

  M U S I C A L C L O C K

  135

Page 149: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 149/225

I 8 D

136 LONG-CASE  M U S I C A L  C L O C K

I 8 F  The signature

  o f

 Jean-Gui l l aume  W e y l ,  found on the

bellows of the musical move ment .

T w o

  others

  were sold by the Soviet government in

1928.

11

  T h e  first,  lot 80, came  f r o m  Pavlovsk, had the  v a r i

ant Time figure, and retained the  A p o l l o  figure on top. A

g i l t - b r o n z e   amator y tro ph y of doves, arrows, and musical

instrumen ts was mount ed o n the fro nt of the  base.  This

appears

  to be uniq ue to this clock. Th e clock bro ug ht

24,000 marks and was bou gh t by the Kreis mus eum, Neu

w i e d ,

  where it remain s toda y.

12

T h e

  second

  clock, lot 81, also  had the variant Ti me

figure, th ou gh it di d not retai n the  A p o l l o  figure on top.

I t  brought 16,000 marks

1 3

  an d was possibly pur chas ed at

the auction by the  B e r l i n  dealer  M a r g r a f  8c  Company,

w h o

  own ed it a year late r.

14

Denis Roche illustrates another example at Pavlovsk

w i t h

  th e

  same

  figure o f Ti me as on the Gett y clock an d

also

  w i t h

  th e figure o f  A p o l l o  on top .

1 5

  I n his descripti on,

he  states  that

  there

  was yet ano the r i n the Pachke vitch

C o l l e c t i o n

  in St. Petersburg . Th e  present whereabouts of

this clock is un kn ow n, th ou gh i t is possibly the clock me n

t i o n e d   in 1928 as being in the

  Pourtales

  Collection, St.

Petersburg, and destroyed in 1914 .

1 6

Page 150: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 150/225

T w o

  other clocks

  w i t h

  the Gett y figure o f Ti me an d

w i t h

  no crowning  A p o l l o  are  k n o w n ,  th e  first  in the

Kunstgewerbemuseum at

  K o p e n i k

 i n

 B e r l i n ,

1 7

  the second

i n

  a German private collection.

1 8

 An ot he r example has

been reported at Schloss Ludwigslust,

1 9

  tho ugh more

recent scholarship has not been able to  c o n f i r m  th is.

2 0

Several examples have

  passed

  through the art mar

k e t .  One is described in a Paris auction in 1886

21

  and

was later apparently in the Oppenh eime r

  C o l l e c t i o n .

2 2

T h o u g h

  it is a distinct  p o s s i b i l i t y ,  it is impossible to say

w i t h  certain ty that thi s clock is the Getty clock. Ano the r,

w i t h

  the var ian t T i m e figure and no  A p o l l o  on top was

s o l d  by Sotheby's, London,  f r o m  th e  estate of the late Sir

E . H .  Scott in 1940.

23

 Another example, ascribed to the

Roen tgen wo rksh op and dated 1790-1 795, was sold in

Ger man y i n 1956. I n this clock a pane l of gray m arb le

replaces the panel  o f bronze  i n t o  w h i c h  th e  d i a l is set. T he

same

 gray marble also replaces the  f r o n t  panel of the bot

t o m   section. Fur the rmo re, the figure of Ti me up ho ld in g

th e  d i a l  is  made  o f  alabaster,  and ther e is no b ronz e

plaque inset  i n t o  the pediment.

2 4

  I n 1993 a clock o f  s i m i

l a r  f o r m

  was

  w i t h

  a  M u n i c h dealer.

25

  I n that example, the

d i a l was not set

  w i t h i n

  a panel of stippled  g i l t  bronze but

was su rro un ded by veneered w ood . Th e ribbo n-t ied gar

lands were compos ed o f be rr ie d la ure l, and the figure o f

T i m e was replaced by a large gilt- bronze pierced mou nt,

centered by a

  l y r e

 and set on a panel of g i l t  bronze.

M O V E M E N T

Brass a nd

  i r o n ,

  partly blued

Note: The number in parentheses represents the number of

teeth on each wheel. These numbers are repeated again in the

drawings

  of  the movement.

The movement  ( f ig s .  i 8 g an d h) consists of thre e

t r a i n s , all of

 w h i c h

  are dr iv en by weights. Each  t r a i n  runs

f o r  one week. The going

  t r a i n

  provides power for the

hands,

  w h i c h

  indicate the hours in ro ma n numerals and

the minutes and

  seconds

  in arabic numerals on the main

d i a l .  The clock strikes every hour and  h a l f  hour on the

same b e l l .

 A t every

  f u l l

 hour a melody is played on several

f l u t e s

  and a dulc ime r (the latter is now missing).

The going

  t r a i n

  has three wheels/pinions (88—8/88—

8/60) and one wheel for the

  deadbeat

 escapement (8/30);

the arbor of the

  escape

 wheel holds the second hand. Th e

t r a i n

  is regulated by an

  seconds

 p e n d u lu m

  w i t h

  no tem

pera ture compen satio n. Wh en the clock is wo un d, i.e.,

the weight is raised by a crank handle, the power to the

g o i n g t r a i n   is maintained by a mechanism called a main

t a i n i n g

  power. The  p i n i o n  (8) o f the

  t h i r d

  wheel (8/60)

drives the wheel (64) of the  m o t i o n

  w o r k

  (64 /24-48/10-

6 0 ) .

  The cannon  p i n i o n  (64/24) holds the minute hand;

L O N G - C A S E

  M U S I C A L  C L O C K  137

G o i n g

  t ra in

S t r i k i n g   trai n for the h ours

M u s i c a l  t ra in

Page 151: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 151/225

I 8 G   Three- quarter view of the movement .

the hou r wheel (60) holds the ho ur hand . The mi nut e

w h e e l

  w i t h

  p i n i o n

  (48/10) has two pins that  release  the

s t r i k i n g

  t r a i n

  every hour. The cannon  p i n i o n  (24) also

drives

 a wheel (72)

 w i t h

 three pins that

 release

 the musical

movement every hour.

T h e

  s t r i k i n g

  t r a i n

 is to the

  l e f t

  o f

 the going

 t r a i n .

 This

type of

  s t r i k i n g

  t r a i n  is called a rack

  s t r i k i n g w o r k .

  The

s t r i k i n g

  t r a i n

  has  f o u r  wheels/pinions (80-8/77-7/56-

8/56) and a fly vane (7). Th e second whee l (8/77) hold s

eleven pins that move the

  s t r i k i n g

  hammer. This  t r a i n  is

released  by the going

  t r a i n

  every hour. The number of

b l o w s

  struck on the

  b e l l

 is contr oll ed by the posi tion of a

s n a il . M i s c o u n t i n g   cannot occur.

Th e musical mov emen t consists of  f o r t y  flutes that

p l a y

 the ma in melody, in piano and fort e, accompanie d by

a dulcimer. A pin cylinder determines the melody. This

c y l i n d e r  can be replaced by others. Every cylinder has

f o u r

  melodies.

  A l t h o u g h

  the clock norm ally

  o n l y

  plays

one piece ever y hou r or every three h our s, it can be set to

p l a y

  a ll

 t he  pieces on a cylinder at ran dom . Unfor tuna tely

o n l y o ne  c y l i n d e r ,  w h i c h has the engraved  i n s c r i p t i o n Par-

ti e

 2,  has survived for this clock. For another clock of the

same type (i n Schloss B ur gk

 near

  Magdeburg, Germany)

seven cylinder s have sur vived ; the ir melodies, however,

have not yet been deciphered.  O n l y  one piece on the

138

  L O N G - C A S E

  M U S I C A L  C L O C K

I 8 H

  Side view of the move ment .

many musical clocks by Roent gen,

  K i n z i n g ,

  and

  W e i l

  has

been  i d e n t i f i e d :  "Reigen seliger Geister"  f r o m  the opera

Orfeo

  edEuridice

  by Christop h

 W i l l i b a l d

  Gluck. Th e musi

c a l  movement has  f o u r  wheels in a direct

  l i n e

  f r o m  the

b a r r e l

  to the fly vane

  ( 7 2 — i 2 / 7 o / [ i o ] — 7 0 — 7 / 4 o / [ 3 2 ] - 8 / f l y

vane). The second wheel

  ( i 2 / 7 o / [ i o ] )

  together

  w i t h

  the

t e n - t o o t h  wheel moves another wheel (80) that slides the

p i n cylinder

 w i t h

  the musical pro gra m horizontall y—one

r e v o l u t i o n   of the cylinder,

 w h i c h

  takes about  h a l f  a  m i n

ute, corresponds to one melody. Th e pins of the cylinder

t o u c h   fifty-one  soun d levers, twent y o f

 w h i c h

  control the

f o r t y  flutes, and  t h i r t y  o f  w h i c h  cont rolled the hammers

o f  the now missing dulcimer. The dul cimer had

  s i x t y

strings; consequently, one hammer struck two strings.

T h e  fifty-first  lever operat ed the piano /fort e switch,

w h i c h  shifted the register by

  b l o c k i n g

  the air current to

the forte flutes and at the  same  time opening the air cur

ren t to the pian o flutes. I n add it ion this lever

  pressed

  a

f e l t - c o v e r e d

  ro d against the strings of the dulc ime r to

soften its volume. The frequency of play can be set by

means

 o f a lever tha t can be placed i n thre e pos ition s: (a)

music mechanism off, (b) one melody to be played every

hour, and (c) one melody to be played every

  t h i r d

  hour.

The musical mechanism can also be  released by hand, in

w h i c h

  case

  the melody is chosen by

  means

  o f a

  t u r n -

Page 152: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 152/225

t ab le . T he

  t h i r d

  wheel (70) drives another  t r a i n  (78-156)

that  causes  the rot a t io n of the pi n cyl inder. Th e  f o u r t h

whee l (7/40/(3

 2])

 together  w i t h  th e  th i r ty - two- too th  wheel

drives anothe r wh eel (16) that pu mp s the bellows.

P U B L I C A T I O N S

"Acquisit ions  1985,"

  GettyMusJ

  14 (198 6), p. 249,

no. 208,

  i l l . ;

  B r e m e r

  Da v i d

  et al., Decorative

  Arts,

  p. 233,

no. 404.

P ROVE NANCE

E d w a r d

  Joseph,

  London, sold, Chris t ie 's , London,

May 8, 1890, lot 374 (fo r £400  to "Payne"). Fren ch p rivat e

collection. Aveline  [d ealer ], Paris, 1984. Ac qu ir ed by the

J. Paul Getty Museum in 1985.

NOTES

1.  A gilt-bronze moun t of the  same model, with a pierced

grou nd, is in the  collection of the Musee des  Arts  Decora-

tifs, Paris, L. Metm an and J.-L. Vandoyer, Le Metal.  Deux-

ieme

 partie:

  Le

 Bronze,

  Le

  Cuivre,

  LEtain,  Le

 Plomb

  (Paris,

1 9 1 0 - 1 2 ) ,

  p i .  CIV, no. 1017.

2 .  Tho ugh born in Germany,

 Weyl

 frequently gallicized his

name.

3.  Th e

  first

  inscription was discovered by Robert Marsh dur

in g conservation of the musical mechanism, the second by

Peter

 Friess.

4 .  D. Roche, Le mobilier frangais  en

 Russie,  meubles

  de s

 XVIIe

  et

XVIHe

  siecles

  et du commencement  du

 XIXe,

  conserves

  dans

  les

palais  et les  musees

  imperiaux

  et

 dans

  les collections privees

(Paris,

  1 9 1 3 ) , v o l .

 2, p i . 77.

5.  Hermitage, inv.

  5 0 8 9 ,

  MebeV Davida   Rentgena  v  Ermitazhe:

katalog  vystavki   (The Furn iture of David   Roentgen  in the  Her

mitage),  exh. cat. (The State Hermit age, St. Petersburg,

1 9 8 0 ) ,

 n o.  1, illustra ted opposite p.

  2 9 ,

 and H. Huth,

Roentgen   Furniture  (London and New York,

  1 9 7 4 ) ,

  f i g . 63.

6.

  Both watercolo r drawings are in the Kunstbibliothek, Ber

l i n .

 For further  information  on Johann  Wilhelm

 Weyl,

  see

D .

 Fabian,

 Kinzing

  und Roentgen

  Uhren

  aus Neuwied  (Bad

Neustadt,  1 9 8 4 ) , pp. 6 6, 77, 130, 147, 155, fig.

 1 4 0 .

  The

designs of the two clocks differ slightly and bot h are shown

from  the  front  and the side.

7.  From  1780 Roentgen's name appears frequently in Fran-

gois Remo nd's Journal  de Commerce.  For the figure of

 Apollo

Remo nd charged between 1,500 and

  2,000

  livres.  See Ver-

let, L es

  Bronzes,

  pp .  2 1 6 , 2 3 6 .  I n  1786  Remond charged

384  livres  for " . . . 2 bas-reliefs de frontons, composes de

deux enfants, une  lyre et couronne de laurier a fond  tres

r iche . . . " A

 third

 exam ple was delivered in

  1 7 8 7 .

 I n 1785

Remond delivered " . . . 3

 cadrans

 portes po ur une figure

du  temps et entoures de guirlande composee de fleurs

analogue aux quatre

 saisons, avec

 couronne de

 roses."

 Two

more were

 sent

 in

  1 7 8 6 ,

 and a sixth i n

 1787—which

  noted

further  that the garlands consisted of "fleur, vigne, houx

et ble." Each clock face cost between 1,200 and

  2,000

  livres.

See Chris tian Baulez, "Toute 1 Europe tire des bronzes de

Paris," i n Bernard Molitor ,  exh. cat. (Luxe mbo urg , 1 9 9 5 ) ,

pp .

  8 2 - 8 3 .

8.  Huth  (note  5 ) , p.  8 1 ,

  f i g .

  2 5 7 , n o.  2 5 7 . T he clock was

described as being of "grey maple wood, stained silver to

resemble marble," and decorated  with various bronze

mounts. "The empty

 areas

 to be decorated  with  suitable

paintings." It is interest ing that the color o f the clock deliv

ered to Catherine the Great in  1784 was described as "gris

onde" and t hat the H acker clock was "grey maple wood,

stained silver to resemble marb le." Only one o f the known

clocks of the G etty mo del displays this silver or gray color

ation

  (see note 24 below). Also, one o f the already men

tioned

 drawings i n the

 Kunstbibliothek,

 Berlin (inv. Hdz

4 3 5 3 ) ,

  appears

 to

 have

 a silver/gray wash. Hacker, as one

o f Roentgen's more skilled journeymen, would certainly

have been aware of the mod el produced in Neuwi ed

and must have used Roentgen's clock as ins pirati on for

his own.

This author has been unable to locate a copy  o f  Ber

liner

  Damenze i tung  of

 1795

 to confirm  this  information.

9.  Inv. E-3030 a nd E-6198, Fabian (note  6 ) , p.

  3 2 4 ,

  f i g . 50,

and p.

  3 2 5 ,

 fig. 53.

1 0 .  In the

 Kremlin Armory

 Museum. See Fabian (note  6 ) ,

P-325>

  fig-52-

1 1 .  Rud olp h Lepke's Kunst-A uktions-H aus, Berlin, Novem

ber 6-7 ,

 1 9 2 8 ,

 lots 80 and  8 1 .

1 2 .  H . Huth , Abraham  und David   Roentgen  und Ihre  Neuwieder

Mobelwerkstatt  (Berlin,

  1 9 2 8 ) ,

 p . 6 9 , no. 58 (left). See also

C. Cornet,

  "A

 Long-Case Musica l Clock by David  Roent

gen and  Peter Kinzing, N euwie d, Germany," Studies  in the

Decorative

  Arts

  (The Bar d Graduate Center for Studies in

the Decorative Arts) 3, 1 (Fall-Winter

 1 9 9 6 ) ,

 p p.

  5 1 - 6 8 .

1 3 .  Huth  (note  1 2 ) , p . 69, no. 58 (left).

1 4.   Information  from  Theodore  D e l l .

1 5 .

  Th e Pavlovsk clock is s t i l l i n that  collection. See

  D .

 Roche,

Tresors  d'art en

 Russie

  (St. Petersbur g,  1 9 0 2 ) ,  p i .  L X X V I I .

See also Fabian (note  6 ) , p.

  3 2 4 ,

  f i g .  4 9 , and  A . N . Kuchu-

mov,

 Pavlovsk

  Palace

  & Park  (Leningrad,  1 9 7 5 ) ,  f i g . 189

(where the clock is placed i n the Crim son Room).

1 6.   Huth  (note  1 2 ) , p . 69, no. 58 (left).

1 7 .  See Fabian (note  6 ) , p.

 3 2 6 ,

 n o.  5 4 .  The movement

and musical mechanism were apparently stolen du rin g

the war.

1 8 .

  See Fabian (note  6 ) , p.

  3 2 5 ,

 n o.  5 1 .

1 9 .  See

  Huth

  (note

  1 2 ) ,

 p . 6 9 , no. 58  (left).

2 0 .  Letter

  from Dietrich

 Fabian, dated July  2 5 , 1986.

2 1 .  Sold

 from

  the  collection o f M . Auguste Sichel, Paris,  Hotel

Drouot, March 2-5 , 1 8 8 6 , lot 6. It did not have the figure

o f

 Apollo

 on top.

2 2 .  See  Huth  (note  1 2 ) , p. 69, no. 58  (left).

2 3 .

  May 3,

  1 9 4 0 ,

 l ot

  1 1 2 .

 I t brought  £46.00.

2 4 .

  Sold at

  Weinmuller,

  Munich, M ay

  2—4, 1 956 ,

 l ot

  1 1 1 4 .

See note 6 for further  information on models with wood

stained the color of gray marbl e.

2 5 .

  With Daxer & Marschall, Munich.  Illustrated in Kunst  und

Antiquitaten

  (June

  1 9 9 3 ) ,

 p . 80 .

L ONG-CAS E  MUSICAL CLOCK

  139

Page 153: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 153/225

X I X

M a n t e l C l o c k

(Pendule  squelette)

F r e n c h ( P a r i s ) ; c i r c a 1 7 9 0 - 1 8 0 0

M o v e m e n t b y N i c o l a s -A l e x a n d r e

F o l i n  ( c i r c a 1 7 5 0 — a f t er 1 8 1 5 ;

master  1789) ( se e  B i o g . ,  p . 1 7 1 ) ;

case enameled

  by G e o r g e s - A d r i e n

M e r l e t ( b o r n 1 7 5 4 ,  date  o f  death

u n k n o w n ) ( s e e

  B i o g . ,

  p . 1 9 2 )

H E I G H T

  ( W I T H

  GLAS S C OV ER ) :

1  f t . 73 /8 i n . ( 4 9 . 2 c m ) ;  ( W I T H O U T

GLASS COVER):

  1 f t . 6 i n . ( 4 5 . 7 c m )

W I D T H :

  I O

3

4 i n . (2 7 . 3 c m )

D E P T H :  2V 2 i n . ( 6 2 . 2 c m )

72.DB.57

D E S C R I P T I O N

T h e g i l t - b r o n z e s k e l e t o n c l o c k h a s f o u r w h i t e e n a m e l

d i a l s . T h e u p p e r m o s t d i a l i n d i c a t e s th e  phases  o f t h e

m o o n ( f i g . 1 9 a) . T h e m a i n d i a l is f o r m e d b y a w h i t e

e n a m e l

  chapter

  r i n g .  W i t h i n

  t h e c e n t r a l

  area

  o f t h i s r i n g

i s a f iv e -p o in t ed o p e n w o r k g i l t - b r o n z e  star  t h o u g h w h i c h

t h e m o v e m e n t c a n b e

  seen.

  O n e i t h er

  side  o f

  t h e m a i n d i a l

a r e t w o s m a l l e r d i a l s ,  each  c o n t a i n i n g a f iv e -p o in t ed

o p e n w o r k g i l t - b r o n z e star  i n t h e

 center.

 T h e

  l e f t

  d i a l

  i n d i

cates t h e  days  o f t h e m o n t h , t h e r i g h t t h e  days  o f th e w e e k

( f i g .

  1 9 b ) .

T h e w h o l e i s s u p p o r t e d o n d o u b l e a r c h e d l e g s ; t h e

o u t e r

  surface

  o f t h i s s u p p o r t i s s e t

  w i t h

  a s t r i p

  o f

  d a r k b l u e

e n a m e l s t r e w n

  w i t h

  f low e rs . Th e  legs  s t a n d o n r e c t a n g u

l a r p l i n t h s o f

  g i l t

  b r o n z e w h i c h a r e f a c ed

  w i t h

  d a r k b l u e

e n a m e l  plaques  p a i n t e d

  w i t h

  v i o l e t s i n n a t u r a l c o l o r s . T h e

b a c k i s u n d e c o r a t e d

  ( f i g .

  19c ) .

T h e  sides  o f t h e w h i t e m a r b l e

  base

  are se t

  w i t h

recessed  panels

  o f g i l t - b r o n z e

  cast  w i t h

  a fine

  basket-

weave  m o t i f , a n d t h e f r o n t is s et

  w i t h

  a g i l t - b r o n z e p l a q u e

d e c o r a t e d i n

  r e l i e f  w i t h

  a p a i r

  o f

  b i l l i n g

 doves

  a n d c u p i d s

c a v o r t i n g o n c l o u d s . A t e i t h e r e n d i s a f la m in g t o r c h a n d

a b o w

  w i t h

  a q u i v e r o f a r r o w s

  ( f i g .

  l g d ) .

T h e m o d e r n g i l t -b r o n z e p e n d u l u m b o b is f o r m e d b y

t w o  branches  o f l a u r e l t i e d

  w i t h

  a r i b b o n o n w h i c h a r e

p e r c h e d t w o

  b i l l i n g  doves.

  T h e c l o c k is p r o t e c t e d b y a

r e c t a n g u l a r  glass c o v e r

  w i t h

  a n a r c h e d t o p .

1 4 0

Page 154: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 154/225

Page 155: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 155/225

i g A

1 9B

142 MANTEL CLOCK

Page 156: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 156/225

ige

M A R K S

The signature

  Folin   Laine

  A PARIS

 appears

  below the

m a i n   d i a l  and the signature  G. Merlet

  ( f i g .

  19e)

 appears

 on

the smaller  d i a l indicating the days of the week

  ( f i g .

  19e).

O n  the back of the  d i a l pl ate is the  g r a f f i t o :

  A

  J   Noordanusl

21  July  1975.

C O M M E N T A R Y

T h i s  clock

  w i t h

  its exposed movement is of a type

k n o w n

  as a  pendule squelette.  I t  became  a popular  f o r m

d u r i n g

  the last

  decade

  of the anci en régim e. Th e move

ment  i t s e l f  is seen  as an object o f beauty , to be enjoye d as

m u c h

 as the

 case

 w h i c h w o u l d have  f o r m e r l y  concealed it.

T a r d y

  lists  f o u r  clock-makers by the name of  F o l i n

w o r k i n g  in Paris in the late eighteenth and early nine

teen th centuries . Th e one responsible fo r the Getty clock

is  Nicolas-Alexandre F o l i n , w ho

 became

 a master in 1784.

Several known pendules squelettes are sign ed by this  F o l i n .

1

O n l y

  two other  pendules squelettes  by the enamel er

Georges-Adrien

  M e r l e t

  of approximately the

  same

  date

as the Getty example are  k n o w n .  One had three enamel

dials by Merlet, a movement signed by the clock-maker

E . Mu gn ier , and a splayed suppor t. I t was sold i n Lo nd on

i n

  1989.

2

  The other,

  w i t h

  a single  d i a l  signed by

  M e r l e t

and a movement by  R i d e l ,  was sold in London in 1994.

3

M e r l e t

  also signed the enamel  d i a l o f a long-case cl ock i n

the  B r i t i s h  Royal C o l l e c t io n

  w i t h

 a movement by Lepaute

(Jean-Baptiste?) and a

  case

  by Nicolas Petit. This clock

can be precisely dated as the  f r o n t  plate is punched  juin

1780  and also has repai rer' s marks for  June  1784.

4

M A N T E L  C L O C K

  I43

Page 157: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 157/225

A n o t h e r  clock  w i t h  an enamel  d i a l  signed by Merlet

includes,  l i k e  the Getty clock, the

  phases

 of the moon. I t

dates  f r o m  t he last quar ter o f the eightee nth centu ry and

was sold  f r o m  the B ens imo n colle ction in Paris in 1981.

The gi l t -bronze case represents Venus in a char iot pull ed

by   doves.

5

  Merlet's name is also found on the  d i a l  of a

c l o c k

  sup pli ed to the comte d 'Ar toi s by the

  bronzier

  Fran

cois Ré mo nd o n December 31 , 1781, for a  salon ture,  and

w h i c h

  cost the large sum of 5,500

  livres.

The modern pendulum bob is a copy of one

  w h i c h

was on the clock at the time of  purchase  by the Getty

Museum but

  w h i c h

  was subsequently lost

  w h i l e

  the clock

was on loan to another

  i n s t i t u t i o n .

  It is possible that this

bob was not the

  o r i g i n a l

  one since the

  m a j o r i t y

  of other

skeleton clocks of compa rabl e design have pe nd ul um

bobs formed by a sunburst centered by an

  A p o l l o

  mask.

T h e  glass  cover is possibly  o r i g i n a l .  I t was the cu stom to

use covers of this type, especially for clocks

  w i t h

  exposed

moveme nts. Geor ge I V is kn ow n to have used such  glass

boxes t o cover his clocks.

 A l s o ,

 the Parisian  bronzier  Pierre-

Phi l ippe  Thomire supplied a

  f a i r l y

  large number to the

i m p e r i a l

  household for use on clocks.

O T H E R

  E X A M P L E S

M a n y pendules squelettes

 sim ila r to the Get ty clock have

s u r v i v e d ,  but all d i f f e r  i n some  way, eithe r in the nu mbe r

o f  dials, the type of su ppo rt in g arch, or the enamel deco

r a t i o n  used. On e o f the most similar, in addit ion to the

one sig ned by Me rl et already men ti one d above, is a late

eighteenth-century

  f o u r - d i a l

  example sold in Geneva in

1981 ,  on

  w h i c h

  an enameled rectangular plaque  w i t h

i n c u r v e d  sides

  below the main

  d i a l

  is signed

  R i d e l

  á

Paris."

6

  The subsidiary  d i a l ma rki ng the  days  of the week

( w h i c h

  are included on the main

  d i a l )

  was replaced

  w i t h

on e  i n d i c a t i n g  the months of the year. There are also  d i f

ferences i n the  bases o f the  arches  and the decoration of

the white marble plinths.

A n o t h e r v ery simila r clock w i t h  four dials supposedly

by

  H o u d i n

  fils

  was recently re-published by the Spanish

Patr imonio Nac iona l .

7

 Th e enameled rectangular plaque

w i t h

  incu rved

  sides

  below the main

  d i a l

  of this clock is

decorated  w i t h  an unsigned white shield. It has consid

erably more gilt-bronz e open wor k aroun d the dials, and,

rather than being strewn  w i t h

  g o l d

  flowers, the suppor t

i n g

  arch is decorated

  w i t h

  garlands of

  g o l d

  flowers on

dark

 blu e enamel. I t is also decorat ed  w i t h

  navette-shaped

reserves

  decorated

  w i t h

  figures inst ead o f violets on the

p l i n t h s at the base o f  the supporting arch. The white mar

b le   p l i n t h is set  w i t h a gilt -bron ze plaque s imila r to the one

o n

  the Getty example. This plaque

  seems

 to be  f a i r l y  com

m o n  on  pendules squelettes  of this period.

8

  Holes for the

attachment of a missing strip of  g i l t  bronze around the

t o p

  edge

  of the marble as on the Getty example can be

seen

  in the published photograph. A clock

 w i t h

  th e

  same

frieze  o f cupids is illustrated by Emile M o l i n i e r  i n Le  Mobi

lier

  royal

  français aux  XVII  et  XVIII  siècles,

  vol. 2 (Paris,

1902),  no. 8, pl. 113. It was

  f o r m e r l y

  i n the Bi bliothè que

de Versailles.

9

M O V E M E N T

Brass and  i r o n , partly blued

Note: The number in parentheses represents the number of

teeth on each wheel. These numbers are repeated again in the

drawings  of  the movement.

The movement

  ( f i g . i q f )

 consists of

 t w o

  trains dri ven

b y  mainsprings, each of

  w h i c h

  runs for one week. The

g o i n g   t r a i n

  provides power for the

  hands  w h i c h

  indicate

the hours in ro ma n nume rals a nd the minut es in arabic

numerals on the main  d i a l .  Belo w the main

  d i a l

  are two

19D

19E

144

M A N T E L  C L O C K

Page 158: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 158/225

1QF

M A N T E L

  C L O C K

145

Page 159: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 159/225

G o i n g

  t ra in

S t r i k i n g   t ra in

146

M A N T E L   C L O C K

subsidiary dials w h i c h indi cate the days

  o f

 the week on the

r i g h t

  side (using abbreviations that begin  w i t h

  Jeud

  and

end

  w i t h

  Merc,  as

  w e l l

  as the symbols for the days, for

instance a sun for dimanche  [Sunday]) and the  days of the

m o n t h  on the

  l e f t

  side. A

  t h i r d

  subsidiary  d i a l  above the

m a i n   d i a l  indicates the age (1 to  2 9 ' A  days) and  phases o f

the mo on . Th e clock strikes the hours an d

  h a l f

  hours on

th e

  same

  be l l .

The going

  t r a i n

  has one rot ati ng barr el (80),  w h i c h

holds the main spr ing and  f o u r

  p i n i o n

  wheels (12/80-

8/72—6/66—6/29), the last being the  escape  wheel. The

g o i n g t r a i n   is regulated by an anchor  escapement

  ( r e c o i l

escapement)  in connection

  w i t h

  a pendulum.  W h i l e  the

c l o c k is ru nn in g the pen du lu m can be adjusted by  l i f t i n g

o r  l o w e r i n g

  it via its

  s i l k

  suspension. The arbor of the

t h i r d  wheel holds the cannon  p i n i o n  (30), a part o f the

m o t i o n

  w o r k  (30—30/6-72), and the mi nut e han d. Th e

ho ur wheel (72) holds the hour han d. Th e cannon  p i n i o n

( 3 0 )

  rotates once eve ry hou r; i t has two pins that

  release

th e

  s t r i k i n g

  t r a i n

  every

  h a l f

  an d

  f u l l

  hour.

T h e  s t r i k i n g  t r a i n is to the  l e f t  o f the going

 t r a i n .

 This

type of  s t r i k i n g

  t r a i n

  has a  l o c k i n g  plate (count wheel).

T h i s t r a i n  has one rotat in g bar rel (80),  w h i c h  holds the

m a i n s p r i n g ,  f o u r

  p i n i o n wheels (12/63—7/60—6/54—6/48),

and a  fl y vane  ( 6 ) . T h e  t h i r d wheel (7/60) has ten pins that

move the  s t r i k i n g  hammer.

1 Q G

Page 160: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 160/225

Th e ho ur wheel of the going tra in also  drives a  gear

(72/36-72/1-59) that indicates the age and  phases  of the

moon . The  calendar  for the  days  o f  the week and the  days

o f

  the m on th is dri ven by the barr el of the strikin g tra in

(24—24—24/1—31 an d 14). A t m id n i g h t the

  hands

  of both

dials j u m p into the posi tion for the next day. For  those

months that  have  less  then th i r ty-one

  days

  the hand for

th e days of the m on th has to be moved fo rwa rd manually.

E X H I B I T I O N S

Det ro i t

  Inst i tu te of

 A r t s ,

  1972-1973.

P U B L I C A T I O N S

B .  Fredericksen, H . Latt i mor e, and G.  W i l s o n ,  The

J .  Pau l  Getty Museum  (Lon don , 1975), p. 80,  i l l . ;  G.

  W i l s o n ,

"Th e J. Paul Getty Museu m, 7

6 m e

par t i e , Le M o b i l ie r  Louis

X V I , "  Connaissance des Arts  ( June 1975), p. 96,  i l l . ;

  W i l s o n ,

Clocks,

  pp. 68- 71 , no. 14,  i l l . ;

  W i l s o n ,

  Decorative Arts

(1977), p. 99, no. 129,

  i l l . ;  Sassoon

 and  W i l s o n ,  Decorative

Arts:  A Handbook,  p. 42, no. 92,  i l l . ;  Bremer

  D a v i d

  et al.,

Decorative

  Arts,

  p. 92, no. 145,  i l l .

PROVENANCE

Sold anonymously,  Palais  Gallie ra, Dece mber 10,

1 9 7 1 ,

  lot 35. French a nd Compa ny, Ne w  Y o r k ,  1971. Pur

chased

  by J. Pau l Gett y in 19 72.

pp .  96—97, no.  4 0 ,  i l l . See  also Hote l Drou ot, Paris, Decem

ber

  6 ,

  1 9 8 9 , l ot 5 5

  bis.

9.

  Many other  examples have been found. One of the more

interesting is a clock now at the

 Palace

 of Pavlovsk

 near

 St.

Petersburg. It has  three dials, much more elaborate  enam

e l i n g , and a splayed support. It is not known whether the

clock is signed. Th e f ront o f the white marble base is inset

w i t h a long rectangular bronze plaque  w i t h  p u t t i cavorting

on

 clouds. The  p u t t i to the extreme right and  lef t seem to

be identic al to the

 ones

 decorating the Getty example.

Ano ther clock of this same type  w i t h only two dials is in the

Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris,

  w i t h

  enameling signed by

Coteau. Tardy,

 French Clocks the

 World Over (Paris,

  1 9 8 1 ) ,

pis.

 4 7 - 5 1 ,

 illustrates a

 t h i r d ,

 in the Ecole d'Horlogerie de

Dreux,  w i t h a splayed supp ort, tw o dials, and enameling

signed by Coteau. The Musee Carnavalet, Paris, owns

another  three-dial example  w i t h  splayed feet, a movement

signed by "Laurent ^aris," and enameling by Coteau. Two

pendules squelettes were sold by Sotheby's at Mentmore on

May  18 , 1 9 7 7 . T he  f i r s t , lot 6, was signed by Coteau, had a

splayed su pport, two dials, and a later enamel m iniatu re

w h i c h

 might have

  o r i g i n a l l y

 been  the replacement for

another  d i a l . T he  second, lo t

 3 0 ,

 had two dials and was

signed "Laurent ^Paris"

  w i t h

 enameling attributed to

Coteau.

NOTES

1.   Sotheby Parke Bernet, Monaco, November  2 2 , 1 9 7 9 , lot

2 0 1 (a three-dial

  c l ock ) ;

 Christie's, Amsterdam,

 June

 22,

1 9 9 0 , lo t 127 (a single-dial

 c l ock ) ;

 Gazette de VHotelDrouot

18  (May 4,  1 9 9 0 ) , p . L I (a three-dial example sold on May

2 0 ,

  1 9 9 0 , at the H ote l des Ventes, Bayeux) ; and Sotheby's,

London,

 June

 2 ,  1 9 9 3 , lot 98 (another three-dial

example).

2.   Christie's, Lond on, Mar ch  2 2 ,  1 9 8 9 , lot

 3 5 .

 T he  d i a l is

signed Mugnier  JParis , w hich probably refers to Mugn ier

Vaine.

 See Tardy  1 9 8 0 ,

  v o l .

 2 , p.

  4 8 2 .

3.

  Sotheby's, Lond on, Mar ch 3,  1 9 9 4 , lot  2 1 5 .

4 .  I

 w o u l d

  l ike  to thank Geoffrey de Bellaigue for this

information.

5 .  Paris, Hot el Dro uot, November  1 8 - 1 9 ,

  1 9 8 1 ,

 lot 33.

6 .  Antiquorum, Galerie d'Horlogerie Ancienne,  Geneva,

Connoisseur v o l . 2 0 7 , no.  8 3 1  (May  1 9 8 1 ) , p .  6 4 . 1

  w o u l d

l ike to thank Winthrop Edey for this information.  The

clock-maker Rid el is listed in Tardy, Dictionnaire des Hor lo-

gers Franca is ,  v o l .  1 (Paris,  1 9 7 2 ) , as

 w o r k i n g

 in the rue aux

Ours in 1800.

7 .  See J. Ramon Colon de Carvajal, Catdlogo de Relojes del

Patrimonio Nacional ( M a d r id ,  1 9 8 7 ) , p .  9 5 , no. 78

 (w h i ch

states that the clock-maker is unkno wn). Thi s clock was

first  published in El Palacio Real  de Madrid

  (E d i t o r i a l

 Patri

monio Nacional,

 M a d r i d,

  1 9 7 5 ) , p. 196 (where the cap tion

says the clock is the work of Hou di n  fils).

8 .

  For a few

 examples

 w i t h  the iden tica l bronze p laque, see

Partridge Fine  A r t s , London, Summer

 Exhibition

  1990,

M A N T E L

  C L O C K

  147

Page 161: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 161/225

X X

Clock in a

  Secretaire

German  ( B e r l i n ) ;  circa 1798

Secretaire  b y Johan n Andreas

B e o ;

1

  movem ent by Christ ian

M o l l i n g e r  (1754—1826)

D I A M E T E R (OF

 D I A L ) :

 4

  i n .

  (10 cm)

W I D T H

  (OF

  D I A L ,

  W I T H

  H I N G E

 AND

F L A N G E ) :

  4V16  i n .

 (11 cm)

8 4 . D A . 8 7

D E S C R I P T I O N

Th e c lock is set

  i n t o

 the upp er section of the  secretaire

( f i g .

  20a). The  d i a l  consists of a white enameled  r i n g

t h r o u g h

  the open center of  w h i c h  can be

  seen

  various

wheels of the movement, making this a type of  pendule

squelette.  T h e  d i a l is protected by a convex glass cover held

b y a gilt- bronze frame compose d o f a single row of pea rl

bead ing and t wo rows  o f bra ided  m o l d i n g . I t has a th um b

f l a n g e on the  r i g h t and a hinge on the  l e f t .

M A R K S

T h e

  d i a l

 is sign ed

 Mollinger

  a Berlin.  The spr ing

 o f

  the

g o i n g

  t r a i n

  bears  th e  i n s c r i p t i o n  Habernig   Fritz IJuly

 

19 75 .

  O n the back plate

  appear

  th e

  f o l l o w i n g

  g r a f f i t i :

  L

856/Lu.y.12/Bell.

C O M M E N T A R Y

A l t h o u g h

  simple in  appearance,  this clock was pro

duce d by one o f the most accomplish ed makers in

  B e r l i n ,

C h r i s t i a n  M o l l i n g e r .  I t was once att ached to a musi cal

movement  w h i c h  was probably activated by a lever

t r i p p e d

 by the  s t r i k i n g t r a i n . Physical evidence

  w i t h i n

  the

secretaire  shows that a ro d exten ded d ow n the  l e f t  side of

the back to the musical movement,  w h i c h  was housed in

the bottom section. Two side  panels

  w h i c h

  are now inset

w i t h

  wood  o r i g i n a l l y held fabric to  a l l o w  the sound to be

heard . Th e lower back of the  secretaire

  s t i l l

 retains a fabric

panel for this purpose.

148

Page 162: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 162/225

Page 163: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 163/225

2 0 A   Secrétaire,  circa 1798, by Joh an n A ndre as Beo. Bou ght by

F r e d e r i c k  W i l l i a m  I I I

  circa 1802 for Schloss Potsdam,  B e r l i n .

M O V E M E N T

Brass a nd  i r o n , p artly blue d

Note: The number in parentheses represents the number of

teeth on each wheel. These numbers are repeated again in the

drawings

  of  the movement.

The movement

  ( f i g .

 20b) consists  o f  t w o trains drive n

b y  mainspr ings,  each  o f  w h i c h  runs for one week. The

g o i n g t r a i n   provides power for the  hands

  w h i c h

  indicate

the hours i n ro ma n numerals an d the minut es in arabic

numerals on the main

  d i a l .

  Th e clock strikes the hou rs

and  h a l f  hours on one  be l l .

The going

  t r a i n

  has one rot ati ng barr el (72),  w h i c h

holds the mainspring and

  f o u r

  p i n i o n  wheels (12/72—

8/72—6/66-6/33), the last being the  escape  wheel. The

g o i n g

  t r a i n

 is regulated by an anchor  escapement i n con

n e c t i o n   w i t h

  a pend ulu m. The arbor of the

  t h i r d

  wheel

holds the cannon  p i n i o n  (32), a part o f the  m o t i o n  w o r k

(32—32/6—72) ,

  and the minute hand. The hour wheel

( 7 2 )

 holds the hou r hand. Th e cannon  p i n i o n  (32) rotates

once every hour; it has two pins that  release  th e  s t r i k i n g

t r a i n

  every

  h a l f

  an d

  f u l l

  hour.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Page 164: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 164/225

T h e s t r i k i n g t r a i n is t o t h e  l e f t  o f t h e g o i n g t r a i n . T h i s

t y p e o f s t r i k i n g t r a i n i s c a l l e d a r a c k s t r i k i n g w o r k . T h i s

t r a i n  h as a r o t a t i n g b a r r e l ( 7 2 ) , w h i c h h o l d s t h e m a i n s p r

i n g ,

  f o u r p i n i o n

  wheels

  ( 1 2 / 7 2 — 8 / 6 0 - 6 /5 4 - 6 / 4 8 ) , a n d a

f ly  vane  ( 6 ) . T h e  t h i r d  w h e e l ( 8 - 6 0 ) h a s t e n p i n s t h a t

m o v e t h e s t r i k i n g

 hammer.

  T h e n u m b e r o f b l o w s s tr u c k

o n t h e b e l l i s c o n t r o l l e d b y t h e p o s i t i o n o f a s n a i l .   M i s

c o u n t i n g

  cannot

  o c c u r .

P U B L I C A T I O N S

H .  K r e i s e l a n d G . H i m m e l h e b e r ,  Die Kunst des

deutschen Möbels,  v o l . 3 ( M u n i c h , 1 9 7 3 ) , f ig . 2 6 2 ;

  Art-Price

Annual 1974—1975  3 0 ( M u n i c h , 1 9 7 5) , p . 9 1 ; C . F r e y t a g ,

Bruckmanns  Mob el-Lexicon

  ( M u n i c h , n . d . [ i 9 7 8 ? ] ) , p . 1 80 ,

n o . 8 6; M .  Stürmer,  Handw erk und höfische Kultur  Euro

päische   Möbelkunst  im 18. Jah rhundert  ( M u n i c h , 1 9 82 ) , p i .

1 0 2 , p . 1 9 3 ; D . F a b i a n ,  Die Entwicklung der Roentgen-

Schreibmöbel   ( B a d

  Neustadt,

  1 9 8 2 ) , p p . 5 4 - 5 5 , f i g - 7 7 < l - g ;

East

  Side

  House  Settlement,  N e w Y o r k ,  Winter Antiques

Show,

  e x h . c a t .

  (January

  2 1 - 2 9 , 1 9 8 4 ) , p . 2 5 4 ; D . F a b i a n ,

Kinzing  £s?  Roentgen Uhren aus Neuwied  ( B a d

  Neustadt,

1 9 8 4 ) , p . 1 4 7 ; G . W i l s o n , "Selected  A c q u i s i t i o n s M a d e b y

t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f D e c o r a t i v e A r t s , GettyMusJ  13 ( 19 85 ) ,

p p . 8 3 — 88 ; A c q u i s i t i o n s / 1 9 8 4 , GettyMusJ  13 ( 198 5 ) , p .

1 8 4 , n o . 6 8 ;  Sassoon  a n d W i l s on , Decorat ive Arts : A Hand

book,  p . 1 1 4 , n o . 2 4 0 ; D . F a b i a n ,  Roentgenmöbel  aus Neuwied

( B a d

  Neustadt,

  1 9 8 6 ) , p p . 3 0 5 , 3 1 2 , f i g s . 7 2 4 - 7 2 7 ; B r e

m e r D a v i d e t a l . , Decorative Arts,  p . 2 3 0 , n o . 3 9 8 ,

  i l l .

P R O V E N A N C E

F r i e d r i c h

  W i l h e l m I I I o f  Prussia

  (purchased

  c i r ca

1 8 0 2 f o r

  Schloss

  Potsdam).

  P r i v a t e c o l l e c t i o n , B e r l i n .

R a g a l l e r [ d e a l e r ] , B e r l i n . S o l d W e i n m ü l l e r [ a u c t i o n

h o u s e ] , M u n i c h , M a y 2 —4, 1 95 6 , l o t 1 1 1 1 . S o l d t o N e u -

meister

  [ a u c t i o n

  house,

  f o r m e r l y W e i n m ü ll e r] , M u n i c h ,

O c t o b e r 2 3 — 2 4, 1 9 7 4, l o t 8 6 1 . F . T a m m s , M u n i c h . Juan

P o r t e l a [ d e a l e r ] , N e w Y o r k . A c q u i r e d b y t h e J . P a u l G e t t y

M u s e u m i n 1 9 8 4 .

N O T E

1 .  B u r k h a r d t G ö r e s h a s i d e n t i f i e d Johann Andreas  B e o a s

t h e

  maker

  o f t h i s  secrétaire.  H e h a s  also  k i n d l y p r o v i d e d i t s

e a r l y

  provenance.

C L O C K I N A S E C R ÉT A I R E 5

2 0 B

  Three-quar ter

  v i e w o f t h e m o v e m e n t .

G o i n g t r a i n

S t r i k i n g t r a i n

Page 165: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 165/225

X X

Pedestal

 Clock

French (Paris); late nineteenth cen

t u r y  (copy of an exampl e made

c i r c a

  1725, probably in the Boulle

w o r k s h o p ,

  after a design by  G i l l e s -

M a r i e

  Oppenord)

Makers of

 case

 and movement

u n k n o w n

H E I G H T : 9 f t. 4

  i n .

  (223.5

  c m

)

W I D T H :

  2 ft.

 3 V2

 in . (68.6 cm)

D E P T H :  1 ft . 1 i n . (33 cm)

7 4 . D B . 1

D E S C R I P T I O N

T h e pedest al clo ck is mad e i n two parts: the clock

 case

and its supp ort ing tapering pedestal. The d omed t op of

the clock

 case

  supports a gilt-bro nze win ged cupi d (fig.

2 i f ) .

  T h e

  f o u r

  corners below are

  fitted  w i t h

  gilt-bronze

figures

  o f

 the Four Continents:  A f r i c a , Europe, Asia, and

the Ame ricas ( fig. 2

 l a - d ) .

  T h e

  o v a l  d i a l

  is o f

  g i l t

  bronze,

set

  w i t h

  enamel plaques painted

  w i t h

  numerals. The

r e m a i n i n g  surfaces o f the

  f r o n t

  and the

  sides

 o f the  case

are veneered

  w i t h

  tort oiseshell, that on the  f r o n t  is  f u r

ther decorated

  w i t h

  a

  t r e l l i s

 pattern in brass. The interior

o f

 the door at the back

  o f

  th e

 case

 is veneered

  w i t h

 a panel

o f  marquetry  o f  t o r t o i s e s h e l l a nd brass composed  o f  large

s c r o l l s ,

  acanthus  leaves, vines, and t endri ls (fig. 2i g) . A

g i l t - b r o n z e

  mount in the  f o r m  of a smokin g  cassolette is

attached to the

  base

  of this panel. The interior  f l o o r  is

veneered

  w i t h

  a geometric marquetry of diamonds

d i m i n i s h i n g

  i n size to wa rd a cent ral rosette.

T h e  d i a l  is covered

  w i t h

  a convex glass,

  w i t h

  a frame

w h i c h  is hinged and

  snaps

  shut. A gilt-bronze cartouche

b e l o w

 is set

  w i t h

  an enamel plaque painted

  w i t h

  the name

" J U L I E N

 LE R O Y . " The clock

 stands

 on scrolled feet  w h i c h

are overlaid

 w i t h

  auricular mounts.

T h e  f o u r  c orner s o f the pedestal are set at the

t o p  w i t h

  large doubl e-scrol led foliate moun ts. The y are

l i n k e d  to lion's paw feet by  f l a t moldings cast at the center

w i t h

  a vertical rib bon- boun d rod . Th e top of the  f r o n t  o f

the pedestal is set

  w i t h

  a circular plaque  cast

  w i t h

  Her

cules

  r e l i e v i n g

  Atl as of the weight of the Heavens. Th e

plaque is suspended  f r o m  a gilt-br onze ri bbo n bow (fig.

2 i h ) .

  T h e  sides  are mounted

  w i t h

  pendants of flowers

above, and

  w i t h

  r i s i n g  acanthus  spikes below, at the

152

Page 166: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 166/225

Page 167: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 167/225

Page 168: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 168/225

21   E  Figure representing Europe,

Paris, circa 1720,  f r o m  a

clock

  of the

  same

  model in

the Wallace Collection,  L o n

don,  i n v .

 F42.

21   D   Europe

T h e  first  three clocks

 have provenances w h i c h

  extend

back to the eigh teen th centu ry. Th at o f the Arse nal clock

is

  the most  w e l l  documented . I t appears  in an inventory

taken at the death of

  G i ll e s M a r t i n o t

  in 1726:

Item.  Une grande pendulle dans sa boete de marqueterie

garnye

  de bronzes sur scabelon, le tout de douze a quinze

pieds  de haut ou environs, le cadran de lad. pendulle

ovalle,  le mouvement de la lad. pendulle sonnant heures,

demies et quarts lad. pendulle garnye de toutes se s glaces et

le s

 bronzes non dorez ny en couleur, prisees  et estimee a sa

juste  valeur et sans

  crile

  la somme de cinq mille  livres.

Th e fact that the mo un ts on this clock are described

as neither gil ded no r lacquered may indicate that the

piece was no t yet finished, an d one co ul d th er efo re  date

it s  co nstru ction to sh ortly before its inclusion in this

i n v e n t o r y , circ a 1725. Th e clock was given in 1761 to the

Abbaye Saint-Victo r by Margu erite -Cath erine Bouch er

Duplessis, the

  w i d o w

 o f Francois-Louis

  M a r t in o t ,

  the son

o f

  Gilles

 M a r t i n o t .

 A t the time of the French Revolu tion,

i n  179 1, it was fo un d in the chamb er o f Father Lagrene e

and was the n transfer red to the Arsen al.

7

Th e clock i n the Wallace  c o l l e c t i o n  was giv en i n 1770

to the

  m u n i c i p a l i t y

  o f

 Y v e r do n ,

  Switzerland, by  M .  Perri-

net de  Faugnes,  th e

  manager

  of the  A d m i n i s t r a t i o n  des

Sels de Franche-Comte. It rema ined i n the  H o t e l  de  V i l l e

at Yverdo n u n t i l  1866, whe n it was sold to the deale r Bar

r i e r

  and r emov ed to Lyons. Th e  f o l l o w i n g  year it was

taken to Paris and was probably sold to

  L o r d

  H e r t f o r d

soon after.

The enamel plaque

  beneath

  th e  d i a l  o f the c lock at

Wadde sdon Ma no r has  been  replaced

  w i t h

  the cipher of

P h i l i p

  Do rm er Stanhope, 4 th Earl of Chesterfield. Th e

cipher contains the Order  o f the Garter, gra nted to hi m in

1730. The  o r i g i n a l  French movement has

  been

  replaced

w i t h  one  made  by George Graham, who was active

betwe en 1711 an d 1751.

I t  is very probable that this model of clock case  was

designed by Gilles-Marie Op pe no rd ( 1672-17 42). It

incorporates the  same  moun ts representin g the Four

P E D E S T A L   C L O C K

155

Page 169: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 169/225

2 1 F

Continents that were used on the earlier long-case clock

i n  the Getty

 c o l l e c t i o n

  (cat. no. 5), w h i c h  has been shown

to

  have been designed by  G i l l e s - M a r i e  Oppeno rd and

almost certai nly execute d by his father, Alexan dre-Jean

Oppenordt (circa 1639-1715). As his father's sole heir,

G i l l e s - M a r i e

 Oppen ord had

  c o n t r o l

 and ownership of the

models o f the Fou r Contin ents and was able to have th em

m o d i f i e d  for  reuse.  A close ins pect ion of the figures on

the Wallace clock shows that the mounts were  cast

  f r o m

models whose pilasters had been  p a r t i a l l y  cut through

h o r i z o n t a l l y

  in num ero us places to

  a l l o w

  them to be bent

i n t o  th e  s l i g h t l y  curved

 shape

  necessary  to fit the curved

p r o f i l e of the clock case.

A

  shorter version of the  l o n g  corner mounts of the

pedestal had  o r i g i n a l l y  been used, reversed, as corner

mou nts an d contig uous feet on a com mod e in the

  L o n

don ma rket in  1 9 9 1 .

8

  The commode bore a top veneered

w i t h  brass  and tortoiseshell w h i c h  incorporated much of

the design that is

  f o u n d

  decorati ng the top of a  bureau

made for Louis X I V in 1685,  w h i c h  has been shown to

have been made by Op pen or dt  pe re.

9

21  G  Th e  i n t e r i o r of the back door of the clock

 case.

A t

  t he death o f his father i n 1715,

  G i l l e s - M a r i e

O p p e n o r d  seems to have tu rn ed to Andre-Ch arles  B o u l l e

and his

  sons

  for the construction of the  cases  and their

marquetry.  T he design of the marque try on the  i n t e r i o r

surface  o f t he clock-case do or o f the Wallace examp le is o f

th e  same  design as that  f o u n d  on the  r i g h t f r o n t  door of

an  armoire a regulateur  also i n the Wallace  C o l l e c t i o n .

1 0

T h i s

  piece is described as being und er c onst ruct ion in

Boulle's Acte de Delaissement  of 1715.

1 1

 Th er e is, however,

a difference i n size between the tw o panels, sho wing that

the one i nt end ed for the clock doo r had been especially

adapted to fit.

S m a l l

 panels of marquet ry on the  sides o f the ho od of

the Arsenal clock are closely related to the design of those

f o u n d  on the chapter  r i n g  o f the so-called Father Ti me

c l o c k ,

  w h i c h again is documented as being by

 B o u l l e

  (see

cat. no. 4).

I t  is appa rent that the bronzes on the

  cases

 and the

pedestal, i n add it io n to those o f the Fou r Continen ts as

w e l l  as the corn er mo unt s, were not made in Boulle's

workshop. N o such mou nts are described in the  i n v e n t o r y

156  P E D E S T A L

  C L O C K

Page 170: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 170/225

2 1 H

P E D E S T A L   C L O C K

  157

Page 171: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 171/225

2 1 1

taken after the  fire  in his wor ksho p in 1720 or in any o ther

documents relat ing to  B o u l l e , nor do they

  appear

  on any

o f  his know n or att ribu ted works. The y were probably

designed by

  G i l l e s - M a r i e

 Op pen ord , but the name o f his

bronzier

  is not

  k n o w n .

B y

  1720—1725, wh en the A rs ena l clock was com

p l e t e d ,

 t he  e v o l u t i o n

  o f  taste

 was tu rn in g away  f r o m  metal

r inceaux  and  arabesques,

  w h i c h

  ma y  w e l l  account for the

use of p l a i n  tortoi seshell on the pedestal.

W h e n   the Gett y clock was disma ntl ed for inspection

i n

  1992 it became  apparent that the clock

 case

  is o f late

nine teen th-c entu ry date. I t was fo un d that a ban d saw

had been used i n the course o f its manu factu re,  w h i l e  a

screw-ti pped auger bi t had been used to d r i l l holes for the

dowels used in the

  case's

  construction.

1 2

  X-rays revealed

that the i nt eri or screws, beneath the tortoiseshel l veneer,

are machine cut, and

  w i r e

  nails had been employed

t h r o u g h o u t .  T h e  sides  and the  f r o n t  o f the pedestal are

h e l d

  together merely by the

  means

  of screws, and the

corner blocks were  m i l l e d  to dimen sio n on a joi ner , a

machine

  w h i c h

  was not invented  u n t i l  the second  h a l f o f

the nine tee nth cent ury. Th e bot to m of the pedestal is

modern and attached

  w i t h

 m od ern nails.

A n  insp ecti on of the back of the upp er surface o f the

base,

  w h i c h

  is two inches

  t h i c k ,

  shows that the tortoise-

2 1 J

s h e l l  is backed by an oak substratum three-eighths of an

i n c h

  t h i c k ,  g lue d to a frame of cherr y one and a

  h a l f

inches  t h i c k ,  as

  w e l l

  as a layer of po pl ar veneer one-

sixteent h of an

  i n c h

  t h i c k , the latt er sawn

  w i t h

  a band saw.

Th e back door

  o f

  the clock

 case

 is

 o f

  board and batten

c o n s t r u c t i o n ,  rather than frame and panel. The bottom

o f

  th e

  case

  and the side upr igh ts are of alder faced

  w i t h

oak; the upper part

  o f

 the clock is also made

  o f

  alder. The

brass

 stops for the back doo r and the  glass panel s are also

o f

  recent m anuf actu re, as are the clock-door hinges, an d

a ll

 are h eld i n place  w i t h m od ern nails.

Fu rt he r evidence tha t the clo ck is a copy is the fact

that the heavily  g i l d e d  bronze mounts are very  finely

chased,  an d the bodies o f the figures rep res ent ing the

Four Cont inent s are smoo th and lack muscul ar  d e f i n i t i o n

i n

  com par is on to the figures fo un d on the

  f o u r

  other

c l o c k s

  of the

  same

  model . Th re e moun ts, the figure of

Europe, the large mo un t

  o f

  a cup id on the top, and one of

th e  f l o r a l side moun ts on the pedestal, were remov ed an d

taken to Europe. They were closely compared

  w i t h

  those

moun ts o n the Wallace, Waddes don, and A rsena l clocks.

I t

  was imm edi ate ly appar ent that the figure o f Europ e

f r o m  the Ge tty clock is

 less

  vigorou sly mod eled an d was

n o t cast  f r o m  th e same

  m o l d .

 The features  o f the face  d i f

f e r ,  as

  does

  the arra ngem ent of the folds of the drap ery

( f i g .

  2ie) .

158 PEDESTAL

  C L O C K

Page 172: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 172/225

I n

  co mpa ri son to those on the othe r clocks, the side

m o u n t

  o f the pedestal—consisting in the main of a pen

dan t of flowers—is ove rchased to the po in t o f sharpness

( f i g .  2

 l j )

  an d  l i k e  al l the m ou nt s o f the Get ty clock has a

smoo th back, characteristic of late ni neteen th-cen tury

bronze mounts.

Th e uppermo st m ou nt of a winge d cup id

 seated

  on

clouds is found

  o n l y

  o n the Arsen al clock and o n t he

D e t r o i t

  model, but on the latter the wings are

  absent.

Her e again a comp aris on revealed a certai n smoothness

and overchasin g on the Getty example, the wings of

w h i c h  are carefully

 cast  w i t h

  feathers, above and below.

The wings on the Arsenal model are however quite

smooth and unfeather ed on their uppe r surface  w h i c h

cannot be

  seen

 by the viewer.

The Arsenal clock

 case

 differs in a number of small

ways  f r o m  the Wallace and Waddes don cl ocks,

13

 an d t he

G e t t y

 clock shows

  these same

 variances in design. Clearly

the Ar sen al clock was the source f or the Getty exa mple .

D i f f e r e n c e s

  between the Arsenal and Getty clocks are

p r o b a b l y  the result of the copier not having

 access

  to the

back of the  o r i g i n a l clo ck, fo r the copy lacks a do or at the

back

  o f

 th e pedestal. He was also una ware that th e back of

the Arsenal movement is signed by Gilles

  M a r t i n o t

  and

n o t

 by Jul ien Le Roy, whose name, however, inexpl icably

appears

  on the enamel plaque beneath the

  d i a l .

  There

f o r e  the copier has signed the movement  " j u l i e n  Leroy

Paris." This s ignature is inco rrect ly inscri bed, for Le Roy

consistently used th e  f o r m  "Julien Le Roy Pari s'' on

  a ll

 his

k n o w n  movements (see cat. nos. 9 and 12).

Th e ma ker o f the Get ty clock obviously cou ld not see

that the wings of the Arsenal

  C u p i d

  are unfeathered on

t h e i r  upper surfaces, and the  brass cartouche on the  l o w

est

  m o l d i n g

 of the clock

 case,

  w h i c h  is inscribed Ex Bono

Dominice

  Boucher  Viduae  Duplessis  Anno 1765,  is here  l e f t

b l a n k .  T h e  same area  on the Wallace, Waddesdo n, and

D e t r o i t

  examples is

  filled  w i t h

 a small

 o v a l

 o f tortoiseshell

and  brass marquetr y.

I n

  many

  cases,

  the small panels of marquetry on the

c l o c k  case, thou gh they  f o l l o w  the desi gn of those on t he

A r s e n a l

  example, have been  s l i g h t l y s i m p l i f i e d  and are

n o t  as  w e l l dra wn.

Oth er nine teent h-cen tury copies of the clock and

pedestal exist. One, s tamp ed "J. Zwien er," is in Schloss

C h a r l o t t e n b u r g ,  B e r l i n .

1 4

  It is

 o f

  i n f e r i o r qu alit y and very

o b v i o u s l y  a late nineteenth-century pastiche. Two other

c l o c k s

 o f this mode l made by Zwiene r

 passed

  through the

A m s t e r d a m   and Paris art markets in 1988 and 1990.

15

  A

f o u r t h  clock, of the

 same

 design but

  w i t h

 a round

  d i a l

  and

veneered

  w i t h

  wood , was sold in Lond on in 1995.

1 6

A

  fu rth er model, presumably of nineteenth-century

date, once belonged to the  bronzier  V i a n

  (dates

 unknow n)

and st ood in the vestibule

 o f

 th e

  H o t e l

 Salle, Paris.

17

  N o t h

i n g

 is kn ow n of its present whereabouts.

M O V E M E N T

Brass and

  i r o n ,

 p artly blue d

Note: The number in parentheses represents the number of

teeth on each wheel. These numbers are repeated again in the

drawings

  of  the movement.

The movement  ( f ig s .  2 1k an d 1) consists o f th ree

trains dri ve n by mains prin gs, each of w h i c h  runs for one

week. The going

  t r a i n

  provides power for the

  hands

w h i c h indica te the hours i n ro ma n numerals and the  m i n

utes

 in arabic numerals o n the mai n

 d i a l .

 T he cloc k strikes

every

  f u l l

  hour on one large  b e l l  and each quarter hour

o n   two smaller bells. Th e  d i a l o f this clock is

 o v a l ,

  and the

G o i n g  t ra in

S t r i k i n g   trai n for the ho urs

S t r i k i n g   trai n for the quarters of an h our

P E D E S T A L

  C L O C K

*59

Page 173: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 173/225

hour hand

  changes

  its le ng th as it rotates, b ei ng short at

three and nin e o'clock and e xpan ded at six and twelve.

The going  t r a i n  has one rot ati ng barr el (88),  w h i c h

holds the mains pri ng and fou r  p i n i o n  wheels (12/80—

8/84—7/70—7/23), the last being the  escape  wheel. This

t r a i n  is regulated by a  deadbeat  Brocot  escapement  i n

connect ion

  w i t h

  a pendulum.  O r i g i n a l l y  the pendulum

c o u l d

 be adjusted

  w h i l e

 th e clock was ru nn in g by

 l i f t i n g

  or

l o w e r i n g

 i t via its Brocot suspension. However, this mech

anism

  does

  no t  f u n c t i o n ;  the teet h of the wheels for the

suspension m echan ism have been gr ou nd off. Th e arbo r

o f

  th e

  t h i r d

 wheel holds the cannon  p i n i o n  (36), a part o f

the motion  w o r k  (36 -36/7 -84) , and the minu te hand.

Th e hou r wheel (84) holds the ho ur hand . The canno n

p i n i o n  (36) rotates once every hou r; it has fou r pins that

release

 t he

  s t r i k i n g

 trains every quar ter o f an ho ur.

T h i s  clo ck has tw o  s t r i k i n g  trains. The  s t r i k i n g t r a i n

f o r  the quarter hours is to the  r i g h t o f the going t r a i n .  To

the

  l e f t

  o f the going  t r a i n  is the  s t r i k i n g t r a i n  for the

hours. They are both arranged upside down.

  B o t h s t r ik

i n g  trains use  l o c k i n g plates (co unt wheels). The  s t r i k i n g

t r a i n   fo r the quar ter h ours has a rot ati ng barr el (88),

w h i c h  holds the main spri ng, four  p i n i o n  wheels (14/72—

8/70 -7/8 4-7/ 77), and a fly vane (7). Th e  t h i r d  wheel

( 8 / 7 0 )

  has ten pins that move the

  s t r i k i n g

  hammer. Every

f u l l  hour the  l o c k i n g plate of this  t r a i n  releases t he  s t r i k

i n g

  t r a i n

  for the hours. This

  t r a i n

  also has a rotating bar

r e l  (88), w h i c h  holds the mainsprin g, four  p i n i o n  wheels

(14/7 2-8/7 0-7/8 4-7/7 7), and a fly vane (7). Th e  t h i r d

w h e e l  (8/70) has ten pins that move the  s t r i k i n g  hammer.

There are several

  reasons

 why the movement is prob

a b l y

  a pr od uct of the nine teen th centu ry: (1) Th e signa

tu re on the back plate is po or ly eng rav ed an d may have

been made

  w i t h

 a ro tat in g cutter. (2) Th e type of escape

men t in this clock was inven ted in the nineteen th centu ry

b y   A c h i l l e B rocot. There is no  h i n t that this escapement is

a later  a d d i t i o n ; al l the part s are mad e i n the  same style as

the rest o f the clock, an d the re are n o holes  w h i c h w o u l d

indicate that there had once been a different

 escapement.

(3 )  Th e fo ur pillars are not of early ei ghteent h-centu ry

date. (4)  A l l the wheels of this clock

 appear

  to be machine

cut,  tha t is, they are to o regul ar to have been m ade i n the

eighteenth century, and the  spokes  are of nineteenth-

century

  shape.

 (5)

 F i n a l l y ,

 the hamme rs and all three bells

date  to the nineteenth century. They are not mounted to

the move ment i n the nor ma l way (one mo un t for the h ou r

b e l l  and one m ou nt fo r the two quar ter bells), but are

mounted one above the other.

21   L   Side v iew of the movement.

160

P E D E S T A L

  C L O C K

Page 174: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 174/225

E X H I B I T I O N S

M a d r i d ,

  Sociedad Espanola  de Amigos del Arte, "El

Reloj en el Arte,"

 May-June

  1965, no. 10.

P U B L I C A T I O N S

L .  Montafies, "Un

 pend ulo desconocido

  de Jul ien Le

Roy," Dersa  (July 1967), pp. 8—16, no. 34,

  i l l .

  p. 1; G. de

Bellaigue,  The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon

Manor: Furniture, Clocks and

  Gi l t

  Bronzes,  vol. 1 (Lon don ,

1974), p. 54; Wilson,  Clocks,  pp. 12-17, no. 2, il l . ;

A .  Smith, ed. ,  The Country  Life  International Dictionary of

Clocks

  (Ne w York, 1979), p. 87, fig. 7; L. Mont afie s,  Relojes

en ABC  (M ad ri d, 1983), pp. 96—99; G. Wil son ,  Selections

from the Decorative Arts in the

 J .

  Paul Getty Museum  (Malibu,

1983), pp. 18—19, no. 9;  The

 J .

  Paul Getty Museum Handbook

of  the Collections  (M ali bu , 1986), p. 150; R Verlet,  Les

Bronzes,  p. 114, fig. 141 (cap tio n); Bre me r Da vi d et al.,

Decorative Arts,  pp. 84-85, no. 131.

PROVENANCE

English collection,

  n ine teenth

  century. (?) Du ke of

Medinaceli, Spain .

18

  Smolen [dealer],  Paris,  circa 1962.

Manue l

 Gonzales,

 Galeria Velazquez, Ma dr id , circa 1965.

Frenc h an d Co., New York, 1972. Boug ht by J. Paul Getty

i n  1974.

NOTES

1.   Th e  name Karel Solle is also  found inscribed on the move

ment

 of the long-case musical clock (cat. no.  5 ) , along  w i t h

the date  1 8 8 8 .  I n

 June

 o f

 that

 year

 that

 clock was sold

f r o m  the collection of the  Marquess of

 Exeter

 to the Lon

do n dealer Charles Davis. It is

 therefore

 known

 that

  Solle

was working in England at

 that

 time. I f the

 movement

 of

the clock needed  repair in  1 8 4 6 , one could assume

 that

 it

had been made at least a few years earlier. I t is

 possible

that

 at

 that

 time Solle was worki ng in

 Paris.

 I t is apparent

that

 the

 movement

 was not made at the  same time as the

case, which is considerably later i n date.

2 .

  F. J. B. Watson,

  Wallace

  Collection

  Catalogues,  Furniture

(London,

  1 9 5 6 ) ,

 pp .

  1 9 - 2 0 ,

 no. F4 2, pi. 48

 ( le f t ) ,

  and

P.

 Hughes, French  Eighteenth-Century  Clocks

  and

  Barometers

in   the

 Wallace

  Collection  (London,

  1 9 9 4 ) ,

 p p.

  28—29.

3 .

  G. de Bellaigue,

  The James

  A.

  de

 Rothschild Collection  at

Waddesdon   Manor:  Furniture, Clocks

  and

  Gilt

  Bronzes,  vol. 1

(London,

  1 9 7 4 ) ,

 p p.

  5 1 - 5 5 ,

 no. 3.

4 .

  Illustrated in Les

 Vieux

  Hotels

  de  Paris,  v o l .

  10

 (Paris,  1 9 2 0 ) ,

p.

  2 2 ,  p i .

 37.

5.   "European

  Sculpture and Decorative Art s Acqu ired by the

Detroit

  Institute of

 A r t s ,  1 9 7 8 - 8 7 , "

 The

 Burlington

  Maga

zine  1 3 0 ,

 no. 1023 ( J

u n e x

9 8 8 ) ,  p.

 4 9 7 ,

  figs. 106, 107.

6 .  A . N . ,

  M i n . ,

  X C V I I - 2 0 6 , February

  13,

 1 7 2 6 ,

  inventory

after the

  death

 of Gilles Martinot.

7 .  I am gratef ul to Daniel Alcouffe for this inf orma tion .

8 .

  Christie's, Lond on, June  13, 1 9 9 1 , l ot  8 8 . Another com

mode, veneered  w i t h  f lo r a l

 marquetry on an

 ebony

ground, which

 bore

 the

  same corner mounts

  at its forecor-

ners,

 was sold at

 Sotheby's,

 New

  Y o r k ,

 May 20,

 1 9 9 2 ,

 lot

5 5 ; another example,

 veneered  w i t h  contre-partie

  marque

t r y

  was sold at Christie's, London, June  15, 1 9 9 5 , lot 50.

9.

  New York, Metropoli tan Museum of A r t

  ( i n v .  1 9 8 5 . 6 1 ) :

J.N . Ronfort, "Le mobilier royal al'epoque de Louis  X I V ,

1 6 8 5 ,  Versailles et le Bureau du

  R o i , "

 LEstampille  ( A p r i l

1 9 8 6 ) ,

 p p.  4 4 - 5 1 .

1 0.   Watson

  (note

  2 ) , p p.

  2 2 7 — 2 2 9 ,

 F. 429, pi.

  1 1 7 ,

  and

P.

 Hughes, French  Eighteenth-Century

  Clocks  and

  Barometers

in

  the

 Wallace

  Collection

  (London,

  1 9 9 4 ) ,

 p p.

  24—25.

1 1 .  J .-P.

 Samoyault,

 Andre-Charles Boulle

  et

 sa Famille

  (Geneva,

1

9 7 9 ) > P -

6

5 >

n

-

  i o n p. 79.

1 2.   Th e

  band

 saw was introduced circa 1830.

1 3.   The cupid and

  clouds

 on the top of the clock are of a

  di f

ferent mod el, as is the

 arched

 mount below  it .  On the

Waddesdon

 and Wallace examples, gilt-bronze medallions,

containing a rearing horse and a salamander, have been

added

 to the  sides of the

 case.

 These are

  suspended

  from

elaborate

 ribbon bows, while pendants of leaves

 hang

below. The smoking  cassolette

  attached

 to the inner

  surface

o f  the

 back

 door on the two latter  examples is of dif ferent

f o r m   and is decorated  w i t h swags of flowers and  acanthus

scrolls.  Flames issue from the mouth o f the ur n.

Th e

  design

 o f

 a ll

  the small

 panels

 of marquetry

  di f

fers

 from the Arsenal

  example,

  w i t h  the exception of the

large panel

 on the inter ior of the

 back

 door on the

 Waddes

don clock, which is the  contre partie  of

 that

  found on the

Arsenal model.

1 4 .

  A. Geyer, Geschichte des

 Schlosses

  zu Berlin:  Vo m

  Konigsschloss

zu m

  Schloss

  de s Kaisers

  (1698—1918) (Berlin,

 1 9 9 2 ) ,

  p. 171,

p i.   2 7 0 . 1

 am grateful to Winfried

 Baer

  for pointing this

out to me.

1 5.  Sotheby's,

 Amsterdam, May  3 1 ,  1 9 8 8 , lot

  2 3 7 ;

  Drouot

Richelieu,

 Paris,

 December 5,  1 9 9 0 , lot  1 1 1 .

1 6.

  Christie's, Lond on,

 June

 2 ,  1 9 9 5 , lot 190.

1 7 .  J.-P. Babelon, "La Maison du Bourgeois gentilhomm e

l ' H o t e l

 Salle, rue de Thorigny, a

 Paris," Revue

  de VArt  68

( 1 9 8 5 ) , p. 34, pi. 45.

1 8 .

  Info rmati on supplied by Manuel

 Gonzales.

PEDESTAL CLOCK

  l6l

Page 175: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 175/225

Page 176: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 176/225

I N T R O D U C T I O N   T O T H E B I O G R A P H I E S 

T H E

  J .  P A U L G E T T Y M U S E U M ' S  c o l l e c t i o n o f c l o ck s

a f f o r d s h i s t o r i a n s o f P a r i s ia n c l o c k - m a k i n g a b r o a d

  field

o f  i n q u i r y .  A l t h o u g h f e w i n n u m b e r , t h e m a k e r s o r

r e p a i r e r s o f t h e c l o c k s l i s t e d i n t h e c a t a l o g u e a r e r e p r e

s e n t a ti v e b o t h o f t h e c i r c l e o f e i g h t e e n t h - c e n t u r y P a r i si a n

c l o c k - m a k e r s a n d o f i ts s o c i a l s t r u c t u r e .

I n

  t h i s b i o g r a p h i c a l s e c ti o n , w e  have  t a k e n a s o u r

basis  t h e

  d e f i n i t i o n

  o f t h e w o r d  horloger  ( c l o c k - m a k e r )

g i v e n

  b y F e r d i n a n d B e r t h o u d i n t h e  Encyclopédie:

those whose profess ion is c lock-making are commonly  called

clock-makers.  B ut o ne should mak e a distinction between

the clock-maker, as intended here, and the artist who is

familiar

  with the principles  of  the art: these are two quite

different  individuals.

  Th e

 former  practices  clock-making in

general

  withou t having mastered its basic philosoph y and

calls  himself

  a clock-maker because he devotes

  himself

  to

one aspect  of  this  art. The latter, on the contrary, embraces

th e full  scope o f  this  science: he might be referred  to as an

architect-mechanic;   such an artist is not concerned with

on e

 field

  alone but rather with creating the overall design

fo r  watches and  clocks, or or  any other machine he might

wish

  to build. H e determ ines the position  of  each part, its

direction,   th e forces  requ ired and all the dimensions; in

short ,  he devises the entire structure.  As for  the assembly

itself, he chooses workmen capab le  of  making each part .

L a t e r B e r t h o u d  adds,  C l o c k - m a k i n g b e i n g t h e  science o f

m o v e m e n t . . . t h e t as k o f t h e s u p e r i o r m i n d is t o i n v e n t a

m a c h i n e a c c o r d i n g t o t h e p r i n c i p l e s a n d l a w s o f m o v e

m e n t b y t h e s i m p l e s t a n d m o s t   assured means."

U s i n g   B e r t h o u d ' s

  d e f i n i t i o n ,

  i t i s a p p r o p r i a t e t o

i n c l u d e

 here

  t h e  name  o f A l e x a n d r e F o r t i e r w h o , t h o u g h

a n o t a r y , nonetheless  e x e m p l i f i e s t h e a r c h i t e c t -m e c h a n i c .

F o r t i e r is c o n s i d e r e d a n a r c h e t y p e o f t h e l e a r n e d m a n o f

t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y , w h o p u r s u e d

  serious

  research  i n

t h e r e a l m o f  science  w h i l e a t t h e  same  t im e a s s u m i n g a

m o r e t r a d i t i o n a l f u n c t i o n  w i t h i n  so c i e t y .

I t

  s h o u l d , h o w e v e r , b e

  stressed

  t h a t P a r i s i a n c l o c k -

m a k e r s o f t h i s p e r i o d w e r e , o n t h e w h o l e ,  s k i l l e d  c r a f t s

m e n , e v e n w h e n t h e y w e r e n o t l e a r n e d m e n , a n d t h a t

f r o m

  t h e o u t s e t o f th e r e i g n o f L o u i s X V , F r e n c h c l o c k -

a n d w a t c h - m a k i n g   became  p r e e m i n e n t i n E u r o p e , a

s i t u a t i o n

  w h i c h w a s t o r e m a i n u n c h a n g e d f o r s e v e ra l

decades. E n g l i s h c r a f t s m e n  came  t o s p e n d t i m e i n F r e n c h

w o r k s h o p s ; f o r e x a m p l e , t h e c l o c k - m a k e r k n o w n o n l y as

D a v e n p o r t , w h o w as a p p r e n t i c e d t o J e a n - F ra n ç o i s D o -

m i n i c é i n 1 74 7 . A n d e v e n t h o u g h c l o c k -m a k e r s s u c h as

t h e L e N o i r s , C h a r l e s L e R o y,

 Jean-Jacques

  F ie f f é , a n d

C h a r l e s

  V o i s i n

 w e r e h a r d l y t e c h n i c a l ly i n v e n t i v e , t h e i r a r t

w a s  nonetheless  h i g h l y d e v e l o p e d a n d t h e q u a l i t y o f t h e i r

w o r k

  b e y o n d r e p r o a c h .

A

  s y s t e m a t i c s t u d y o f t h e m o v e m e n t s o f t h e G e t t y

M u s e u m ' s c lo c k s h a s r e v e a l e d t h e

  names

 o f o t h e r

  i n d i v i d

uals  i n v o l v e d i n t h e c l oc k s ' m a n u f a c t u r e , s u c h as e n a m -

elers a n d s p r i n g - m a k e r s , a n d h a s l e d u s t o t a k e a n i n t e r e s t

i n  these

  s o m e w h a t n e g l e c t e d c r a f t s m e n . W e  have

  also

d i s c o v e r e d f a c t s a b o u t A n t o i n e - N i c o l a s M a r t i n i è r e ,

G e o r g e s - A d r i e n M e r l e t , a n d H . F r. D u b u i s s o n t h a t h a d

n o t

  been

  k n o w n

  u n t i l

  n o w , a s

  w e l l

  as i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t a

m o s t i n t e r e s t i n g p e r s o n a l i t y ,

  W i l l i a m

  ( I I ) B l a k e y , c l o c k -

m a k e r a n d s p r i n g - m a k e r .

T h e c l o c k -m a k e r s

 represented

  i n t h e c o l l e c t i o n

 o f

  t h e

G e t t y M u s e u m a r e s i g n i f i c a n t i n t h a t t h e y  span  a  f a i r l y

b r o a d   range  i n t e r m s o f s o c i a l c i r c u m s t a n c e s a n d l e v e ls o f

financial  success;  th u s t h e i r  careers  i l l u s t r a t e t h e v a r i e d

163

Page 177: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 177/225

paths

  that led to a mastership in  c l o c k - m a k i n g .  The dis

p a r i t y  amo ng the fortunes o f eighte enth-ce ntury clock-

makers i n Paris was great and qui te unre lat ed to their  t a l

ent, depending rather on their commercial s k i l l s .  There

is ,

 for instance, no comparison between the few thousand

livres  tha t represent t he estates

 o f

 Jean-Francois D omi nic e

o r  Jean-Jacques  Fieffe and the 200,000  livres,  204,000

livres,  and 320,000  livres  that represent, respectively, the

estates

  o f  J u l i e n

 Le Roy, Charles  V o i s i n , an d Etienne (I I)

L e

  N o i r .

There can be no doubt that the social connections

e n j o y e d

  by Ju li en Le Roy and the Lepautes and likewise

Jean  R o m i l l y ' s

  friendships

  w i t h

 Jean-Jacques  Rousseau,

D i d e r o t ,  and d 'Alembert  l i f t e d  these  clock-makers above

th e

  status

 o f craftsman,  w h i c h  in such a hier archica l soci

ety  w o u l d n or ma ll y have been assigned to the m as a resul t

o f

  their manual activities.

Regarding the general organization of the clock-

maker's pro fess ion i n Paris, we have been able to establish

tha t betw een Jan uar y 7, 1744, an d Janu ary 30, 1776, the

Parisian clock-makers'  g u i l d  adm it te d 438 masters, 43

percent of whom (189) were accepted   hors  statuts,  i.e.,

i n

  exception to the rules.

1

  Such exceptions were made

because

  the clock-m akers coul d no t satisfy the dema nds

o f

  g u i l d  regulations, in particular the requirement that

they must have  f o l l o w e d  a regul ar apprenti ceship. Thu s

83 individuals,

  i n c l u d i n g

  M i c h e l  Stollenwerck, were

gran ted e xcepti onal masterships i n 1746, 1767, and

1770, at the  i n i t i a t i v e o f the

  C r o w n ,

  and 106, one q uar ter

o f  th e

  t o t a l ,

  i n c l u d i n g  W i l l i a m  (I I) Blakey and  Jean

R o m i l l y ,  benefited  f r o m  a special

  decree

  of the Conseil

d'Etat d u Roi, thanks to

  w h i c h

  the requirement of hav

i n g f o l l o w e d  a regular apprenticeship was waived. The

decree

 i n favor  o f Jean  R o m i l l y also shows that the matter

o f

  r e l i g i o n , i n his

 case

 the fact that he was a

  C a l v i n i s t ,

  had

ceased  to be an obstacle to the exercise of the clock-

maker's prof ession i n the sight of the Parisian

  g u i l d

  at the

t u r n  of the eighteenth century.  F i n a l l y ,  a certain number

o f

  clock-makers were never admitted as  masters  and

exercised the ir craft in premises outside those st ipulated

b y the corpo rate regulat ions; they were kno wn as  ouvriers

libres  (independent craftsmen).

2

  This was the

  case  w i t h

Jean-Francois Dom ini ce and Di gue, as  w e l l  as Stollen

w e r c k

  ( u n t i l

  1746).

W h i l e  i t  w o u l d  be impossible  here  to go  i n t o  all the

i m p l i c a t i o n s  and situations covered by the

  t i t l e

 Horloger  du

Roi,  a b r i e f discussion may help  c l a r i f y  the use  o f  t h i s ter m

t h r o u g h o u t

  th e

  f o l l o w i n g

 biographies. The

  t i t l e

  Marchand

Horloger

  Privi legie

  du Roi .  . . was ofte n sho rte ned by its

bearers

 to

  Horloger

  du Roi suivant la Cour,

  Horloger   Privile

gi e

 du Roi,  and even,  i m p r o p e r l y ,  to Horloger duRoi.

T h e

  t i t l e  Horloger

  du Roi  meant that the  bearer

belonged to an old and

  o r i g i n a l i n s t i t u t i o n

  o f the Fr ench

monarchy, w h i c h  assembled the various professions

  i n t o

 a

single body,

  w i t h

  a single legal structure: the  Marchands

Privileges

  suivant la Cour.  Thi s body was fou nde d in 1485,

d u r i n g  the reign of Charles  V I I I ,  by the regent A nn e de

Beaujeu.

3

  I t  o r i g i n a l l y  included

  o n l y

  tradesm en whose

business it was "to provi de foodstuff, wares and com mod

i t i e s re quir ed by followers

  o f

 th e Court ," in other words to

ensure

  a regular supply to the king's table and that of his

escort dur in g the ir constant moves about the country. Its

members were required to open shop wherever the ruler

happ ened to be and to close down  w i t h i n  three days after

his dep artu re. Tw o clock-makers were added to the

group under  H e n r i  I I I .

4

  I n 1672 the num be r of clock-

makers was  d e f i n i t i v e l y  set at four.

5

  This body survived

u n t i l

  th e  R e v o l u t i o n ,  although once the court had settled

i n

  Versailles this arr ang eme nt lost what ever usefulness it

had once  possessed.

I n

  exchange for

  f u l f i l l i n g

  the ir obligati ons, the

  p r i v i

leged merchants enjoyed legal and  f i sca l  advantages,

w h i c h  were subject to the special j u r i s d i c t i o n  o f the Con

se i l d'Etat du Roi . I n  p r i n c i p l e , they were requ ire d to dis

p l a y  the arms o f the  Prevote de VHotel,  a  c l o t h  decorated

w i t h

  fleur-de-lys, in  f r o n t  of their

  shops

  and on their

workbenches.

6

T h e  marchands  privileges  were in theo ry req uir ed to

be bo th French an d Ro man Catho lic, those who were nat

u r a l i z e d citizens being at one time excluded.

7

  They were

also required to have  f o l l o w e d  an apprenticeship accord

i n g to the rules

  o f

  th e  g u i l d

  o f

  t h e i r trade.  I f  their appren

ticeship had been ir regu lar, they had to und erg o an

e x a m i n a t i o n

  before a commissi on composed of two  "pri

vileges  and two masters exercising their profession." Even

t h i s

  examination did not  a l l o w  such in divi dual s to be

conside red members of a  g u i l d ,  and therefore appren

ticeships served under them were not accepted by the

t r a d i t i o n - b o u n d  guilds.

T h e  marchands

  privilegies,

  in fact, owne d the ir

  t i t l e s ,

the value of  w h i c h  exceeded that of the  fees  imposed

u p o n

  oth ers fo r the acquisit ion of the mastership

r e q u i r e d

 by the  same  g u i l d . This value was j u s t i f i e d  to the

extent that the pot ent ial purchasers of this patent i n the

eigh teent h cent ury had usually not und ergo ne a regular

apprenticeship.  Because  the priv ileg e was prope rty, it

c o u l d  be

  passed

  on  f r o m  father to son or to some other

h e i r ;  thus the existence of families of clock-makers,  bron-

ziers,  etc.

C o n c e r n i n g

  the clock-makers discussed below, we

note that Julie n Le Roy and t he Lepaute brot hers were

o n l y

  awarded this

  t i t l e

 after h avin g obtai ned lodging s in a

r o y a l residence, Le Roy in the Galleri es o f the Lou vr e and

the Lepautes

  f i r s t

  at the Palais de Luxe mb ou rg , the n in

164

  B I O G R A P H I E S

Page 178: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 178/225

the Galleries of the Louv re. Neith er the

  Lepautes

  nor Le

Roy had obtained a

  patent

  actually granting them any

such

  t i t l e ,

  nor ha d they acqui red on e of the fo ur offices o f

Valet

  de ChambrelHorloger du Roi.  Etienne-Augustin Le

R o y ,  son and

  successor

 o f Charles,

  became

 enti tled to this

design ation onl y th ro ug h direct and regu lar deliveries to

L o u i s

  XVI —al tho ugh aga in no

  patent

  had actually

awarded hi m this distinction. Finally,

 W i l l i a m

  (I I) Blakey

i m p r o p e r l y

 assumed  this  t i t l e i n certain

  deeds,

 combini ng

his position of

 master

  clock-maker and the

  patent

  he had

been

  grante d to exploit an inve ntio n.

8

We

  hope

  that the

  above

  discussion and the biogra

phies

  that

  f o l l o w

  w i l l

  serve  to define for the  reader  the

charact eristic trait s o f the circle of Parisian clock-makers

i n  eighte enth- centu ry France.

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

We owe our thanks to Christian Baulez, Chief Cura

t o r

  at the Musee Na tio nal du

 Chateau

  de Versailles et des

Tria nons ; Cather ine Car din al, Dire cto r of the Musee

Inte rnati onal d'Ho rlog erie de La Chaux-de-Fonds; Eve-

l y n e  Chevalier, Curat or o f the Bibli othe que des

  Musees

Nationaux de Paris;

  Professor

  Lise Moor;

  Jean-Etienne

Genequand,

  Archiviste d'Etat  A d j o i n t  de la Republique

et Canton de

  Geneve;

 Julie n and

  Jean-Claude

  Gendrot;

M i c h e l  Henry-Lepaute;

  B i l l

  B .G . Pallot; Laure nt

Prevost-Marcilhacy;

  Jean-Claude

  Sabrier; and  Jacques

V a n  Damme.

N O T E S

1.

  Augarde 1996.

2.

  I b i d .

3.

  Lespinasse  1 8 8 8 ,

 p p.

  i 0 2 f f .

4 .  I b i d .

5 .  I n application of a don

 de

  nomination  Louis

 X I V

  granted to

the Marechal de Plessis-Praslin,

  o n January  2 0 ,

 1658

( B i b l i o t h e qu e

 Nationale F  2 1 0 4 3

  [ 4 7 ] ) .

 In effect, the

  k i n g

sold

 a certain number of offices to the Marshal who, in

t u r n ,

 sold them at a somewhat higher price to the parties

concerned.

6 .  Lespinasse  1 8 8 8 ,

 decree

 of the Conseil d'Etat du Roi of

January  3 0 ,

 1625.

7.   Mentioned in a decision of the

 Prevbte  de  VHotel

  taken on

September  2 0 ,

  1 7 6 0

  ( A . N . ,

 V

3

  7 8 A ) .

8.   Augarde  1995 and Beliard 1767.

W I L L I A M

  ( I I )  B L A K E Y

W i l l i a m   ( I I ) Bla key was bor n in Lo nd on in the parish

o f

  Saint-Ma rtin- in-th e-Field s in Westminster, shortly

before 1714

1

  and died after 1788.

2

  H e was the son of  W i l

l i a m  (I) Blakey, a clock- and sprin g-maker  (fabricant de res-

sort)

  (ca. 1688-1748),

3

  and Elisabeth

  Slade.

  In 1746 he

married Margueri te-El isabeth Aumerle ,

4

  who  became

marchande quincailliere privilegiee du Roi suivant la Cour et

Conseils

  de Sa Majeste.  He was nat ura liz ed as a Fren ch  c i t i

zen in May 1758.

5

A l t h o u g h

  k no wn as Guil laum e in France, Blakey

h i m s e l f

  always

  used

  th e  name  W i l l i a m .  He was trained by

his father bo th "i n the

  science

 o f

 c l o c k -

 and watch -making

w h i c h  he  made  his chief study, and in his

  second

  study

w h i c h

  concerned springs."

6

H i s  father, described in his  son's death certificate

7

  as

a spring -maker, was appr enti ced to Samuel (I I) Ver no n

i n

  London in 1701.

8

 H e

  came

  to

 Paris

  at the beginning of

th e  Regence  and intr odu ced Hen ry Sully to Julien Le

R o y .

  The la tter described h im as "a mu tu al frie nd" and "a

g i f t e d  maker o f springs"

9

  and was later instrumental in

his admission to the Societe des

  A r t s .

  Blakey's father

  set

t l e d  i n

 Paris

  and introduced a special technique of spring-

m a k i n g

  that had

  been

  developed in England by Verno n.

H i s  customers

  included Pierre Gaudron, Julien Le Roy,

and

  Jean-Baptiste

  Masson. I n 1719, than ks to the protec

t i o n  of the regent, Philipp e

  d 'Orleans

  (167 4-172 3), he

fou nded the Manufac ture Royale de

  Ressorts

 de Mo ntre s

a l'Anglaise at Charle val in Nor man dy . Th e ventu re

declined after the  regent's  death.

1 0

  I n 1727 the e lder

B l a k e y

  established a

  second

  manufactory of watch-

springs, wh ic h in 1729

  also began

  to produce clock-

springs.  Success  enabled hi m to  b u i l d  water  m i l l s  at

Crecy-e n-Brie i n 1733 in ord er to forge an d polis h his

springs.  A f t e r  1733

  W i l l i a m

  ( I I ) Blakey was closely

i n v o l v e d  in his father's activities. Th e latter's

  second

  son,

Nicolas (died 1758), was a pai nte r and engrav er a nd the

author , am on g oth er thin gs, of a very fine portr ait of

L o u i s  X V .

1 1

I n a dd iti on to makin g springs fo r clocks and watches,

B l a k e y  was equal ly compe ten t as a

  tradesman

  and

hydraul ic

  engineer,

  as witnessed by his publication

  LArt

de faire les ressorts de montres  . . . (Ams ter dam , 1775). He

designed various

  types

 o f  m i l l s  for making steel and  i r o n

blades,

 as  w e l l  as for wir e-d raw ing . A num ber of descrip

tions of the latter are fo un d in his book on springs, inc lud

i n g one for a

  trai-fillerie

  ( d r a w i n g - m i l l )

 used

 to make a type

o f

 w ire know n as  fil a pignon,  whi ch was submi tted to the

Academie Royale des  Sciences  and granted approval

B I O G R A P H I E S

  165

Page 179: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 179/225

up on the re po rt of its commission ers o n July 15, 17 44.

12

Th e text of the approv al  states  that "the discovery of

  [ M . ]

B l a k e y

  deserves

  to be rewarded by granting him the

exclusive privil ege for  w h i c h  he has appli ed," and on this

basis

  the priv ileg e was ind eed a warde d to Blakey on July

17.

  Blakey also develop ed vario us other machines, the

designs  for

  w h i c h

  were publish ed in his  Observations sur

le s

  Pompes a Feu, a Balancier,  £sf sur les Nouvelles Machines

a

  Feu.

13

T h e  date  1758 inscribed on the spring of

 Jean

  Ro-

m i l l y ' s  clock i n the J. Paul Getty Mu se um (cat. no. 7) a nd

the men tio n of Blakey in the bankruptcy proceedings of

the clock-maker Joach im  B a i l l y  in 1759 establish that he

produced springs at

  least

  u n t i l  that

  da te .

1 4

B l a k e y  was admitted to the Parisian  g u i l d  as a master

clock-maker on  A p r i l  11, 1750,

1 5

  f o l l o w i n g

  a  decree  by

the Conseil d'Etat d u Roi on Ma rc h 24, 1750,  w h i c h

w a i v e d

  the requirement that he undertake a regular

apprent iceship.

1 6

  A t that time, he somewhat imp rop erl y

assumed,

  in notarized

  deeds,

  th e  t i t l e

  Horloger Privi legie

du Roi.  His pro du ct io n o f clocks and watches

  appears

  to

have been

  l i m i t e d . Th e only items

  w h i c h

 can def initel y be

attributed to him include a  w a l l clock veneered  w i t h  tor-

toiseshell marquetry,

1 7

  a gilt-bronze

  w a l l

  clock, the so-

called

 Venus mode l, by Edm e Roy,

1 8

 and a clock w i t h a

  r h i

noceros

 b y J.-J. de Saint- Germa in.

1 9

 He also

 used

 Nicolas-

Pierre Severin for marquetry  cases.

20

I n

  1759 Blakey

 became

  the director of the Manufac

ture Royale de Limes de toutes

  Especes

  facon  d ' A l l e -

magne

  et fagon d'Angleterre et

 autres

 ouvrag es de fer et

d'acier (Ro yal Man uf act ory o f Files of every  K i n d ,  in the

Ger man and E nglis h fashion, and of other works in  i r o n

and steel),

21

  the workshops of  w h i c h  were established in

Essonnes

  w h i l e  the offices were i n Paris in the r ue des

Prouvaires .

2 2

  He acqui red ten percent o f the capital and

then imm ediately resold  h a l f  hi s

  shares .

23

  By 1761, after

disagreements  w i t h

  hi s

 associates,

  he had resigned  f r o m

his posi t ion.

2 4

I n

  1760 he

  became

  directo r of the Burea u des Ban

dages  Elastiques,  w h i c h  was also locat ed in the rue des

Prouva ires bef ore it was tran sfer red to the rue Saint-

Thomas -du-Louvre .

2 5

  He was probably the founder of

this ventur e,

  w h i c h

 specialized  c h i e f l y  in the manufactu re

o f  bandages  for hernias according to a method that

B l a k e y

  appears

  to

  have

  elaborated himsel f.

2 6

  This

endeavor len t an inte rnat iona l scope to his activit ies.

27

B l a k e y  traveled to  purchase  goods for his  w i f e  to sell

at their Magasin Anglais,

  w h i c h

  beginning in 1746 was

located in the  cul-de-sac  de Rouen a nd then , starting in

1767, in the rue des Prou vai res.

28

  The establishment was

what is now generally termed a bazaar.  The re cord of the

Magasin's  b i l l s  shows tha t its consi derab le tr ade was

m a i n l y

  devoted to metal objects: vises, various

  sorts

  o f

tools, knives, compasses, clock hamm ers, scientific ins tru

ments, and corkscrews, but also included  gauze,

  f ishing

rods, saddlery, small pieces  of furn i ture  (tr ic-trac  tables),

marcasite

  j e w e l r y ,

  fans,  s i l v e r - g i l t  snuffboxes, etc. Among

Blakey's supplie rs were Hun ts ma nn an d Asline o f Shef

field;

  Jacob

 Levy (pencils); DoMond pere;  P.J. G. Gregory

"at the  D i a l  and Fish"; Handscombe; Edw ard Ford of

L o n d o n ;

  Op pen heim of Bir min gha m; and Glover and

Charro t of the  same

  c i t y .

2 9

L i t t l e is kn ow n of Blakey's activities du ri ng the 1770s

and after. He presumably pu rsue d his commerc ial  a c t i v i

ties for a  w h i l e .  He mentions a num ber  o f business trips to

England and Ho lla nd after 1772.

30

  I n 1778 he was  l i v i n g

i n

  the rue Beaubourg;

3 1

  two

 years

  later (1780) he was

  l i v

i n g  in Liege.

3 2

  F i n a l l y ,  the terms of a docu ment concern

i n g

  a

  change

  o f

  lease,

  signed in Paris by his  w i f e  on his

b e h a l f  in 1788, lead one to

 assume

  that he was  s t i l l alive at

that t ime.

3 3

One can har dly resist men tio nin g one particu lar trait

o f  his charact er. I n 1760 an advert isem ent fo r his elastic

bandages, concludes thus: "the poor can come to his shop

every morning

  u n t i l

  noon; he

  w i l l

  give them all

 necessary

assistance."

34

N O T E S

1.

  His letter of natural ization merely indicates that he had

been

 "brought to France in his earliest

  y o u t h . "

 His father's

a r r i v a l

 in Paris can be dated to late

  1 7 1 4

 or early  1 7 1 5 .

2 . A . N . , M i n . , L X X X I X ,  8 4 0 ,  A p r i l 2 7 ,  1 7 8 8 , transfer of a

lease by W i l l i a m Blakey's

  wife .

3.   Bibliothe que Nationale, Manuscrit Francais, Fichier

Laborde, certificate copied  f r o m  the register

  o f

 burials at

the Church of Saint Andre-des-Arts, in

 w h i c h

 he is

referred to as "aged about

  sixty."

4 . A . N . , M i n . ,  L X X I I I ,

  7 4 4 ,  December 5, 1746.

5 .  A . N . ,  O

1

*  2 3 2 , letter o f natural ization dated simply "May

1 7 5 8 . " I t specifies that Blakey "professes the Catholic,

apostolic, and Rom an  fa i th . "

6 .

  Quoted in his petit ion to the  k i n g . See note 16.

7.   See note 3.

8.   Bai l l ie  1 9 2 9 and Blakey  1 7 8 0 .

9.

  J. Le Roy, "Memoires pour servir a

  l ' H is to i r e

 de  l ' H o r l o -

gerie depuis  1 7 1 5 jusqu'en  1 7 2 9 , " i n Le Roy  1 7 3 7 .

1 0 .  Blakey  1 7 8 0 .

1 1 .   Engraved in color, in  1 7 3 9 , b y J. C. Leblond  (1661—1741) .

See

  Louis

  XV,  un moment  de perfection de  VartFranqais,  exh.

cat. (Paris, Hotel de la Monnaie,  1 9 7 4 ) , no. 204.

1 2 .

  Histoire  1 7 4 8 , Gallon 1 7 7 6 , and Blakey  1 7 8 0 .

1 3.

  This

  p u b l i c a t i o n ,

 along

 w i t h  Remarques

  sur la

  situation de

 la

Hollande,

  £sf

 le s machines  propres

  a epuiser

  les

 eaux

  de s

  marais,

was published in Amsterdam by

 M a r c - M i c h e l

 Rey in  1780 .

1 4.  Paris, Archives de la Seine, D4 B

6

, cart.  1 7, July  2 4, 1759,

Joachim  Bailly's

 balance

 sheet. His prod ucti on was consid

erable and was not restricted to clock-springs. Between

1 7 5 3

 and  1 7 5 8 , he shipped over  1 2 , 0 0 0  livres  w o r t h of

merchandise to San Domingo, incl udin g

  2 , 0 0 0

 springs at

3 0 5 0 / 5 apiece (one  livre  =  2 0  sols).  See  A . N . , Y  1 3 7 0 2 .

166

B I O G R A P H I E S

Page 180: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 180/225

1 5 - A . N . , Y

9

3 2 7 -

1 6 . A . N . ,

  E*

  1 2 6 1 .

 When a candidate to the mastership did

n ot

  fu l f i l l  the requir ed conditions in regard to his appren

ticeship (by havin g begun, before the age of twenty, an

eight-year apprenticeship to a master o f the Parisian

g u i l d ) , he could, w i t h the tacit agreement of the j u r y ,  sub

m i t

  a petition to the king  w i t h the aim of obtaining a

decree  f r o m the Conseil d'Etat du Roi e x p l i c i t ly

 allowing

the   Gar des Visiteurs  to receive

  h i m ,

  in spite of the statutes,

o n

  th e condi tion that he produc e a masterpiece and pay

higher fees. On this subject, see

  J . -D .

  Augarde

  1 9 9 6 ,

  pp.

2 0 - 2 7 .

1 7.   David

  Falcke sale, Christie's, London ,

 A p r i l

  19,

 1 8 5 8 ,

 lot

2 0 6 8 .

1 8.

  Paris, private collection.

1 9.   Partridg e Fine Arts, London, 1990.

2 0 . A . N . , M i n , L X X X V , 5 5 6 , A p r i l 28 , 1 7 5 9,

  inventory after

the death of the  w i f e o f the  fondeur  Charles Bena rd. Th e

papers include a note for

  1 90

  limes  owed by Blakey to

Severin, dated December 18, 1758.

2 1 .

  This manufactory was founded in  1 7 5 1  to exploit patents,

obtained by Pierre Cherpitel and extending over ten and

twenty years, for a machine that produced twelve files at a

time i n less than  h a l f an hour  ( A . N . ,  E*  1 2 6 6 A ,  September

1,   1 7 5 0 )

 and for a water wheel-activated

  r o l l i n g

  m i l l

 and

drawing plate that produced molded metal strips for ban

isters and balconies  ( A . N . ,  E*  1 2 7 1 B , June 29 ,  1 7 5 1 ) .

2 2 . A . N . , M i n . ,

  L X X I I I ,

  8 1 8 ,

  May

 2 5 ,

 1758.

2 3 . A . N . , M i n . ,

  L X X I I I ,

  8 1 8 ,

  May 25 and

  2 8 , 1 7 6 1 .

2 4 . A . N . , X 2 B 1 02 5 ,

 judgment °f the Parlement de Paris, May

2 0 , 1 7 6 1 .

2 5 .

  The

 address

 of the Bureau des Bandages Elastiques in

1 7 7 1  (Annonces, Affiches et Avis divers,

  November 16,

 1 7 7 1 ,

p p.

  179,

 1 8 0 ,  andListe  1 7 7 2 ) .

2 6 . A . N . , Y 1 3 7 0 1 , papers

 of

 Blakey,

 mercha nt o f Paris

  ( 1 7 6 3 -

1 7 7 1 ) ,

  and

  Affiches, Annonces etAvis divers,

  dated January

2 1 ,

  1 7 6 0 .

  He had no doubt earlier been admitted to the

College of Surgery as an expert . Roze de Chantoiseau in

Tablettes  1 7 9 1 ,

 under the article "College de Chirurgie,"

states

 that the

  statutes

 require "those who

 would wish

 to

manufacture hernial

 bandages

 . . . to undertake this and

be adm itte d to the College of Surgery in the capacity of

expert." See also

  LAvant-Coureur,

  no. 49

  ( 1 7 6 3 ) ,

  and

Blakey  1 7 8 0 .

  Blakey also assumed the titles

 Expert etAuteur

des Banda ges Elastiques

  and

  Entrepreneur Genera l de la F ourni-

ture des Bandag es Militaires

  (see

  LAvant Coureur,  1 7 5 8 ) .

  He

was active in this

 area

 for

  t h i r t y

  years.

2 7 .

  On February 15,

 1 7 6 4 ,

 Count von Kaunitz-Rietberg, chan

cellor o f Empress Maria-Theresa of Austria,  ordered

some "bandages pou r la chute de l'anus."

  A . N . ,

 Y

  1 3 7 0 1 .

2 8.

  Affiches, Annonces et Avis Divers,  February 5,

  1 7 6 7 ,

 gives the

new address. I t is not certa in that Blakey actually resided

i n

 the rue des Prouvaires. He may simply have had his var

ious

 businesses,

 and tha t of his

 w i f e ,

 at that

 address.

 The

latter subsequently rented a large house b u i l t  against the

walls o f the Bastille (see note 2).

2 9 . A . N . ,

 Y

  1 3 7 0 2 ,

  Registre de Factures des marcha ndises tirees

dAngleterre,  commence  le 27 ma y  J6 6

  etfiny

  le

  .

 . . The

advertisem ent men tione d in note 28 is very detailed in

respect to the merc handise sold by Madame Blakey.

3 0 .

  Blakey

  1 7 8 0 .

 The lists of master clock-makers in Paris in

1 7 8 1 , 1 7 8 3 ,

  an d

  1 7 8 9

 no longer mention him.

3 1 .  Liste

  1 7 7 8 .

3 2 . A . N . ,

  Marine, G

  1 1 7 ,

  dos.

  1 , fo l .

 8, letter dated May 7,

1 7 8 1 .

3 3 .

  See note 2.

3 4 .  See note 26 .

C H A R L E S B U Z O T

Charles Buz ot was alrea dy active as a sp ring -ma ker

(fabricant  de

 ressort)

  in Paris in 1740 an d die d befor e 1772.

He was ma rr ie d to Catherine-Genevieve Feret, who bore

h i m

  two sons, Jean-Charles  (1740—after 178 4), a sp ri ng -

maker ,

1

  a nd

  Joseph,

  admitted to the

  g u i l d

  i n Paris as a

master  clock-maker on August 21, 1770.

2

  Charles Buzot

himself was never admi tte d to the

  g u i l d

  as a master clock-

maker . He was established in the rue d u Chat qui Perche

i n

  1740 an d the n in the rue de la Huc het te "A VEnseigne  de

VAnge in 1754.

3

N o t h i n g

  is kn ow n of the details o f Buzot's activities.

T h e  only  clock-makers  w i t h  w ho m it is cert ain he collab

orated are Etienne Le No i r  (after  1741),  Jacques-Mathieu

Leper s, Jean- Philip pes Gosselin, and in all

 l ikelihood

  Fer

d inand

  Ber thoud, to whom his son  Jean-Charles  was

apprent iced in 1754.

4

  Th e latte r too k over his father's

wor ksho p in the rue de la Huch ette, at  which  address  he

is

  ment ioned under the  na m e  of "Buzot

  fils"

  in the

Tablettes  Ro y  ales de la Renommee  o f 1772 an d 1773.

NOTES

1.

  A . N . , M i n . , X X X I V , 5 9 4,

  February 7,

  1 7 5 4 ,

  record of

Jean-Charles

 Buzot's apprenticeship to Ferdinand Ber

thoud,

 and the Arc hives Brateau (Musee Natio nal des

Techniques),

 which

 mention a spring signed "Buzot,

1 78 4 . "

2 . A . N . ,

  Y

 4 5 4 ,

  no.

  1 0 5 ,

  December 19,

 1 7 7 8 ,

  registration of

Joseph Buzot's marriage contract.

3.   See note 1.

4 .  See note 1.

D E B R U G E

Deb ruge was an enameler active in Paris du ri ng the

f i r s t h a l f

  o f the nine teen th century. I n add it io n to works

i n

  the Classical style,

  wh i ch

  he produced for contempo

ra ry

  clock-makers, he executed a certain num ber of dials

i n

  the style of the eighteenth century, of

 wh i ch

  the one in

the J. Paul Getty M us eu m (cat. no. 14) is a  fine  example.

B I O G R A P H I E S  167

Page 181: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 181/225

JACQUES  D E C L A

Jacques  Decla was admitted as a painter to the Aca

demie de Saint- Luc on Januar y 30, 1746.

1

  He was

  s t i l l

a l i v e  in 1764, when he was  l i v i n g  in the rue du Chevet-

Saint-Landry.

2

O n

  August 6, 1746, the

  j u r y

  of the

  g u i l d

  of master

fayanciers  ha d par t of his stock seized. It was re tu rn ed to

h i m  by a  r u l i n g  o f the Lieu ten ant Gener al de Police

dated  A p r i l  21 , 1747- Thi s  r u l i n g  also co nfi rm ed that the

ename l-pa inter s o f the Acade mie de Saint-Luc , as  w e l l  as

th e fayanciers,  were entitle d to make enamel dials.

3

Th e ins criptio ns on a clock in the Getty Mus eum

(cat. no. 11) show that Jacques Decla wo rked for Etienne

L e

  N o i r .

T h e  o n l y  o ther  d i a l  by Decla kn ow n today belongs

to

  a  w a l l  clock by Al ex an dr e Le Faucheur. I t is signed on

the back and dated 1742.

4

  Made  p r i o r  to his reception

as a master b y the Ac ade mie de S aint-Luc , the dial's in

s c r i p t i o n

  reveals that Decla  first  exercised his craft as an

ouvrier

  libre.

N O T E S

1.

  G u i f f r ey  1 9 1 5 .

2 .  Guiffrey  refers  to the  Liste  Generate

  de tons

  le s noms et  sur-

noms

 de tous  le s maitres peintres etc.  . . .  o f  the  Academie  de

Saint-Luc,

 published in  1764.

3 .  R a i l l a r d

  1 7 5 2 , p p.  19—20. I t

 appears l ikely

 that this docu

ment was known to Emile M o l i n i e r, who mentions Decla

w i t h the single date of  1 7 4 7 . See  M o l i n i er  1 8 8 5 .

4 .  Sotheby's, Lon don, May 19, 1 9 7 2 ,  lot 15.

J E A N - F R A N C O I S

  D O M I N I C E

Jean-Francois Do min ic e was bo rn in Geneva o n

August 23, 1694

1

  and died after 17 54.

2

  H e was the son o f

Denis Domi ni ce (1661—1721) an d Pernette T er ro ux (died

1734). He was ma rri ed, before 1729, to Ann e-M arg uer ite

L a  Fosse,  wh o bor e hi m a single daug hter, also n ame d

Anne-Marguer i t e .

3

D o m i n i c e

  en joyed the pr ivilege s associated

  w i t h

  the

Enclos de  Y abbaye de Saint-Germain-des- Pres an d never

applied for admission to the  g u i l d  as a master.

4

  H e  first

resid ed i n the cou r des Moin es, the n, after 1732, in the

cour Abb atiale (Abbey Cou rt) . Several notarized

 deeds

 o f

the 1750s show that he was  i n v o l v e d ,  as a  t h i r d  party, in

various  trades outside his own specialty.

5

D o m i n i c e  belonged to a prominent dynasty of  g o l d

smiths and clock-makers

  f r o m

  Geneva  w h i c h ,  between

1670 and 1770, counted ten masters,  i n c l u d i n g  his father,

his uncle Be rn ar d (1651—1727) and two of his  first  cous

i n s ,  Francois (1683—1758) and Etienne (1690—1761). He

und oub ted ly received his tra ini ng in the wor kshop of his

father, who , in his  sister's  marriage contract, prom ised to

g i v e h im all his tools after his ow n dea th.

6

  Appar ent ly his

parents

  were wealthy, since his sister received a dowry

o f  1,000  f l o r i n s .

7

  He inher i ted one  t h i r d  o f his fa ther's

w e a l t h ,  amounting to at least 1,000  f l o r i n s ,  in addition to

the su m o f 50 silver ecus bequeathed "par preci put et hors

part" (before

  d i s t r i b u t i o n

 o f the

  shares,

 inheri tance  taxes

bei ng paid by the estate).

8

D o m i n i c e   in all  l i k e l i h o o d  moved to Paris before

1 7 2 1 ,

  since he did not sign his  sister's  wedding contract,

and she was ma rr ied in Geneva on M ar ch 10,  1 7 2 1 .

9

  H e

ha d in any even t settled i n Paris bef or e 1724, as can be

seen

  f r o m

  promissory notes made out to his order but not

collected,  w h i c h giv e his residence as bein g in that  c i t y .

1 0

O n   A p r i l  17, 1732, he bought up the stock and took

over the  lease of Nestor H elms, clock-maker to James I I

o f  England and later to the prince de Conde.

1 1

  A 1747

i n v e n t o r y  o f his belo ngin gs shows that he  possessed  a

c l o c k  by Helms and also one by Edward East (perhaps the

most famous Engli sh clock-maker of the end of the  sev

enteent h c entur y), the values of  w h i c h  were estimated at

th e

  r e l a t i v e l y

  h i g h  sum of 100  livres  each (con side ring that

they had been made quite a nu mbe r of

  years

  earlier).

T h e  same  document shows other  l i n k s  w i t h  England

and E nglish clock-making, me nti on ing that he had an

apprent ice  f r o m  Lon do n, named Davenpor t , the costs o f

whose appr enti cesh ip were bein g pa id fo r by the due

d'Orleans .

1 2

  T h i s same  apprentice is men tio ned in othe r

records as hav ing repair ed t wo English clocks for private

customers .

13

  Dominice's dials  d e f i n i t e l y  show a

  B r i t i s h

influence, possibly resulti ng  f r o m  an early collabo ration

w i t h  Nestor Hel ms. Some are made o f paint ed c ardbo ard

rather than enam el .

1 4

Dominice's mechanical talent extended beyond

  s i m

ple clock-m aking to the ma kin g of complicated move

ments. I n 1747 he repa ir ed a late  Renaissance  clock

showing

  the planets a nd the Zodi ac and i n the  same

p e r i o d   created an equation clock  (une pendule a seconde a

grande

  equation)  f or Monseigneur  D u r i n i ,  archbishop  in

partibus

  of Rhodes, and papal nunc io,

  w h i c h

  was

  b i l l e d

  at

1,400  livres,  a pric e indi cativ e o f the object's imp ort anc e.

Th e in ven tory of his works hop in 1747 indicates th at

w h i l e  his fortune was modest, his  business  was healthy.

H i s  stock was valued at 450  livres  by his colleague  Jean-

Isaac

 Godde. H is credits amo unt ed to 4,829

  l ivres

  and his

debts  to 1,405  livres.  I n add iti on to the papal nunci o, the

com te de Schomb erg, an d certainl y the due d'Orleans, he

nu mb ere d am ong his clients the  dues d e

  B o u i l l o n

  and de

168

B I O G R A P H I E S

Page 182: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 182/225

Montmorency, the  comtesse  de Bercy, an d the mar quis

d'Arancourt. He was on good terms

  w i t h

  his colleagues:

he len t mon ey to Pier re de Rivaz, the famous cloc k-maker

and mechanic, a nd repa ire d clocks bel ong ing to An toi ne

( I I )  G a ud r on .

1 5

H i s  signatu re on a clock bel ong ing to the Getty

Museum (cat. no. 5)

 shows

  that he collaborated o n musi

c a l

  mechanisms

  w i t h  M i c h e l  Stollenwerck, who then

resided, as he di d himself, i n the

  abbey

 of Saint-Germain

des

  Pres.

  His cases were

  made

 by Louis Reinders, Ad ri en

Dubois ,

1 6

  Antoine Foul let ,

17

  Jean-Pierre  Latz,

1 8

  Jean-

Joseph

  de Saint-Germain,

1 9

  and Balthazar Lieutaud.

2 0

H e

  also

  provide d movements fo r bronze  cases  decorated

w i t h

  Meissen porcelain figures.

2 1

  T hi s type of work may

conceivably

  have been

  made  for Lazare Duvaux, whose

name appears

  in connection

  w i t h

  a note for 240

  livres

(dated 1747) for the  purchase  of a watch.

2 2

  Some

  of his

watchcases

 were provi ded by Jean-Isaac  Godde.

N O T E S

1.

  Receuil  Genealogique  Suisse,  premiere  serie  (Geneva,

  1 9 0 7 ) ,

v o l . 2, s.v. "Dominice."

2.

  He is last mentioned in the posthumous inventory

 o f

  J.-P.

L a tz ,

 see H . H . Hawley, "Jean-Pierre Latz Cabinetmaker,"

Bulletin   of

  the

 Cleveland  Museum   of A rt

  (September-October

i 9 7 o ) -

3.

  A . N . ,  Y 4 4 4 1 ,  document dated March  3 1 ,  1 7 2 9 ,  designat

i n g  Dominice as the tuto r of Louis-Alexandre Blondeau,

his wife's nephew.

4 . A . N . , Y 9 3 7 9 ,

 January  2 0 ,

  1 7 3 9 , notice of the  Procureur  du

Roi

  ref er ring to Dominice as a "self-styled clock-maker."

He

 does

 not appear in the print ed  l is t of clock-makers who

were

 members

 of the

 Paris

 g u i l d  in 1748.

5 .  A . N . , M i n . , X C V I I ,  5 2 2 , May 4,  1 7 5 3 ;  A . N . , M i n . ,  V I I I ,

1 1 0 5 ,

 June

 29 ,

 1 7 5 3 ;

  A . N . , M i n . , X C I ,

  9 0 5 ,

 May 7, 1754,

etc.

6 .  Archives d'Etat de

 Geneve,

 Pierre  V i g n i e t , notary,  v o l . 8,

wedding contract, March 10,

  1 7 2 1 .

7.

  I b i d .

8.   Archives d'Etat de

 Geneve, Jean

 Anne Comparet, notary,

v o l .

  7 0 , testament

 of Denis Dominice and his

  wife ,

 Novem

ber

  9,

  1 7 2 1 .

9.

  See note 6.

1 0.

  A . N . ,  Z

2

 3 5 2 8 , February  2 1 ,  1 7 4 7 , inventory after the

death of Dominice's w i fe (a note dated

 June

 3,  1 7 2 4 ,  f r o m

the  ebeniste  Louis Reinders and

 another,

 dated November

1 3,

  1 7 2 4 ,  f r o m a Sieur Hubert in Rouen).

1 1 .   A . N . , M i n . , X C I I ,  6 7 1 .  Nestor Helms was a Catholic clock-

maker, an apprentice o f the Clock-makers' Company in

L o n d o n

 i n

  1 6 7 4 ,

 who

  fo l l ow e d

 James

  I I

  into exile in

France. Described in  1 7 0 2 as clock-maker to the  k i n g of

England, he was a protege  o f James's

 wife ,

 Mary of  M o -

dena. He then became the object of

 attacks

 by the  g u i l d

( A . N . , O

1

*  3 6 3 ,  fol s .  1 8 7 , 2 1 2 ) .  He nonetheless worked in

Paris; "a small clock made by Nestor Helms in Paris" is

mentioned as being in the roo m of the due de Bourbon in

the Ho tel du G rand Maitre in Versailles  ( A . N . , M i n . ,

X C I I ,  5 0 4 ,  February 17, 1 7 4 0 ,

  fo l .

  i o 8 r ) .

1 2.  See note 10.

1 3 . A . N . ,

  Z

2

  3 5 2 8 ,

 February  2 1 ,

  1 7 4 7 ,  scelle

 (preliminary

i n v e n t o r y )   o f

  J.-F. Dominice's  wife .

1 4.  Sale,

 Nicolay, Paris, July  1 1 ,  1 9 8 4 , lot 86.

15 .  See note 13.

1 6.

  Sale,

 Sotheby's, Monaco, December 9,

  1 9 8 4 ,

 lot

  1 0 8 4

 (a

mantel clock

 by

 J.-F. Domin ice; while the

 case

 is stamped

A .   Dubois

  and F

  Goyer,

 it is probably

 by

 J.-P. Latz).

1 7.

  See note 10.

1 8.

  See note 6.

1 9.

  H . Gobel, "Ein Cartel aus der Manufa ktur des

 Jean-

Joseph

 de Saint-Germain und

 seine

 Varianten,"

  Sonder-

druck

  aus

 de m  Cicerone

  22  ( 1 9 3 0 )  (a clock marked

  w i t h

 a

crowned G).

2 0 .  Sale,

 Sotheby's, Florence, May

 2 4,

  1 9 8 3 , lot  1515 .

2 1 .

  Sale,

 Ader, Picard, Tajan, Paris, November

  2 2 ,

  1 9 8 7 , lot

2 2 4 .

2

 2.

  Unfor tunat ely this cannot be confirmed by

 reference

  to

the daybooks of Lazare Duvaux, of

 w h i c h

 only the

  parts

after

  September

  17, 1 7 4 8 ,

 have been

  preserved.

D U B U I S S O N

Henri-Francois Dubuisson (active 1769-1823) was

admitted as a

 master

 to the Cor por ati on des Verri ers, Fay-

anciers, Emailleu rs et Patenotriers de

  Paris

  on Jul y 16,

1769.

1

  H e resided i n the rue d u Roule (1772), the rue de

la   Huch ett e ( 1795), the rue de la Bari ller ie (1799), and

f i n a l l y  at 17, ru e de la Cala ndr e, in a

  house

  belonging to

the old  B arnabite conven t (1812).

The earliest

  d i a l

  dated by Dubuis son

  appears

  to be

that o f a skeleton clock by Die udo nne Kinabl e, whi ch

is ins cri bed 1787 an d

  reveals

  an already mature talent.

2

Dubuisson may

  also have

  created the enamel

  plaques

r e l a t i n g

  th e

  adventures

  of Telemachus that

 decorate

  this

c l o c k .

 The last items he is known to

 have

 pro duc ed are the

dials of the clocks exhibi ted by An ti de Janvier at the

E x p o s i t i o n

  des Produits Industriels in 1823.

Dubui sson belong ed to the

  same

  gen erat ion as

Joseph  Coteau (1740—1801) and was among the most

g i f t e d

  enamelers  of his day. The dials of  f i v e  clocks by

Louis-Francois Go do n and of a

  long-case

  clock by Jean-

S i m o n   Boudier exhibited in Spain in 1987 display the

d i v e r s i t y

  of his compositions and the

  scope

  of his talent.

3

He was the equa l of Cote au,  w i t h  whom he

  shared

  a  cer

t a i n

  n umb er of clients, includ ing Kinable, Janvier,

Godon, Bourdier , Robert

  R o b i n , Jacques-Pierre-Thomas

Breant, and Francois Drouot.

He worked extensively for the  fondeurs-ciseleurs

Claude Galle

4

  and Pierre-Etienne Romai n,

5

  as

  w e l l

  as for

the clock-makers Louis Bregu et, Ed me Coeur, C.  C a i l -

l a u d ,  Jacques-Francois  Vaillant, Jean-Francois  de Belle,

Joseph  Revel, Felix Thi aff et (in L y o n ) ,  the Baillys (father

B I O G R A P H I E S

  169

Page 183: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 183/225

and son), the Berthouds (uncle and nephew), the  firm  o f

B e r t h o u d

  Freres,

  and for various

  members

  of the

Lepaute dynasty.

L o u i s  Berthoud often solicited the talent of Dubuis

son and in

 w r i t i n g

 about  an enameled  dial Dubui sson had

made

  for a decimal clock, he declared "his clock-face,

w h i c h

  displays bot h the old and th e new time [the new

decimal t ime

  b r i e f l y

  imp ose d by the Rev olut ion] may be

r ega rded  as a  masterpiece  of outsta nding craftsman

ship."

6

 Janvier

  also

 pai d hi m a touc hing complime nt, add

i n g

  the

  f o l l o w i n g

  note  to the manuscript of his

  Description

d une Sphere Mouvante

  (Descript ion of an Orrer y Clock),

w r i t t e n  in 1800: "The dials were  executed  by the citoyen

Dubuisson who, in add iti on to having the

  greatest  s k i l l

  i n

his art, is

  possessed  w i t h

  a knowledge which

  assures

  the

success of the most  d i f f i c u l t  pieces; it is a tru e service to all

amateurs

  to

  i n f o r m

  th em of this mod ern and hard

w o r k i n g   artist."

7

  W h e n

  Janvier 's

  text was published by

Ferd inand B er thoud in

 Lhistoire de la Mesure du Temps par

le s

 Horloges

  in 1802, Berthoud

  suppressed

  th e

  note about

Dubuisson. I n 1813 Janvier complet ed his manusc ript,

w r i t i n g

  of the cut effected by Berthoud, "this s uppression

pai ned m e. I love d Mr . Dubui sson as an artist, before hav

i n g   learned to  appreciate  him as a good father, a good

f r i e n d ,

  a nd a good citize n. He is deserv ing o f

  respect

  i n

every way."

8

N O T E S

1.

  Catalogue des

 Maistres

  et  Marchands  Verriers-Fayanciers-

Emailleurs-Paternostriers

  de la Ville  et

 F auxbourgs  de  Paris,

  sui-

vant

  VOrdre  de   leur

  reception, pour   Vannee mil sept  soixante-

douze

  (Paris, n.d.). Rather  curiously his admission to the

rank of

 master

 is not mentioned in the

  registers

 kept in the

Archives Nationales.

2.

  Sale, Christie's, Monaco, June  19,

 1 9 8 8 ,

 lot 36.

3.

  J. Ramon Colon de Carvajal,

  Catdlogo

  de  Relojes dePatri-

monio  Nacional,

  exh. cat. (Ma dri d, 1 9 8 7 ) , nos. 57, 59, 64,

8 9 , 9 1 , 1 1 7 .

4 .  D. Ledoux -Leba rd, "Bronziers de l'Empir e," in Ottomeyer

and Proschel,

  Vergoldete Bronzen,  v o l .

 2, p. 720 .

5.

  Sale of the collecti on of the comte de Vill afranca, Paris,

M a r c h  19 ,

 1 8 7 3 ,

 l ot

  1 7 5 ;

 also a clock kept in the Elysee Pal

ace in Paris.

6 .

  C. Cardinal,

 La  Revolution

  dans

  la

  Mesure

  du

  Temps,  Calen-

drier Republicain,

  HeureDecimate,  1793—1805,

 exh. cat. (La

Chaux-de-Fonds, Musee  International d'Horlogerie,

1 9 8 9 ) , pp .

  3 0 , 3 2 , 7 6 .

7.

  A .

 Janvier,

  Description

  d 'une

  Sphere  Mouvante

  . . ., 1800—An

V I I I ,  augmentee

  en 1813/1814  deplusieurs  notes

  inter-essantes,

de

  nouveaux

  calculs  de

 rouages,  & f

  etc.

  . . .

  (manuscript,

Jacques

 van Damme Collection, Antwerp).

8.   I b i d .

JEAN-JAC QUES FIEFFE

Jean-Jacques

  Fieffe was born  about  1700 and died in

Paris  on August 14, 1770.

1

  He was the son of Nicolas

F i e f f e ,

  bourgeois de

  Paris  and Marie-Madele ine Roussel.

2

I n   1728 he married Jeanne-Francois  Lere ,

3

  who died on

A p r i l  13, 1758, after having given

  b i r t h

  to

  five

  sons  and a

daughter .  Four of his  sons,  Jean-Nicolas  (died 1762),

Nicolas (died before 1778), Jean-Alexandre  (died before

1781), and  Jean-Claude  (die d after 1789), were  master

clock-make rs i n Paris,

4

  and his  daughter ,  Marie-Louise,

marr ied Jean-Adrien  Jean,  also a master  clock-maker.

5

F i e f f e  was admitted to the  Paris

  g u i l d

  as a

  master

cloc k-make r on Octo ber 1, 1725.

6

  He  served  as

  Garde Vi-

siteur

  f r o m

  1747 to 1749,

7

  and

  Garde Visiteur Comptable

f r o m

  1750 to 1752.

8

  He

  l i v e d f i rs t

  on the quai de l 'Hor-

loge,  also  known as the quai des Morfondus (1728), then

i n  the rue de la

  V i e i l l e

  Draper ie

  ( f r o m

  at  least  1741  u n t i l

his death).

F i e f f e  used  th e

  t i t l e

  "Clock- make r of the [Paris]

Observatoire," whi ch probably simply meant  that he was

responsible  for maintain ing that  establishment's  clocks.

9

Thi s activity gained h im a numb er of

 scholars

  such as the

due de  Chaulnes  as  customers.

1 0

U n l i k e

  many of his colleagues,  Fieffe did not  become

wealthy. His fortune was  modest,  amounting to no more

than

  about

  10,000

  livres,

  in cl ud in g the value of a small

house  and a few  acres  of agricultural land he owned in

Noisy-le-Sec

  near

  Paris.

1 1

Th e fact that he reti re d early, proba bly after the

death of his

  w i f e

  in 1758,

  makes

  i t

 d i f f i c u l t

  to  gather  facts

about  his activities. The  contents  of his workshop,

appraised  six

  years

  later by his  colleagues Thomas

Lefebvre and Toussaint-Marie Le Noir , amoun ted to no

more than  three  clocks, the wo rt h of whi ch was estimated

at 355  livres,  and 36  livres  wor th of tools, His only know n

collaborators are the spring-maker

  V i d a l

1 2

  and a

  compag-

non,

  Pierre-Henry de La  Chaussee.

13

F i e f f e  installed his movements in

  cases

  of very high

q u a l i t y ,  such as the imposing  w a l l  clock i n the Getty

Museum (cat. no. 8).  Some  of his

  cases

  were

  made

  by

Nicolas-Pierre Severin,

1 4

  others  by the Caffieris

1 5

  and

Jean-Joseph  de Saint-Germain. The reputation of  these

artists and the imp or ta nt posi tio n Fieffe hel d in his

  g u i l d

suggest  that his work was held in high  esteem.

N O T E S

1.

  A . N . , M i n . , X X I V ,

  6 1 7 ,

 August  2 0 ,

  1 7 7 0 ,

  inventory after

the death  o f Jean-Jacques Fieffe.

2 . A . N . , M i n . ,  C X I X , 2 1 3,  A p r i l  1 1 ,  1 7 2 8 , Jean-Jacques

Fieffe's marriage contract.

170

B I O G R A P H I E S

Page 184: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 184/225

3.

  I b i d .

4 . A . N . , Y 9 3 2 7 and  9 3 2 8 , admitted on  A p r i l  5,  1752,

December  3 0 ,  1 7 5 4 , and December  2 2 ,  1 7 5 7 , respectively.

5.   A . N . , M i n . , X X I V ,  5 8 2 , May 2 7 ,

  1 7 5 1 ,

 Jean-Adrien Jean's

marriage contract.

6 .

  Liste

  1 7 4 8 .

7.

  A . N . , Y 9 3 2 6 .

8.

  A . N . , Y 9 3 2 7 .

9.

  Th e archives of the Paris Observatoire contain no trace of

a  f o r m a l nomination.

1 0 .

  A . N . , M i n . ,

  X X I I I ,

  7 0 4 , October

  1 0,

  1 7 6 9 , inventory after

the death o f Michel-Ferdinand, due de Chaulnes.

1 1 .   A . N . ,

  M i n . ,

  X X X I V ,  6 4 2 ,  February 1, 1 7 6 4 , inventory

after the death

  o f

 Jean-Jacques Fieffe's  wife ;  A . N . ,

  M i n . ,

X X X I V ,  6 4 8 , February 7,  1 7 6 5 ,

  p a r t i t i o n

 of property

between Jean-Jacques Fieffe and his

 c h i l d r e n ;

  A . N . ,

  M i n . ,

X X X I V ,  6 7 7 , August

  2 0 ,

  1 7 7 0 , inven tory after the death

o f

 Jean-Jacques

 Fieffe;

  A . N . ,

  M i n . ,

  X X X I V ,  6 7 8 , Novem

ber 15, 1 7 7 0 ,

  p a r t i t i o n

 of the inheritance

  o f

 Jean-Jacques

Fieffe.

1 2 .

  London , Wallace

 C o l l ec t io n

  ( i n v .

  F 9 1 ) ,

 and P. Hughes,

French

  Eighteenth-Century

  Clocks

  and Barometers  in th e  Wallace

Collection  ( L o n d o n ,  1 9 9 4 ) ,

 p p.  3 8 - 3 9 .

1 3 . A . N . ,

  E*

  1 4 1 8

 B ,

 decree

 of the Conseil d'Etat du Ro i in

f a v o r of Pierre-Henry de La Chaussee.

1 4.

  Anonymous sale, Paris, February 13,

 1 7 7 1 ,

 l ot

  83.

15 .  A clock w i t h an elephant by Caff ier i  and a movement by

Jean-Jacques

 F ief fe .

 Fulda, Schloss La Fasanerie,

  col lec t ion

o f

  the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel.

N I C O L A S - A L E X A N D R E   F O L I N , C A L L E D

F O L I N

  L'AINE

1

Nicolas-Alexandre

  F o l i n

  was born about 1750 and

d i e d  after 1815. He was marr ied to Marg uer ite Mer let

2

and  assumed  the designation  Vaine to distingui sh

  h i m s e l f

f r o m   his bro the r Silvestre-Francois (1755 -1795 ), who

was also a clock-maker.

3

 F o l i n resided  first  i n the rue Salle-

au-Comte in 1784,

4

  the n in the rue  S a i n t - M a r t i n ,

  f r o m

  at

least 1793

5

  to 1815, at  w h i c h  date  he was  succeeded  by a

clock-maker nam ed Sarazin.

6

A s

  shown by his accession to mastership as a

  Trinitaire

i n  1789,  F o l i n  was active lo ng befo re be ing adm itt ed to

th e

  g u i l d

  as a master. The term  Trinitaire  was app lie d to

th e

  ouvriers l ibres

  who worked

  w i t h i n

  the Enclos de l'Ho-

p i t a l

 de la

  T r i n i t e .

 T he hos pital was under an

  o b l i g a t i o n

  to

teach, free o f charge , a craft to the ch ild re n accepted

there, for a lengt h of time equal to that prescribed for an

appre ntices hip—ei ght years. At the end o f this per iod ,

the youn g craftsmen ac quired the

  r i g h t ,

  by priv ileg e, to

be received as masters  w i t h no fur ther formali t ies .

7

Folin's

  a c t i v i t y  was cons ider able . I n 1783 he was

already  w o r k i n g  f o r  Jean-Gabriel Imb ert .

8

 Bu t it was du r

i n g  the Revo luti on and the  years  of the Em pi re that his

business

  f lourished, producing i tems  w i t h  movements

o f  good qual i ty in

  cases

  o f  o r i g i n a l  design. He worked

closely  w i t h  the enameler Georg es-Adr ien Merlet, possi

b l y

  an  i n - l a w  o f his, especially on skelet on clocks  w h i c h

were decorated  w i t h  bronzes by Etie nne

  M a r t i n c o u r t .

  H e

also used  ebenisterie

 cases

 by Ferd inan d Schwerdfeger and

bronze  cases by Francois  V i o n .

H e

  q u i c k l y

  established a

 secure

  f inancial

  position. He

acquired two bui ldings du ri ng the Terror, the

  first

  i n

Paris, in the rue d u Che mi n  V e r t ,  on approximately Feb

ruary

  20, 1794, for 14,500  livres,

9

  the second in  G e n t i l l y ,

o n

  Decem ber 14, 1794, fo r 7,725  livres.

10

N O T E S

1.

  A . N . , M i n . , X, 8 1 0 , June  2 6,  1 7 9 3 ,  deed signed  " N . A.

F ol i n Laine."

2.   His w i fe was no doubt a relative of the enameler of the

same

 name.

3.

  A . N . , Y

9

3 3

4

.

4.

  Archives de la Seine,  D 4

  B 6 ,

 cart.

  6 4 ,

 dos. 4 1 3 2 ,  balance

sheet

 o f

 Jean-Gabriel Imb ert, 1784 .

5 .

  A . N . , M i n . , X,

 8 1 0 ,

 June 8, 1793.

6 .

  Th e Almanack Azur  of

  1 8 1 5

 shows "Sarazin, successor of

F ol i n , "

 at that same address.

7.   Privil ege con fir med by an act of the Parlement de Paris on

M ay

 3,  1 7 1 2 . T he  H o p i t a l de la T r i n i t e was founded by

Francois I in  1 5 4 5 . See E. Levasseur,  Histoire  de s

  classes

ouvrieres

  et

 de

  Vlndustrie  avant  1789 (Paris,

  1 9 0 0 ) .

8.   See note 4.

9.

  A . N . , M i n . ,

  X X I I ,

  1 0 3 , 2 Ventose A n

  I I .

1 0.

  A . N . ,

  M i n . ,  X V I ,

  9 1 6 ,  24 Frimaire An

  I I I .

A L E X A N D R E

  F O R T I E R

Alexandre

  Fo rti er was bo rn in Paris about 1700 and

d i e d  there o n Januar y 26, 1770.

1

  He was the son  o f

  Jean

Fortier

 (die d before 1744), marchand bourgeois o f  Paris and

o f  Mar ie Fressant (died before 1729). I n 1729 he mar rie d

Jeanne-Madeleine

  Cressat

 (died 1737X

2

 the daught er

  o f

  a

Syndic  des rentes  o f  the Paris  T o w n  H a l l , who bore him four

c h i l d r e n :

  Michelle-Jeanne (1731—1757),  w i f e  of Prosper

Cavalier, counselor to the  k i n g  and

  Maitre particulier

  des

eaux et forets de  Paris;  Nicolas-A lexandr e (1735-17 52);

Cath erin e; an d Francois (the last two die d you ng) .

I n

  1744 he was rem arr ied to Therese, daught er o f

Pierre (I I ) Le Roy and  w i d o w  of Denis ( II ) Gaul t .

3

 They

had two

 c h i l d r e n :

  P i e r r e - M i c h e l and  A l e x a n d r i n e - M a r i e ,

b o t h  of wh om were  s t i l l

  l i v i n g

  in 1770.

4

 He

  l i v e d

 his entire

l i f e  i n the

  same

 house  located on the corne r of the rue de

R i c h e l i e u

  and the rue Neuve des Petits Champs.

Fortier was the

  o f f s p r i n g

  of a Parisian mercha nt

  f a m

i ly ,  whose members hel d various  r o y a l  offices. On e o f his

B I O G R A P H I E S

  171

Page 185: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 185/225

Page 186: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 186/225

d u c t i o n .

2 0

  T h e  sphere mouvante  ma y

  have

  belo nged to

M a g n y  after the Bonnier de La Mosson

  sale;

  it then

passed  into the collecti on of the baro n de Thi ers , wher e it

c o u l d

  be

  seen

  in 1770.

2 1

O n l y  after 1744 di d Fort ier und ert ake the concep

t i o n   and con stru ctio n o f "planispheres," a projec t he

ann oun ced in his treatise on di ur na l move ment : "a Pla

nisph ere o f the planets

  f o l l o w i n g

  the System of Cop ern i

cus & i n  w h i c h  the earth  w o u l d  be represen ted only by a

simple  d i a l  d ivi ded into 24 hours." Three of his  p l a n i

spheres

 have

  survived, and the perfection o f their mech

anisms is equaled onl y by the refi neme nt o f the ir  cases.

22

The earliest of

  these

  belongs to the Getty Museum (cat.

no. 13). I t can be date d to war d the end o f the 1740s a nd

reasonably

  i d e n t i f i e d

  as the one

  w h i c h

  belonged to the

prince de  C o n t i .

2 3

  The next in

 date,

  now in the Wallace

C o l l e c t i o n

  in Lo nd on , is certai nly the one that belo nged

to  Jean  Paris de Mon tma rte l, who had it

  f i t t e d

  w i t h  an

exceptionally luxurious  case.

24

  T h e last, dat ed 1760,

w h i c h

 we believe belonged to Fortier personally, was

  f o r

m e r l y

  in the collection of Barbara  Piasecka  Johnson.

2 5

These  last two planisphere s, on  w h i c h  the dials are set in

th e

  same

 way and the astronomical indications couched in

th e

  same

  terms, also

 bear

  the signature of M i c h el  Stollen-

werck, wh o displa yed the 1760 plani spher e i n his s hop .

2 6

T h e  presence o f this last signatur e  raises the qu estion

o f

  the collaborators to whom our scholarly inventor may

have

  turned. Fortier's  f i r s t  workshop was on the  f o u r t h

f l o o r of his

 house

  in the rue de Riche lieu. He the n mo ved

to

  a small lodge in the garden of a country  house  in the

faubour g du Roule,

  w h i c h

 he had acquired on

 September

24,  1744.

I t  appears

  l i k e l y  that F orti er him sel f too k a ha nd i n

m a k i n g   some  of the mechanical

  parts

  for his orreries.

However, our knowledge  o f  the tools he possessed, even

  i f

we incl ude the famous mac hine f or cu tti ng the teeth in

watch wheels created by He nr i End erl in,  w h i c h  he pur

chased

 at the

  sale

 of Bonn ie r de La Mosson's cabinet,

  does

not allow the assum ption that he executed the works in

their ent i rety.

2 7

We can be  f a i r l y  sure  that  M i c h el  Stollenwerck

w o r k e d

  o n the last two planispher es, bo th of

  w h i c h  bear

his signature, but the  name  of the mechanic w ho  assisted

Fortier

  w i t h

  th e

  f i r s t

  on e

  does

  not

  appear

  on any docu

ment. On e must theref ore be very cautious in men tio nin g

Stollenwerck's coll abor atio n in this conn ectio n h owever

plausible i t may

  seem.

 T h e

  i d e n t i f i c a t i o n

 of Fortier's

 assis

tants  in the creation of the  spheres mouvantes  raises  much

th e

  same

  problem. Only the

  names

  o f Denis (I I) Gault

and o f Ende rl in are fo und in documentary  sources  con

ce rn ing

 these

  items.

E n d e r l i n ,

  who belonged to a famous  f a m i l y  o f clock-

makers

  f r o m

  Basel, settled in Paris du ri ng the  Regence.

A l t h o u g h  he was never admitted to the  g u i l d  as a  master,

he contributed substantially, by his innovations, to the

progress  of chr ono met ry. Several of his inven tions we re

described by Antoine Thiout in his 1741

  Traite d'Horlo-

gerie  Mecanique.  En de rl in was prob ably Stollenwerck's

master.

  Th e character of his

  w o r k ,

  his connections

  w i t h

Stollenwerck, and the fact that Fortier acquired one of his

machines show an obvious connection  w i t h  the latter.

Con cer ni ng Gault, one shoul d note that Fortie r was his

notary and that he married his  w i d o w . A n d lastly, the fact

that Gau lt signed one of the spheres mouvantes,  dated 1741

and today in the colle ction of P. P. D. Palmer at D orn ey

C our t ,

2 9

  points to him as another

  l i k e l y

  collaborator.

N O T E S

1.

  A . N . , Y  1 0 8 9 9 ,

 January

  2 6,  1 7 7 0 ,  scelle  ( p r e l i m i n a r y inven

to r y ) of Alexandre Fortier.

2 . A . N . , M i n . , C X V I I ,  3 6 6 , March

 2 7 ,

  1 7 2 9 . The bride's

d o w r y

 amounted to

 4 , 0 0 0

  livres.

3.   A . N . ,

  M i n . ,

  X X ,  5 8 4 ,  A p r i l  18, 1744.

4 .

  See note 1.

5.   J. Bedier and P. Hazard ,

  Histoire  de

 la  litteraturefrangaise

(Paris,  1923—24) and J.-F.

  M i c h a u d , Biographie Universelle

Ancienne

  etModerne  (Paris,

  1 8 4 3 ) .

 He was the nephew of

the fermier-general  and banker Pierre  N ive l l e de la Chaus-

see (died

  1 7 1 2 ) .

6.   A . N . ,

  M i n . ,

  C X V I I ,  3 6 5 . T he  notaires  of the Chatelet in

Paris coul d draw up deeds in any par t of France. I n

August  1 6 7 3 , Louis X I V  decreed that the  n ob i l i t y di d not

lose their rank by exercising such an  office.

7.   Ronfort  1989.

8.   A . N . , M i n . , C X V I ,  3 2 4 ,

 September  2 8,

  1 7 4 4 , inventory

after the death of Fortier's  f i rs t wife ;  A . N . , M i n . ,  L I I I ,

4 6 1 ,  February 14, 1 7 7 0 , Ale xandr e Fortier's inventory.

9.   Alexa ndre Fortier's inven tory (see note 8) and Fortier sale,

Paris,

  A p r i l

  2, 1770.

1 0 .

  P. Ananoff ,

 Frangois Boucher

  (Paris,

  1 9 7 6 ) ,

 nos.

  6 0 ,

  6 1 .

1 1 .   P. Rosenberg,  Chardin  (Paris,  1 9 7 9 ) , p. 268.

1 2.  Mention should be made of several paintings  " in  the man

ner" of Raphael, or copies of his works, i n c l u d i n g one of

his  School  of  Athens.

1 3.  New Y o r k ,

 M e t r o p o li t a n

 Museum  ( i n v .  1 7 . 1 9 0 . 6 9 6 ) .  M e n

t i o n e d i n the inventory of  1 7 7 0 , the globe was listed as no.

16 2 i n the sale of Fortier's belongings in Paris on  A p r i l 2 ,

1 7 7 0 . Bosset bought i t for  3 8 4

  livres.

  See also

  Prag

  urn

1660: Kunst  und Kultur  am

 H of  Rudolfs

  I I ,  exh. cat. (Vienna,

1 9 8 8 ) ,  v o l . 2, no. 445.

1 4.

  Bibliothe que Nationale (R

  2 5 8 4 5

 and

  V 3 9 4 6 9 ) .

 A small

p u b l i c a t i o n

 i n sixteen  fol ios , it contained sixty-four pages

and an  i l l u s t r a t io n and was dedicated to the financier and

amateur scientist Le Riche de La Popeliniere. It s contents

were analyzed in the Journal  des Savants  ( 1 7 4 5 ) , pp .  534f f .

1 5.   Bibliotheque Nationale (Rp

  2 0 5 0 ) .

 Published by Babuty

(Paris,

  1 7 4 6 ) ;

  twelve fol ios , twenty-one

 pages,

 and an

i l l u s t r a t io n .

1 6.

  A. Fortier,

 Traite

  du

 mouvement.

  . . (Paris,

  1 7 4 5 ) .

1 7 .

  Mentioned in the  f i rs t  inventory (see note

  8) ,

 i t

 does

 not

appear

  in the second.

B I O G R A P H I E S

  173

Page 187: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 187/225

1 8.

  Bonn ier de la Mosson sale, Paris, March 8,  1 7 4 5 , and

  fo l

l o w i n g  days, lot  599.

1 9.  Paris, Bibliot heque d ' A r t et d'Archeologie.

2 0 .

  I n v .

 Hdz  5 0 9 .

2 1 .   A . N . , M i n . ,  L X X I I I ,  9 2 5 , December  2 2 ,  1 7 7 0 , inventory

after the death of

 L o u i s

 Crozat, baron de Thiers.

2 2 .

  I n view of the complex ity of the

 parts

 it seems un l ik e l y  that

he  b u i l t  any others.

2 3 .  The two other planispheres do not indicate the time of the

tides.

2 4 .  Inv. F 9 8 .  F. J.  B . Watson,  Wallace  Collection  Catalogues,  Furni

ture  (London,  1 9 5 6 ) , pp .  65—67, and P. Hughes,

  French

Eighteenth-Century  Clocks  and Barometers  in t he  Wallace  Collec

tion  (London,  1 9 9 4 ) , pp .  44—45.

2 5 .  Mentione d in the

  1 7 7 0

 inventory (see note

  8) ,

 i t

 appears

 in

the Fortier

 sale

 as lo t  1 61 (see note

  9) .

 It was bought by his

son Pierre-Michel for  3 2 7 3

  livres,

  2 sob.

2 6.  See Stollenwerck biogr aphy in this volume.

2 7 .  See note  1 8, lot  5 4 1 .

2 8 .  He was never adm itt ed as a master.

2 9 .  Sotheby's, London, "Treasured

 Possessions

 at Sotheby's,"

December  2 1 ,  1983-January  2 0 , 1984.

A N T O I N E

  ( I )  G A U D R O N

Th e signature "Ga udr on a Paris" appeared  as early as

1660. From then

  u n t i l

  1710, it was

  used

  by the workshop

o f A nto ine (I) Gau dr on and after 1710 by that of his  sons

Pierre and Antoi ne (I I) Gaudr on. Th e  pendule a secondes

at the Gett y Mu se um (cat. no. 1) is, on the basis o f i ts

 date,

the exclusive creation of Anto ine (I) , to wh om this study

w i l l

  be restricted.

A n t o i n e

  ( I) Gau dr on was bo rn about 1640 and died

i n  Paris on August 3, 1714.

1

  I n 1671 he mar rie d Ann e

Baign oux, the daug hter of a  f a m i l y  o f goldsmiths  f r o m

B l o i s ,  who died on  A p r i l  6, 1713.

2

 Th e couple had three

c h i l d r e n .

  Pierre Gaudron (died May 19, 1745) was admit

ted to the Paris

  g u i l d

  as a master clock-maker on March 7,

1 6 9 1 .

3

  He was clock-maker to the due d'Orleans  f r o m

December 29, 1717, to Augu st 24, i7 39 ,

4

and a member

o f

  the Societe des  A r t s .  Anto ine ( I I ) Gaudron (1675-

1748) was admitted as a master  clock-maker on March 7,

1 6 9 1 .

5

  H e is cit ed in the re cor ds as a  marchand-mercier-

joaillier-grossier

  befo re 1704, and on

  June

  26, 1741, was

appoin ted

  Conseil ler ,

  Secretaire du Roi, Maisons et Couronne

de

  France

  at the Chance ry o f the Parlemen t de Metz on

June  26, 1741 . Mar ie- Ann e (died after 1754) marri ed

Gui lla ume Hu be rt , a go lds mit h in Paris, wh o was later

g o l d s m i t h  by app oin tme nt to the queen of England .

Ga ud ro n was a mem be r o f the clock-makers'  g u i l d o f

the faubourg Saint-Germain circa 1660-1665. When the

g u i l d  was

  u n i f i e d  w i t h

  the Paris  g u i l d  he then automati

c a l l y  became  a  master  of the Corp ora tion de la  V i l l e  et

Faubourgs de Paris on

 June

  5, 1675.

6

  He served as

 jure

  o f

th e  g u i l d f r o m

  June

  27, 1690, to

 June

  26, 1692.

7

I n

  1698 he  l i v e d  in the place Daup hin e "A l'Enseigne

de la Perle," then, in 1706, he moved to another  b u i l d i n g ,

" A  l'Enseigne de la Renom mee," on the

  same square.

N o t h i n g

  is kno wn of the origin s of Gaudron's  f a m i l y ,

no r o f the be gi nn in g o f his activities, nor,  finally,  of the

date  and circumstances of the transfer o f his worksh op

f r o m

  the fau bo ur g Saint -Ger main to the He de la Cite. He

seems t o

 have

  become pr osper ous in a short tim e, as  i n d i

cated by the dowries he

  gave

 his children. A f t e r  his death

hi s  estate  amoun ted to over 174,000  livres*  including,

among other things, the

  b u i l d i n g

  on the place Dauphine

purchased  f r o m  Isaac Th ur et in 1706. Th e apartment he

l i v e d  i n at the tim e was pleasantly fur nis hed a nd co n

tained numerous  pieces of Chinese p orce lain , mostly blue

and white ware.

I n

  1698 Gaudron brought his

  sons

 int o his business.

T h e  firm  thus created tra ded in "ouvrages d'or loger ie,

pierreries, tableaux, glaces, porcelaines, bronzes,  b i j o u x "

( c l o c k - w o r k s ,   precious  stones,  paintings, mirrors, porce

l a i n ,  bronze, jewels). Th e elder Gau dro n retir ed on

Dec emb er 2 8, 171 o, at

  w h i c h

 ti me his

 share

 was esti mate d

at 36,000  livres.

9

  Together his

  sons

  continue d to ru n the

firm.  T o

  the dismay of historians, the inventorie s of the

wares

  at that time were established by private treatise

rather than by a notary and thus

  have

  not come down to

us. Th e on ly knowledge we

  have

  concerning his stock is

f o u n d

  i n a

 statement

 he signed after the prom ulg ati on of

the "Edit Somptu aire" o f Mar ch 20, 1700,

10

  and by an

investig ation of the premises o f the clock-makers of the

He de la Cite, un de rta ken in December of the  same  year

b y

  Commissaire Delamare.

1 1

  I n a

 statement

 registe red o n

A p r i l  20, 1700,

1 2

  Gaud ron lists  t h i r t y - f o u r  clocks, both

large an d small, the gilt -bro nze orna ment s for ten clock

cases,

  six ma rqu etr y consoles, togeth er

  w i t h

  eleven con

soles  as  w e l l  as  t h i r t y g i l t - w o o d  stands  for displaying

porce lain. O n the occasion of his  v i s i t ,  Commissaire Dela

mar e confiscated ni ne clocks and  f ive  consoles. A compar

ison between

  these

  figures and  those  concerning the

other clock-makers  l i v i n g  i n the He de la Cite shows t hat

Gau dr on was, in 1700, in  t h i r d  pos ition beh ind Balthazar

( I I )  M art in ot and Gilles  ( I I )  Mart inot .

F o l l o w i n g  the example of Nicolas Hanet, Gau dro n

was, along  w i t h  Isaac  Thu ret , one of the

  first

  Parisian

clock-makers  o f  the faubo urg Saint-Germa in to adopt the

pendulum invented by Chris t iaan Huygens .

1 3

  He also

invented  some  interesting clocks  w i t h  both simple and

complicated astronomical indications.

1 4

 Acc ord ing to his

son Pierre, in 1688 Gaudron executed "a clock whose

pendulum marked the

  seconds

  . . . ,  f o l l o w i n g  th e

  equa

tions according to a curve  w h i c h  causes the pend ulu m to

174

B I O G R A P H I E S

Page 188: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 188/225

Page 189: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 189/225

P A U L G U D I N , C A L L E D G U D I N  LE JEU NE

Paul Gudin , kno wn as Gud in

  le

 jeune,

  was the son o f

Claude Gud in, a merchant in Saint-Cyr-en-Bourgogne,

1

and  Jeanne  Brezard .

2

  He was the brother of

  Jacques

G u d i n

  ( 170 6-1 74 3), a master cl ock-ma ker in Paris. H e

marr i ed  Elisabeth Durand.

3

H e was at  first  an  ouvrier   libre,  then became  Marchand-

Horloger Privi legie

  du Roi suivant la

  Cour

  et

  Conseils

  de Sa

Majeste  (Clock-ma ker by app oin tme nt to the

  K i n g f o l lo w

i n g  his Cour t and Councils) on

 June

  1, 1739, up on the

resigna tion of Charles Le  B o n .

4

  He resigned his patent in

f a v o r  o f Francois Du fo ur on December 1, 1755.

5

 I n 1743

he resi ded o n the quai de l'Ho rl og e (also kno wn as the

quai des

  M o r f o n d u s ) ,

 b ut by the  f o l l o w i n g  year had prem

ises  on the quai des Orfe vres.

6

O n l y

  three clock-makers named Gu di n wor ked in

Paris du ri ng the eighteenth centur y:  Jacques,  who was

admi tted as a master i n 1725 th ro ug h the acquisition of

one o f the twelve special offices established by Loui s X V

o n

  the occasion  o f his wed din g, and whose worksho p con

t i n u e d

 to be ru n by his w i d o w ,  under her husband's  name,

f o r  about  t h i r t y  years; Paul, who was Jacques's  brother;

and Jacques's son,

 Jacques-Jerome,

 w ho

 became

  a master

i n  1762.

7

A l l

  the works signed "Gu di n  le jeune are in the

rococo style, and  some bear  the mark of a crowned C.

Consequent ly they cannot be  b y

 Jacques-Jerome,

 wh o was

b o r n   i n 1732 and d id not set up shop  u n t i l  1754.

8

  The

q u a l i f i e r

  "le jeu ne" can

  o n l y

 app ly to Paul Gudi n. Th ere is

no instance in eightee nth-cen tury France, no matter the

l i n e  o f  a c t i v i t y ,  of a son assuming this

  q u a l i f i e r

  to  d i s t i n

guish

  h i m s e l f

  f r o m

  his father.

H a v i n g  in all  l i k e l i h o o d  worked as an  ouvrier   libre

u n t i l  the day he bought his

  r o y a l

  patent, Gud in then had

to

 choose a signature th at  w o u l d  dis t inguish hi m

  f r o m

  his

bro the r. I t sho uld also be observed that cl ock-makers

e n t i t l e d  to the designatio n Marchand-Horloger   Privi legie  du

Ro i  suivant la

 Cour

  et

 Conseils

  de Sa Majeste d id not make any

mention o f their  t i t l e on the dials of their clocks

  u n t i l

  the

second

  h a l f

  o f  the eighteenth century. M y n i i e l, Ducorroy ,

and Le Bon always signed  w i t h  their surnames alone. It is

therefore n ot surpris ing, in  v i e w  of the custom o f the

p e r i o d ,  that Gudin should have  assumed  the surna me

" G u d i n

  le

 jeune,"  w i t h o u t  adding his  t i t l e ,  to distinguish

h i m s e l f

  f r o m  his brother.

9

T h e  a c t i v i t y  o f G ud i n

  le

 jeune  appears  to have been

considerable, since the quarters he rented on the quai des

Orfevr es inclu ded a shop on the gro un d  f l o o r ,  a mezza

nine and  first floor  consisting of two rooms, the  t h i r d  and

f o ur th f l o o r s ,  each con tai nin g three small room s, and a n

a t t i c .

1 0

G u d i n

  le jeune's  pr od uct ion consisted of excellent

move ment s set in bro nze  cases o f

  h i g h

  quality, generally

decorated  w i t h  por cel ain figures o r animals  f r o m  various

manu fact ories . On e may note, amo ng his clients, the

prince de Bauffremont ,

1 1

  Paris de Montmartel ,

1 2

  and

Horace Walpole.

N O T E S

1.

  I t has not been possible to establish the whereabouts of

this

 v i l l a g e , whic h

 has presumably since been incorporated

i n t o

 some larger township.

2 . A . N . , M i n . ,  C X V ,

  4 7 2 ,

 May 15, 1 7 3 1 , marriage contract of

Jacques Gudin.

3.

  A . N . , M i n . ,  C X V ,  5 5 1 ,  January 5,  1 7 4 5 , lease to Paul

G u d i n

 and his

  wife .

4 . A . N . , V 3  192 ,

  fo l .

 1 5 m

5.   A . N . , V 3  7 7 A . He was appointed deputy guardian of

his nephews on Augu st

  2 8 ,

  1 7 4 3

  ( A . N . ,

 Y

 4 6 1 4 B )

  and

replaced in this

  f u n c t i o n

  on

  A p r i l 2 3 ,

  1 7 5 5

  ( A . N . ,

Y 4 7 5 4 B ) .

6.

  I n the deed app oin ting his children's tutors, Paul Gud in is

shown to be residing in the place Dauphine (see note  4 ) .

B u t the

 lease

 on the premises on the quai des Orfevres of

1 7 4 5

 shows that he was already  l i v i n g there at that date

and that he was authorized to use "the  ex i t onto the place

Dauphine by the common alley." It is therefor e not

unusual that either address should appear i n legal

documents.

7.   Gudin's case is a typ ic a l example o f the

 state

 of confusion

i n   w h i c h the entries for Tardy's

 Dictionnaire

  de s  Horlogers

Francais

  were established, using a cursory and  s impl i f ied

c o m p i l a t i o n

 of archives assembled by Paul Brateau. Th e

Dictionnaire

  mentions

  tw o

 Jacques-Jerome Gudins, one of

w h o m

 (supposedly  I'aine,  master in  1 7 5 0 , died in  1 7 8 4 )

never existed. Ano the r one of Tardy's creations  ex  nihilo  is

Abra ham Gu din , who is supposed to have been admitt ed

as a master in  1 7 2 6 . Th is is merely the result o f Tardy's

hasty rea ding o f a court decision of

 M a r c h

  12 , 1 7 2 6  ( A . N . ,

Y

  9 3 7 7 ) ,

 concerning "Abraham

 G i l b e r t .

  . . and Paul

G u d i n . "

 A nd

 lastly,

 Tardy was unaware of the existence of

Paul

  G u d i n ,

 since Paul Brateau di d not know of

  it.

8.   A . N . , M i n . , X C V I I ,  3 4 6 ,

 June

 7 ,  1 7 5 5 ,

 d i s t r i b u t i o n

 of the

estate o f Jacques Gudin.

9.

  In the leases mentioned in notes 3 and 6, Paul Gud in

describes  h i m s e l f as Maitre Horloger,  a t i t l e to w h i c h he was

not, i n fact, entit led.

1 0.  See note 3 and  A . N . , M i n . ,  C X V , 5 8 2,  December 6, 1749.

1 1 .   A . N . , M i n . , X X ,  7 8 4 ,  16 Pluviose A n  V I I I ,  inventory after

the death o f the princesse de Bauff remont .

1 2 .  A . N . ,  M i n . ,  C V I I ,

  5 3 4 ,

  September

  2 3 ,

  1 7 6 6 ,

 inventory

after the death of Paris de

  M o n t m a r t e l .

176

  B I O G R A P H I E S

Page 190: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 190/225

T H E

  E T I E N N E  L E  N O I R  W O RK S H O P

The signature "Etienne Le  N o i r "  was used through

o u t  the eighteenth century by two clock-makers of that

name  and by their grandson and son Pierre-Etienne.

F r o m

  1750 to 17 71, it ref err ed to the

  f i r m

  established by

the latter and his father Etienne  ( I I ) .  From 1770

  u n t i l

abou t 182 0, it was used by Pier re-E tien ne alone, t hen

b y  his son Etien ne ( I I I ) Ale xan dre . Th e clocks in the

G e t t y

  Museum are the  w o r k  of Etienne (I I) and Pierre-

Etienne Le N o i r , and the present study  w i l l be restricted to

these two.

Etienne  ( I I )  Le  N o i r  was born in Paris on November

7, 1699

1

  and died in Paris on August 20, 1778.

2

  He was

the son o f Etien ne (I ) Le  N o i r  (ca. 1675-1739),  master

c l o c k - m a k e r i n Paris, and o f  M a r i e -A n n e  Gamonet (died

1 7 3 9 ) .

  He had

  f o u r

  brothers, Jean-Francois,

  Jacques,

Claude, and

  Isaac,

  a ll

  o f

  w h o m

 were

 master

  clock-makers,

and two sisters,

  A n n e - E m i l i e ,  w i f e

  of the engraver

  Jean-

Baptiste Ad am du

  T i l l e t ,

  and  M a r ie - A n n e ,  w i f e of Pierre

A l b a t o n ,

  a  monteur de boites (clock-maker specializing in

the maki ng of watchcases). H e ma rr ie d Mar gue rit e Hur e

i n  March 1723 at  L i z y - s u r - O u r c q .

3

  They had two

  c h i l

dren, Pierre-Etienne, and Francoise-Marguerite (died

1 7 5 3 ) ,  who married Etienne Cluzed, apothecary to the

due d'Orleans. Etienne  ( I I ) became a master (as the s on of

a master) on November 26, 1717.

4

Etienne ( II ) was i n partnership

  w i t h

  his son Pierre-

Etienne

  u n t i l

  his retirement in  1 7 7 1 .

5

  A f t e r  that he con

t i n u e d

  to

  manage

  his

  estate

  an d

  d i v i d e d

  his time be

tween his Paris apartment and his  house  i n  B e l - A i r ,

M o n t m a r t r e .

Etienne  ( I I )

  amassed

 a considerable fort une . He was

already com fort ably wealthy wh en his father die d in

1739, and in 1745 he refused his inheritance.

6

  He gave

b o t h  his daughter and his son dowries of 11,000  livres!

7

H i s

  company was established in 1750

  w i t h

  capital

a m o u n t i n g   to 48,000  livres,  w h i c h  ha d gro wn to 62,000

livres  by 1751, and was reduced to 41,157  l ivres  i n 1753

( e q u a l l y

  d i v i d e d  between father and son).

8

  From 1754 to

1756,

  Etie nne ( I I) purchas ed two offices of

  Conseiller

  du

Ro i

  and  Inspecteur sur les

 Vins, Eaux

  de Vie et autres

  Liqueurs

a

  Paris

9

  and a  f a r m  in Chaunes-en-Brie

  ( w h i c h

  he  leased

o u t )

1 0

 for 82,000  livres  cash. Up on the death

  o f

 his

  w i f e ,

  i n

1759, his personal fortune amounted to 176,000

  livres

and the clear

 assets

 of the

  firm

  were 54,239  livres.

11

  A t his

death in 1778, he was

  w o r t h

  320,904

  livres.

12

Pierre-Etienne Le  N o i r was bo rn in Paris about 1725.

He marr ied Jean-Henriette Brevet in 1750,

1 3

  and they

had three chil dren , Etienne-Al exandre, Jean-Marie, and

Jean-He nri, all of who m were

  s t i l l

  l i v i n g

  in 1779. Pierre-

Etienne became a master  in Paris on Febru ary 22, 1 743.

1 4

He worked  w i t h  his father and was in partnership  w i t h

h i m f r o m  1750 to 17 71. I n tha t year, he took over the

  f a m

il y  workshop,

  w h i c h

  he later  l e f t  to his son Etienne  ( I I I )

A l e x a n d r e ,

  who continued the  business  under the Con

sulate and the Empire. Pierre-Etienne always  l i v e d  and

w o r k e d

  on the qu ai des Orf evre s.

The Le

  N o i r f a m i l y , l i k e

  the families

  M a r t i n o t

  and

T h u r e t ,

  is a perf ect ex amp le o f the great dynasties o f

Parisian clock-makers. Their

  ancestors

  are  first  men

t i o n e d i n the sixt eenth century, and the  f a m i l y  continued

t o

  w o r k

  in the profession  w e l l  after the en d of the a ncien

r e g i m e .

  T h e  f a m i l y ,  o f  w h i c h  E tienne (I I) was a  f o u r t h -

gener atio n member, h ad three active branches. Th e Le

N o i r s  were  a l l i e d  by mar ri age to several of the fore most

c l o c k - m a k i n g   families,  i n c l u d i n g  Dugrand-Mesnil , Du-

tertr e, Furet, and Bera ult. Etienne ( II ) was also related

t o

  the renowned engravers and publishers Gournay and

B a i l l e u l

 th roug h the marr iage

  o f

 his sister

  A n n e - E m i l ie

  to

Jean-Baptiste Ad am du

  T i l l e t .

1 5

Th e works hop reached its peak dur in g the  associa

t i o n between Etienne  ( I I )  and Pierre-Etienne. Under the

signature "Etienne Le

  N o i r

 a Paris" the two clock-makers

s o l d a large num ber

  o f

  c l o c k s and watches, execut ed i n all

sorts  o f

  materials,  w h i c h were distributed

 a ll

 over Europe.

T h e i r  repu tati on was such that even duri ng their

  l i f e

times fakes were being sold under their name. (This was

also the

 case w i t h

 watches  b y

 J u l i e n

 Le Roy and Ferd inan d

B e r t h o u d . )

T h e

  scope  o f

  the Le

 N o i r s '

 wo rkshop led them to  s p l i t

t h e i r  subcontracting for mechanical parts. The

  names

 o f

o n l y

  a few of thei r collaborators are

  k n o w n .

  The springs

were prov ided by the  best  makers, Claude and Etienne-

Claud e Ric hard , Charles Buzot , and Pierre Masson, and

the dials by Antoine-Nicol as Marti niere and  Jacques

D e c l a .  Some of their  watchcases  were  made  by the  mon-

teurs

 de

 boites

 Francois Gervais, Pierre

 A l b e r t o n ,

 Moyse Du

C l o u x ,  an d Xavi er Gide. Others were decorated by the

miniaturiste-emailleur

  Huber t ,

 w i t h

 chatelaines by the  g o l d

s m i t h Jean-Marc-Antoine Ecosse.

I n

  1759 the value of the  firm's  stock was est ima ted by

th e  master  clock-makers Etienne Galois and  L o u i s -

Francois Herbault at over 28,000  livres.  T h e  firm's  most

l u c r a t i v e

  a c t i v i t y

  at the ti me was the pro duc ti on of

watches.  S i x t y  o f

  these

  are listed,  f o r t y - f i v e

  w i t h

  g o l d

cases,

  and  f i f t e e n

  w i t h

  silver ones,  as against twenty-two

c l o c k s   o f

 various sorts, fourteen

  o f these w i t h

 bronze

 cases

and eight

  w i t h

  cases veneered

  w i t h

  marquetry.

1 6

Th e Etienne Le  N o i r worksho p sold its prod ucti on in

t w o

  ways: finished clocks an d watches were sold

  d i r e c t l y

t o

  the pub li c or to dealers; movem ents (to be placed

B I O G R A P H I E S

  177

Page 191: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 191/225

Page 192: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 192/225

l g .  Duvaux's

 widow

 is listed among the "good debts" for the

amount of 9 6  livres  in the inventory of  1 7 5 9  (see note  11) .

Le   Noir  appears as a creditor for the same amount in the

posthumous inventor y of Duvaux's belongings  ( A . N . ,

M i n . ,  X C I V ,  2 9 0 ,  November  2 9 ,  1 7 5 8 ) . Duvau x's daybooks

mention  three clocks (nos.  5 8 1 , 7 5 2 ,  an d  2 7 0 0 ) and a

watch (no. 2 2 7 4 ) , sold respectively to the princess of

Naples, the marquises de Brignolles and de Pom padour,

and the king for the chateau de Choisy.

2 0. A . N . , M i n ., L X X X V I I I , 6 29 ,

  August

  28 , 17 53 ,

  inventory

after the death the  w i f e of Francois Darnault.

2 1 .  Anne xed to the invento ry of  1 7 5 9  (see note  1 1 ) is a "State

ment o f the amounts re main ing due to the  f i r m "  listed

under  four different headings: "Good debts, most of

which

 have been settled," "Good debts

 which

 are subject to

reduction," "Doubtful

  debts,"and "Unrecoverable debts."

This last heading is mainly composed of remainders of

accounts of negligible value.

2 2 .  Listed fo r  1,590  livres  unde r the heading of good debts

and for  5 22   livres  under that of debts subject to red ucti on.

O n  the back of a document i nclude d in the scelle  ( p r e l i m i

nary inventory) of the clock-maker Daille  ( A . N . ,  Y  1 1 3 4 1 ,

February 3,  1 7 6 0 )  appears a copy o f the  f o l l o w i n g  note:

"A t the end o f the coming mon th o f January I shall pay to

the order of

 M .

 Lenoir

 the amount of three hu ndred

  livres,

being the value of goods received i n Paris today,  19 June

1 7 5 9 "  and "Pay to the orde r of M . Osmond value in

account i n Paris 24 December  1 7 5 9 .  [Signed] Lenoir lefils.

Pay for me to the order of M . Forestier value received in

goods in Paris  2 6 January  1 7 6 0  [Signed] R.  Osmond!'

2 3 .  Listed under the heading of doubtful  debts for the

amount of 2,853  livres.  On May 3 0 , 1 7 6 1 , the Le Noirs,

father and son, requested an attachment on the  estate o f

Jean A l l a in in the amount of 3 , 2 0 0  livres,  which were owed

to  the m by his son  ( A . N . ,  Y  1 1 5 7 8 , M ay 2 9,  1 7 6 1 ) .

2 4 .  Listed for the amount of  1,725  livres  under the heading of

debts subject to

 reduction.

 The y recovered only  14  per

cent on March  2,  1 7 6 2 .  See  Direction des creanciers de Louis-

Francois Herbault,

  md [marchand]

 mercier bijoutier,

  A . N . ,

X X I I I , 64 3,  March 2,  1762 .

2 5 .  Listed for the amount of 5,053

  livres

  under the heading of

good

  debts.

2 6 .  La Fresnayepere was include d for  2 , 4 5 4  livres,  10   sols in the

list of good debts, and his son for  4 0 0  livres  under the same

heading.

2 7 .  Listed f or  2 , 5 6 2  livres  under the heading of doubtful

debts.

2 8 .  Thi s is the

  f i r s t

  name to

 appear,

  o n  January  23 , 1750 ,  on

the register of deliveries described in the

  inventory

  under

n o . 22 .

2 9.   Listed f or  5 1 6  livres  under the heading of debts lost before

the establishment of the  f i r m .

3 0 . A . N . , M i n . ,

  L V I I ,

  4 0 8 ,  October  1 2, 1753.

3 1 .

  Arch ives de la Seine, D 5

 B 6 , 4 4 7 ,

 Nicolas Bonnet's

daybook.

3 2 .  I n  1 9 5 5  P.

 Cailleux

 owned another  cartonnier  by  Bernard

v an   Risenburgh,

 which

 incor porate d a clock w i t h a move

ment by Etienne Le

 Noir.

 See  Grands Ebenistes et Menuisiers

Parisiens  du XVI11 erne siecle,  1740—1790, exh. cat. (Paris,

Musee des Arts Decoratifs,

  1 9 5 5 ) ,

 no. 30.

3 3 .  Goyer is listed for 36 livres  and Saint-Germain for 60  livres.

Th e Le Noirs dealt w i t h the la tter for many years. See

Augarde  1986 .

3 4 .  A clock w i t h an elephant by Caffieri  and clockworks signed

"Etienne Le Noir a Paris," formerly  in the collection of the

comtesse de Maist re, had a chimes sp ring signed "Buzot,

gbre  1 7 4 1 " a nd a clock spr ing signed "Masson,  20 Janvier

1 7 4 1 . "

3 5 .  Due de Richelieu sale, Paris, December 18, 1 7 8 8 ,  lo t  692 .

3 6 .  The inventory o f January 1, 1 7 8 8 ,  of the king's clocks and

o f  the Garde Meub le mentions seven clocks and  w a l l clocks

by  Etienne Le

 Noir

  ( A . N . ,  O

1

  3 3 7 1 ) .

3 7 .

  De

 Versailles

  a

 Paris:

  Le

 Destin des Collections Royales,

  exh . cat.

(L a  Mairie d u V

e

 arrondissement de Paris,  1 9 8 9 ) , no. 88.

3 8 .  Archi ves de la Seine, D 5 B

6

, 3 2 5 ,  daybook of the clock-

maker  Henri  W a l t r i n (on November  4 , 1 772 ,  the repair of

a clock by Etienn e Le Noir belonging to the comtesse du

Barry is mentioned).

3 9 .  Th e Le Noi rs had long-established connections

  w i t h

 Swe

den. Etienne Le Noir,  incidentally, suffered  f r o m  the

bankruptcy

  o f Jean Fredman, clock-maker to the king of

Sweden, in  1 7 4 1 . See Tessin  1 9 6 3 ,  pp .  1 3 6, 1 4 1 , n. 4.

T H E  L E P A U T E  W O R K S H O P

Th e signature "Lepaute Ho rlog er du Roi" corre

sponds to the business association for me d by the brother s

Jean-A ndre and Jean-Baptis te ( I I ) Lepaute dur i ng the

second

  h a l f

  of the reign of Louis XV ,

 wh i ch

  was  cont in

ued by Jean-Baptiste an d his two nephews, Pierre-Bazile

Lepau te and Pi erre He nry . Th is signature was used

betwee n 1750 and 1789. On e cannot always dist ing uish

th e

  ind iv idual

  role of each of the associates  in the pr oduc

t i o n  of this wor ksho p. This is part icul arly true o f the two

founders , w ho were in t u r n d irectors of the  firm.

1

Jean-A ndre Lepaute was born at Thon ne- la -Long in

1720 and die d in Saint-C loud on  A p r i l  11 , 1789 ^ He was

b u r i e d  in the ch urch o f Saint -Germain-de- l 'Aux errois in

Paris. He was the son of An dr e Lepaute , a  locksmith,

and Elisa beth Doulet . O n Augu st 27, 1747, he mar rie d

Nicole-Reine Etable de La Briere (1723-1788), the

daught er o f an  officer  of the house o f Marie-Louise  d 'Or

leans, the

  widow

  of Louis I of Spain. The couple was

childless.

  T he famous astronom er and academician

Jerome de Lalande drew a splendid por t r ai t of Mad ame

Lepaut e, who was a dist in guish ed as tronom er.

3

Some time before Octobe r 1751 , Jean -An dre was

gra nte d lodgin gs in the Palais du Lu xe mb ou rg and as a

result was able to use the

  t i t l e  Horloger

  du  Roi .

4

  H e

received lo dging s in the Galleries of the Louvr e on

December 24, 1756.

5

  Jea n-A ndr e was admit ted to the

Paris  g u i l d  as a maste r clo ck-m aker on  J u n e  2, 1759,

by   decree  o f the Conse il d 'Etat d u Roi of  March  13,

1759 ,  wh i ch  released hi m  f r o m  th e  obl igat ion  o f  f o l l o w

i n g  a regular apprent iceship .

6

  He fo rmed a  business

B I O G R A P H I E S

  179

Page 193: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 193/225

a s s o c i a t i o n   w i t h  h i s b r o t h e r o n O c t o b e r 2 8 , 1 7 5 9 .

7

  H e

r e t i r e d  f r o m  business

  i n 1 7 7 5

8

  a n d w e n t o u t o f h i s m i n d

a r o u n d 1 7 8 1 .

9

J e a n - A n d r e w a s t h e a u t h o r o f v a r i o u s p u b l i c a t i o n s ,

i n c l u d i n g  h i s e x e m p l a r y  Tra i te d 'horlogerie,  p u b l i s h e d i n

1 7 5 5 , w h i c h h e w r o t e  w i t h  t h e h e l p o f

  Jerome

  d e

L a l a n d e .

1 0

Jean-Baptiste

  ( I I ) L e p a u t e w a s b o r n i n 1 7 2 7 a t

T h o n n e - l a - L o n g an d d i e d i n   Paris  o n 2 9 P lu v i o s e A n X

( M a r c h

  1 8 , 1 8 0 2 ) .

1 1

  H e w a s t h e s o n  o f

  A n d r e

  L e p a u t e a n d

E l i s a b e t h D o u l e t . I n 1 7 59 h e m a r r i e d M a r i e - T h e r e s e -

V i c t o i r e

  C h a r d o n , d a u g h t e r o f t h e

  p r i n t e r Jacques

  C h a r -

d o n a n d g r e a t - g r a n d d a u g h t e r o f t h e f a m o u s   ebeniste  a n d

fondeur

  t o L o u i s X I V , D o m e n i c o C u c c i .

1 2

  S h e b o r e h i m

three  c h i l d r e n : L o u i s - A l e x a n d r e ( 1 7 6 5 - 1 8 4 5 ) , a n a d m i n

i s t r a t o r  o f  t h e L a n g u e d o c c a n a l , A l b a n - L o u i s ( d i e d 1 8 0 7) ,

a g o l d s m i t h - j e w e l e r , a n d C a t h e r i n e - H e n r i e t t e .

I n  t h e m i d - 1 7 4 0 s , h e  j o i n e d  h i s b r o t h e r i n P a ri s , w h o

t r a i n e d h i m a n d

  made

  h i m h is  associate  o n O c t o b e r 2 8 ,

1 7 5 9 . H e  became  Horloger du Roi  u n d e r t h e  same  c o n d i

t i o n s as J e a n - A n d r e a n d w a s a l l o w e d t o

  succeed

  t h e l a t t e r

i n

  h i s l o d g i n g s i n th e G a l l e r ie s o f t h e L o u v r e o n S e p t e m

b e r 1 1 , 1 7 7 5 .

1 3

  H e w as a d m i t t e d t o t h e  g u i l d  as a

  master

c l o c k - m a k e r o n D e c e m b e r 2 0 , 1 7 7 6 .

1 4

  Jean-Baptiste

  r e

t i r e d

  o n M a y 1 4 , 1 7 8 9 .

1 5

P i e r r e H e n r y ( c al l e d P i e r r e H e n r y - L e p a u t e ) w a s

b o r n

  A u g u s t 2 2 , 1 7 4 9 , a t T h o n n e - l a - L o n g a n d d i e d i n

Paris  i n J u l y 1 8 0 6 . H e w a s t h e s o n o f  Jean  H e n r y , a

f a r m e r , a n d E l i s a b e t h L e p a u t e , s i s t e r o f

  Jean-Baptiste

a n d J e a n - A n d r e L e p a u t e .

1 6

  H e h i m s e l f h a d o n l y o n e s o n ,

A u g u s t i n - M i c h e l  H e n r y ( b o r n 1 8 0 0 ), w h o

  also became

  a

c l o c k - m a k e r .

1 7

I n  1 7 6 3 P i e r r e H e n r y

 became

  t h e a p p r e n t i c e  o f Jean-

A n d r e

  L e p a u t e .

1 8

  I t

 seems

  h e w a s n e v e r a d m i t t e d t o t h e

g u i l d  as a  master.  A s o f 1 7 7 4 h e w a s t h e d e f a c t o p a r t n e r

o f

  Jean-Baptiste

  as  w e l l  a s t h e p a r t n e r o f h i s c o u s i n

P i e r r e - B a z i l e L e p a u t e . O n M a y 1 4 , 1 7 8 9 , t h e t w o c o u s i n s

a c q u i r e d t h e i r u n c l e ' s

  shares

  i n t h e w o r k s h o p . P i e r r e

H e n r y

  p a r t e d  f r o m  h i s c o u s i n o n D e c e m b e r 3 , 1 7 9 5 , t o

f o u n d  h i s o w n  firm  i n t h e r u e N i c a i s e , a t w h i c h t i m e h e

began

  t o u s e t h e

  signatures

  " H e n r y a P a ri s" a n d " H e n r y -

L e p a u t e a P a ri s ." A s   o f January  1 , 1 8 0 0 , P i e r r e H e n r y w a s

l i v i n g  i n t h e

  house

  o f

  Jean-Baptiste

  L e p a u t e i n t h e r u e

S a i n t - T h o m a s - d u - L o u v r e . H e la t er m o v e d t o n u m b e r 1 ,

r u e d u D o y e n n e .

1 9

P i e r r e - B a z i l e L e p a u t e ( c a l l e d S u l l y - L e p a u t e ) w as

b o r n

  i n T h o n n e - l e - T h i l o n  June  1 4 , 1 7 5 0 , a n d d i e d i n

Paris  o n A u g u s t 2 , 1 8 4 3 . H e w a s t h e s o n o f

  Joseph

L e p a u t e a n d M a r i e

 C o l l i g n o n .

  A r o u n d 17 66 he

 j o i n e d

  h i s

u n c l e s a n d c o u s i n s i n  Paris a n d c o m p l e t e d h i s a p p r e n t i c e

s h i p i n t h e

  f a m i l y

  w o r k s h o p . H e

  became

  a p a r t n e r o f

Jean-Baptiste  a n d h i s c o u s i n P i e r r e H e n r y i n 1 7 74 , p r o b

a b l y

  w i t h o u t a f o r m a l c o n t r a c t .

A f t e r

  h i s c o u s i n d e c i d e d t o e st a b l is h h i s o w n w o r k

s h o p , P i e r r e - B a z i l e  associated  h i m s e l f  w i t h  h i s n e p h e w

Jean-Joseph

  L e p a u t e , w h o w a s k n o w n as C o l l i g n o n .

T h e i r  p a r t n e r s h i p l a s t e d  u n t i l  1 8 1 1 , a t w h i c h

 date

 Jean-

Joseph

  e s ta b l is h e d a n i n d e p e n d e n t w o r k s h o p u n d e r t h e

s i g n a t u r e " L e p a u t e n e v e u a P a r is , " w h i c h h e l a te r ceded  t o

h i s s o n - i n - l a w a n d c o u s i n   A u g u s t i n -M i c h e l  H e n r y .

I n  1 8 1 1 P i e r r e - B a z i l e a n d h i s s o n P i e r r e - M i c h e l

( 1 7 8 5 — 1 8 4 9 ) e s t a b l i s h e d t h e   f i r m  o f " L e p a u t e  8c

  F i l s , "

w h i c h

  c o n t i n u e d t o u s e t h e s i g n a t u r e " L e p a u t e a P a r is "

a n d t o e x p l o i t t h e  t i t l e  o f  Horloger   de VEmpereur   u n d e r t h e

E m p i r e a n d

  Horloger du Roi

  u n d e r t h e R e s t o r a t i o n a n d

t h e J u l y M o n a r c h y .

V e r y

  l i t t l e  i n f o r m a t i o n i s a v a i la b l e o n t h e e a r l y  stages

o f  J e a n - A n d r e

  Lepaute's career.

  I t i s b e l i e v e d t h a t h i s

f a t h e r t a u g h t h i m c a s ti n g a n d t h e l o c k s m i t h ' s  trade  w h e n

h e w a s  s t i l l  a

  c h i l d .

  H i s f a t h e r p r o b a b l y t a u g h t h i m c lo c k -

m a k i n g   t o o , si n c e t h e u p k e e p o f la r g e c l o c k s i n t h e c o u n

t r y s i d e w a s e n t r u s t e d t o t h e l o c k s m i t h s .

J e a n - A n d r e is b e l i e v e d t o

  have

  s e t t l e d i n

  Paris

  c i r c a

1 7 4 0 , a t w h i c h t i m e h e m a y have presented  h i s  f i r s t  v e n

tures

  i n t o t h e m a k i n g o f

  echappement a repos  (deadbeat

escapements)  t o t h e c l o c k - m a k e r L o u i s A m a n t .

2 0

  H e m a y

w e l l  have  i m p r o v e d h is k n o w l e d g e t h a n k s t o th e c l o ck -

m a k e r s o f t h e E n c l o s d e l 'a b b a y e d e S a i n t - G e r m a i n - d e s -

Pres,  a m o n g w h o m  there  w e r e s u c h e x c e l l e n t a r t i s t s as

Jean-Francois

  D o m i n i c e ,

  M i c h e l

  S t o ll e n w e r c k, H e n r i

E n d e r l i n ,  a n d P i e r r e d e R i v a z , w h o w e r e o n l y b e l a t e d l y o r

i n d e e d n e v e r a d m i t t e d as

  masters.

Jean-Andre's   first

  d o c u m e n t e d u n d e r t a k i n g s i n

c l u d e d c o m m i s s i o n s  f r o m  t h e C r o w n . T h e h o r i z o n t a l

c l o c k

  o f t h e

  chateau

  d e l a M u e t t e h a d a l r e a d y

  been

o r d e r e d i n 1 7 4 8 .

2 1

  I n 1 7 50 ,  w i t h  t h e  assistance  o f h i s

b r o t h e r J e a n - B a p t i st e , h e ex e c u t e d a m o n u m e n t a l c l o ck

f o r  t h e  Palais  d u L u x e m b o u r g ,

2 2

  a c o m m i s s i o n w h i c h

earned

  t h e m l o d g i n g s i n t h a t

  b u i l d i n g .

  T h e t w o b r o t h e r s

also  e x e c u t e d h o r i z o n t a l c l o c k s f o r t h e V e r r e r i e R o y a l e

( R o y a l  G l a s s w o r k s ) , f o r t h e

  chateaux

  o f S a i n t - H u b e r t ,

B e l l e v u e ,

  a n d C h o i s y , a n d f o r t h e E c o l e

  M i l i t a i r e .

  Jean-

B a p t i s t e a n d h i s  nephews  c o m p l e t e d c l o c k s f o r t h e P a v i l

i o n

  d e B a g a t e l l e i n 1 7 7 8 , f o r t h e H o t e l d e s I n v a l i d e s i n

1 7 8 4 , a n d f o r t h e H o t e l d e  V i l l e  i n 1 7 8 1 / 8 6 . T h i s l a s t c l o c k

w a s t o

 become

  t h e o b j e c t o f a f i n a n c i a l

 l i t i g a t i o n

  b e t w e e n

t h e m a n d t h e  c i t y  g o v e r n m e n t .

A l o n g  w i t h  these  m o n u m e n t a l cl oc k s, J e a n - A n d r e

also

  t o o k a n i n t e r e s t i n o r d i n a r y c l oc k s a n d i n w a t c h

m a k i n g ,  a n d h e u n d e r t o o k v a r i o u s e x p e r i m e n t s ( p a r ti c

u l a r l y

  o n t h e

  pendule polycamerat ique)

  i n these

 areas. Some

o f  h is e x p e r i m e n t s w e r e u n d e r t a k e n

  w i t h

  h i s b r o t h e r ,

others  w i t h  t h e h e l p o f P i e r r e  ( I I I )  L e R o y , w i t h  w h o m h e

h a d " c o n t r a c t e d . . . t o  create  a  firm  b y w h i c h [ J e a n -

A n d r e ]  i s e n t i t l e d t o  execute  a n d s e l l c l o c k s o f a n e w

1 8 0

B I O G R A P H I E S

Page 194: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 194/225

c o n c e p t i o n i n   accordance  w i t h  clauses  a n d c o n d i t i o n s

e s t a b l i s h e d b y s a id  firm."

23

  A

  c o n f l i c t

  c o n c e r n i n g t h e

a u t h o r s h i p o f v a r i o u s in v e n t i o n s c o v e r e d b y t h i s c o n t r a c t

u l t i m a t e l y

  degenerated

  i n t o a b a t t le o f p a m p h l e t s .

2 4

T h e  Lepautes  p r o d u c e d a l a r g e n u m b e r o f c lo c ks

a n d w a tc h e s , b o t h s i m p l e a n d c o m p l i c a t e d , a n d t h e q u a l

i t y  o f t h e i r w o r k s , t o g e t h e r

  w i t h

  t h e i r c a r e f u l c h o i c e o f

cases,

  earned

  t h e m a s u p e r i o r r e p u t a t i o n . I n 1 7 66 t h e y

p u b l i s h e d t h e

  Descrip t ion de p lus ieurs ouvrages  d 'Horlo-

gerie.

25

  T h e f a c ts p r o v i d e d b y t h i s t r e at i s e , t o g e t h e r  w i t h

w h a t c a n b e l e a r n e d

  f r o m

  o t h e r

  sources

  p r o v i d e

  some

i n f o r m a t i o n  c o n c e r n i n g t h e L e p a u t e s ' c o l l a b o r a t o r s .

F o r b r o n z e  cases,  t h e y t u r n e d t o s u c h s c u l p t o r s a s

C l o d i o n ,  J e a n - A n t o i n e H o u d o n ,  Jean-Baptiste  S t o u f ,

G i l l es - P a u l C a u v e t ,

2 6

  a n d A u g u s t i n P a j ou ( f o r m o d e l s ) .

2 7

( I n  m a k i n g c lo c ks f o r th e d u e d e B o u r b o n   w i t h  m o v e

ments

  by L e p a u t e , H o u d o n

  f o l l o w e d

  d r a w i n g s b y t h e

a r c h i t e c t s L e C a r p e n t i e r a n d d e

  W a i l l y . )

2 8

  Jean-Jacques

E t a b l e de L a B r i e r e p r o v i d e d t h e m   w i t h  a d r a w i n g f o r t h e

case

  o f a

  pendule polycamerat ique,

29

  a n d F ra n c o i s - J o s ep h

B e l a n g e r a d r a w i n g o f a c l o c k f o r t h e c o m t e d ' A r t o i s .

3 0

T h e  Lepautes  b o u g h t o r c o m m i s s i o n e d  cases  f r o m  t h e

fondeurs-ciseleurs

  ( a n d s o m e t im e s  also  m o d e l e r s ) L u c -

P h i l i p p e

  T h o m i r e

  le pere,

31

  R o b e r t a n d

  Jean-Baptiste

O s m o n d ,

3 2

  E t ie n n e M a r t i n c o u r t ,

3 3

 F r a n c o i s  V i o n ,

3 4

 Jean-

C l a u d e D u p l e s s i s ,

3 5

  L o u i s - B ar t h el e m y H e r v i e u ,

3 6

 N i c o l a s

B o n n e t ,

3 7

  Jean-Joseph  d e S a i n t - G e r m a i n ,  M i c h e l  Po i s -

s o n ,

 Jean-Pierre

  C o t t i n , a n d t h e w i d o w G a l l o is . T h e y h a d

some  o f t h e i r o w n  cases  cast  b y t h e  fondeur   C h a r l e s B e -

n a r d .

3 8

  T h e y

 also

 c a l l e d u p o n t h e g i l d e r s a n d  case-makers

L o u i s - F r a n c o i s G o b e r t ,

3 9

  Jean  G o y e r , a n d F r a n c o i s

R e m o n d .

4 0

W h e n m a r q u e t r y  cases  w e r e c a l l e d f o r t h e  Lepautes

t u r n e d c h i e f ly t o th e

  ebeniste

  N i c o l a s P e t i t f o r

  long-case

c l o ck s . E t i e n n e M a r t i n c o u r t p r o v i d e d P e ti t

  w i t h

  bronzes

f o r  long-case

  c l o c k s  w i t h  a s u n f l o w e r . L e p a u t e

  also

o r d e r e d  cases  f r o m  A n t o i n e F o u l le t , A d r i e n - J e r o m e J o l -

l a i n ,  B e r n a r d

  ( I I )

  v a n R i s e n b u r g h ( a m o n g o t h e r it e m s f o r

a l on g -C a se c l o c k o r d e r e d b y M o n s i e u r B o n n e m e t ) ,

4 1

Jean-Baptiste  L e p e n d u , F r an g o i s G o y e r, P h i l i p p e - C l a u d e

M o n t i g n y ,

  B a l t h a za r L i e u t a u d ,

 Jean-Francois

  L e l e u , a n d

C h a r l e s - A n t o i n e S t a d l e r . T h e y  also  d e c o r a t e d t h e i r cases

w i t h

  g i l t

  b r o n z e a n d  w i t h  o r i e n t a l o r

  Sevres

  p o r c e l a i n ,

as

  w e l l

  as

  w i t h

  t e r r a c o t t a . F o r

  watchcases

  th e y t u r n e d ,

a m o n g o t h e r s , to L o u i s - F r a n c o i s L e f e v r e .

T h e L e p a u t e s ' s u b c o n t r a c t o r s f o r t h e m e c h a n i c a l

parts

  i n c l u d e d t h e c l o c k - m a k e r s P i e r r e - H e n r y

  M a l y -

v o i r e ,

4 2

  Joseph  T a v e r n i e r ,  Jean  P u c e l l e , D a v i d - L o u i s

C o u r v o i s i e r , P r i v e t , Jean  A r g a n d , J a c q u et - D r o z ,  Jean  F o l

fils

43

  Georges  R o g e r ,

4 4

  Jean  F o r c h e r ,

4 5

  a n d  Joseph  S y l -

v e s t r e .

4 6

  M o s t o f t h e i r s p r in g s w e r e p r o v i d e d b y C l a u d e

R i c h a r d ,

  a n d m a n y o f t h e i r d i a l s w e r e e n a m e l e d , a t

  first

b y

  A r r o u a r d , t h e n b y E l i e B a r b e z a t  ( u n t i l  1 7 7 7 ) , a n d l a t e r

b y  H e n r i - F r a n c o i s D u b u i s s o n an d G e o r g e s - A d r i e n

M e r l e t .  I n 1 7 5 9 t h e y

  used

  t h e d i a l - m a k e r

  D a v i d

  a n d i m

p o r t e d b l a n k m o v e m e n t s  f r o m  S w i t z e r l a n d t h r o u g h t h e

C o u r v o i s i e r b r o t h e r s i n L e L o c l e , a n d t h r o u g h V i g u i e r

i n

  G e n e v a .

T h e L e p a u t e s '

  customers

  b e l o n g e d t o b o t h

  c i ty

  a n d

c o u r t a n d i n c l u d e d L o u i s X V , M a d a m e d u B a r r y ,

4 7

  t he

comtes

  d e P r o v e n c e

4 8

  a n d d ' A r t o i s ,

4 9

 M m e s

  V i c t o i r e

  a n d

A d e l a i d e , t h e d u e de B o u r b o n , t h e  duchesse  d e M a z a r i n ,

t h e p r i n c e d e S a l m , t h e m a r q u i s d e B r u n o y , d e C o u r t a n -

v a u x , d e L a R o c h e f o u c a u l d , d e M a r i g n y , a n d d e  Pange,

M .

  B e a u j o n , F r a n c o i s B o u c h e r , G r i m o d d e L a R e y n i e r e ,

R a d i x d e S a i n t - F o y , R a n d o n d e B o i s s e t , a n d V a s sa l d e

S a i n t - H u b e r t . T h e y  also  p r o v i d e d a s t r o n o m i c a l c l oc k s

f o r

  t h e

  Paris

  O b s e r v a t o i r e ,

5 0

  f o r t h e k i n g ' s C a b i n e t d e

P h y s i q u e a t L a M u e t t e ,

5 1

  a n d f o r J e a n - S y l v a i n B a i l l y ' s

p e r s o n a l o b s e r v a t o r y i n t h e G a ll e ri e s o f t h e L o u v r e .

5 2

O u t s i d e F r a n c e , M a d a m e I n f a n t e , t h e  duchess  o f  Par

m a ,

5 3

  P r i n c e C h a r le s o f L o r r a i n e , F e r d i n a n d

  V I ,

  C h a r l e s

I I I ,  a n d C h a r l e s I V o f S p a i n , a n d Q u e e n L o u i s e - U l r i q u e

o f  S w e d e n o w n e d ex a m p l e s o f t h e i r w o r k .

5 4

T h e  Lepautes  s o l d m o s t o f t h e i r p r o d u c t i o n d i r e c t l y ,

b u t o c c a s io n a l l y , p a r t i c u l a r l y at t h e o u t s e t o f t h e i r

  career,

t h e y w e n t t h r o u g h

  marchands-merciers ,

  s u c h a s S . H . d e L a

H o g u e t t e

5 5

  o r C o s i ,

5 6

  as  w e l l  a s p r o v i d i n g c l o c ks t o t h e i r

c o u s i n L e p a u t e d e B e l l e f o n t a i n e .

5 7

T h e i r

  a c c o m m o d a t i o n s i n t h e G a l le r ie s  o f  th e L o u v r e

w e r e so c r a m p e d t h a t t h e  Lepautes  c o u l d n o t  hope  t o

e s t a b li s h a r e a l w o r k s h o p t h e r e .

5 8

  T h e i r l o d g i n g s en t a i l e d

o t h e r  advantages,  h o w e v e r , a l l o w i n g t h e m t o e n j o y t h e

p r i v i l e g e s t h a t w e r e

  associated

  w i t h

  these

  grants

  b y t h e

C r o w n .

  T h e

  Lepautes

  o p e n e d a n

  annex

  i n t h e r u e d e

Sevres

  a t L a C r o i x - R o u g e , w h i c h s o o n

 became

  t h e i r m a i n

w o r k s h o p . T h e y l a t e r m o v e d i t t o t h e r u e S a in t H o n o r e ,

o n   t h e c o r n e r o f t h e r u e d e F A r b r e S ec , a n d ,  finally,  f r o m

1 7 7 6 t o 1 7 8 9 ^ 0 t h e p l a c e d u

  Palais

 R o y a l .

T h e y also  r e c e i v e d t h e t i t le s o f  Horloger   de S.A.S. le  due

de Bourbon

59

  a n d

  Horloger de Monseigneur, comte d 'Artois.

60

T H E

  P U B L I C A T I O N S

  O F

  J E A N - A N D R E

L E P A U T E

Copie  d 'une let tre ecri te a Monseigneur le due de*** par le

Sieur

  Le Paute Horloger du Roi , au pa la is du Luxembourg, ser

vant a la justification dudit Sieur Le Pau te, contre differentes

imputa t ions du S ieur Le Roi ,  fils  a ine du   Sieur   Jullien   le Roi,

Horloger

  du R o i

  ( P a r i s , 1 7 5 2 ) . B i b l i o t h e q u e N a t i o n a l e

V 8 7 3 6 .

Replique

  du S ieur Lepaute Horloger du Roi au Luxem

bourg

  a un ecri t in t i tule Ref lex ion de M. Le Roy

  LAine,

  Fils

( P a r is , 1 7 5 2 ) . B i b l i o t h e q u e N a t i o n a l e V 8 7 3 8 ( n o t c i t e d b y

B a i l l i e

  1 9 5 1 , w r o n g

 date

  i n T a r d y 1 9 8 0 ) .

B I O G R A P H I E S

1 8 1

Page 195: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 195/225

Memoire

  sur Vechapemens a repos, Donne a I'Academie des

Sciences,  le  aout 1753,  par Lepaute  Horloger  du Roi au  Lux

embourg

  a  Par is  (Paris:

  Jacques

  Cha rdo n, 1753).  B i b l i o

theque  Nationale V 8741 (not ci ted by  B a i l l i e  1951 or

Tardy 1980).

Description  dun echapement a repos et a chevilles dont les

leviers  sont egaux  £s? naturels, mis a son point de perfection par

Lepaute,

  Horloger

  du Roi, au Luxembourg a

 Par is

  £s?

 presente

par

  lui a Sa Majeste, a Marly,  le 23  mai  1753 (Paris: Veuve

L o t t i n ,  1754). Bibli othe que Nation ale V 8739.

Reponse

  du  Sieur  Le Paute,  Horloger  du Roi, au Luxem

bourg,

  a une lettre du  Sieur  Caronf i ls  (Paris: Veuve

  D a v i d ,

1753). Biblioth eque Nationale V 8742.

Traite  d'Horlogerie  contenant tout ce qui est

 necessaire

  pour

bien

  connaitre and pour  regler  les Horloges  et Les Montres . . .

(Paris: Jacques  C h a r d o n pere,  1755).

Description  dune nouvelle pendule policameratique; pour

servir  de Supplement au  Traite  d'Horlogerie  (Paris: Cha rdo n,

1760). This small publication appeared  in the catalogue

o f

  th e

  L i b r a i r i e

  Thoma s-S che ler , n. s. 13 (Paris, 1989), no.

756 (not cited by  B a i l l i e  1951 or Tardy 1980).

Description  de  plusiers  ouvrages  d'Horlogerie  (Paris:

Jacques Ch ard on, 1766).

Traite

  d'Horlogerie  contenant tout  ce qui est necessaire

  pour

bien connaitre et pour  regler  les Horloges  et Les Montres . . .

accompanied by  Description  d'une pendule policameratique

an d  Description  d'une pendule a seconde qui marque le temps

moyen et le temps  vrai  sans etre expos ee aux inconvenients qu'on

a

  remarques jusqu'a present dans les pendules a equations

(Paris: Samson, 1767).

NOTES

1.  See in parti cula r  A . N . , M i n . , L X I V ,  3 6 6 ,  October

  2 8 ,

 1758,

a n d A . N . , 0

1

  1 6 7 3 , dos. 11 (memo randa of  1 7 7 5 ) .

2.

  Gabriel-Joseph Lepaute  [ 1 7 9 3 - 1 8 8 2 ;  son of Pierre-Bazile

Lepaute], "N otice Histor ique sur la Famille Lepaute." T he

information

 in this manuscript was  k i n d l y communicated

to the authors by M i c h e l  Henry-Lepaute. Unless otherwise

noted,  al l biograp hical material is derived  f r o m  this

source.

3 .  Lalande  1 8 0 3 , pp .

  6 7 6 — 6 8 1 .

4 .

  A . N . ,  Y  1 1 5 6 7 , Jean-A ndre Lepaute's co mplain t of Octo

ber

  2 6 ,  1 7 5 1 ,

 against Pierre Le Roy

  fits.

 This is the period

during

  w h i c h he produced the various clocks bearing the

signature "Le

 Paute,

 Hor loger du Roi au Luxembourg ."

Concerning the various applications of the term

  Horloger

du

 Roi and the distinctions between them , see Aug arde

1 9 9 6 .

5 .  A . N . ,  0*1069.

6.

  A . N . ,  E* 1 3 4 0 A , no. 6, and  A . N . , Y 9 3 2 8 .

7 .  A . N . ,

  M i n . ,

  L X I V ,  3 6 6 .

8 .

  See note 1.

9.

  See note 3, p. 67 7.

1 0.

  I b i d .

1 1 .  A . N . , M i n . ,

  X V I I I ,  9 8 2 ,

 5 Ventose A n X ,  inventory after

the death  o f Jean-Baptiste Lepaute.

1 2.

  A . N . , M i n . , L X I V ,  3 6 6 ,  October

  2 8 ,

  1 7 5 9 ,  Jean-Baptiste

Lepaute's marriage contract.

1 3.   See note  1. Patent dated September  2 7 ,

  1 7 7 5

  ( A . N . ,

O

1

  1 6 7 3 , dossier  12 ) .

1 4 . A . N . ,  Y 9 3 9 3 . T hey satisfied the demands of the Corpora

t i o n des Hor loger s. On this poin t, see  A . N . , O

1

  1 6 7 3 ,  dos.

12 .

1 5.

  A . N . , M i n . , X C V I ,

  5 5 3 ,

 May 14, 1 7 8 9 , deed of transfer.

1 6 . A . N . , M i n . , X X X I V ,

  6 4 0 ,

 August 4 , 1763.

1 7.

  He marr ied his cousin Anais Lepaute, daughte r

  o f

 Jean-

Joseph Lepaute (called Collignon) and maintained his

father-in-law's workshop  u n t i l 1 8 3 4 under the business

name of "Henry neveu Lepaute." I n  1 8 5 0 he merged his

business w i t h  the factory of his cousins Lepaute & Fils,

under the name "Henry-Lepaute." Only i n  1 8 5 4 did he

receive permission  f r o m  the Conseil d'Etat to use the

name "Henry-Lepaute."

1 8.   See note 16.

1 9 . A . N . , M i n . , X C V I ,   5 5 3 , attachment to the contract of asso

ciation o f May  14 , 1 7 8 9 , "lease by private treatise delivered

by

 J.  B . Lepaute to the citizen Henry on 7 Vendemaire An

V I I "  (quoted in the inventory , see note  1 1 ) . See also the

Almanack Azur  ( 1 8 0 6 ) and the  Alman ack Indicateur pour   les

Etrangers  ( 1 8 0 6 ) .

2 0 .  "Already in  1 7 4 0 ,  the late  M . Aman t, to whom I commu ni

cated my thoughts . . ." in  J.-A. Lepaute,  Memoire  sur

 V e

chapemens  a repos  . . . (Louis Ama nt, master clock-maker on

October 1, 1 7 2 5 , invented an  echappement  a repos and a  cad-

rature

  de

 pendule,

  w h i c h

 were publ ished by Th io ut in his

Traite d'Horlogerie)

2 1 .  A . N . ,  O

1

  2 2 4 9 ,

  fo l .

 239.

2 2 .

  I b i d . ,

  fo l .

 238.

2 3 .

  See note 4.

2 4 .

  See J.-A. Lepau te,

  Copie

  d'une   lettre

  ecrite

 a . . . ; P. Le Roy,

Reflexion

  de  M. Le Roy L'Ainefils,  sur un Ecrit  intitule,

  Copie

d'une  lettre . . . (Paris,  1 7 5 2 )  (Bibliotheque Nationale Impr.

V

  8 7 3 7 ) ; and J.-A. Lepaute,  Replique  du

 Sieur

  Lepaute  . . .

2 5 .

  This book is not mentioned in

 Bai l l ie

 and Tardy's

  b i b l i o g

raphies re garding the

 measurement

 o f

 time,

 but Tardy

does quote a passage

 f r o m

  it in his Dictionnaire  de s  Horlogers

Franqais  ( 1 9 7 4 ) , pp .

  3 7 8 , 3 7 9 ,

  3 8 4 ) , datin g it  1 7 6 6 . This

publication is extreme ly rare an d is not fo und i n the major

libraries.

 We used the copy i n Jean-Claude  Subrier's

collection.

2 6 .

  J.-A. Lepaute,

 Description

  de

 plusiers

  ouvrages

  d'Horlogerie

( 1 7 6 6 ) .

2 7 .  I b i d .

2 8.

  The marquis de

 Marigny's pendule

  polycameratique  was

crowned  w i t h a putto representing T ime by Hou don

(sale, Paris, May 4,  1 7 8 5 , lot  12 ) .

2 9 .  J--A. Lepaute, Description   d'une  nouvelle

  pendule

  polycamera

tique. Jean-Jacques Etable de la Briere  ( 1 7 1 6 - 1 7 8 5 )  was

Jean-Andre Lepaute's brother-in-law.

3 0 .  A . N . ,

  R i

  3 2 4 ,

 and

  A . N . ,  M i n . ,  L X I V ,

  3 6 6 ,

 October 28,

7 5 9 -

3 1 .  See note 7 and Archive s de la Seine, B5 B 6 , 4 5 7 1 , Luc-

Philippe Thomire's daybook.

3 2 .  See note 7.

3 3 .

  See note 26 .

3 4 .

  I b i d .

3 5 .

  I b i d .

3 6 .

  A . N . , M i n . ,  X X V I I ,  4 0 7 ,  December 19, 1 7 7 9 , a nd  A . N . ,

M i n . ,  X X V I I ,

  4 2 7 , November  1 1 , 1782.

182

BIOGRAPHIE S

Page 196: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 196/225

37 -  Archives de la Seine, D 5

 B 6 ,

  4 4 7 , Nicolas Bonnet's

daybook.

3 8 .

  See note 7 and  A . N . , M in . , L X X X V ,  5 8 2 ,

 September

 8,

1 7 6 4 .

3 9 .

  Sale, Paris, February 17, 1 7 7 7 , lot  3 3 7 .

4 0 .  Information k i n d l y provi ded by Christian Baulez.

4 1 .  Bonnemet's equation clock was housed i n a case by Ber

nard,  w h i c h , in the eighteenth century stood for Bernard

( I I ) van Risenburgh (sale, Paris,  A p r i l  12,

 1 7 7 1 ,

 l ot  1 2 7 ) .

The description of the

 case

 corresponds to that of a long-

case clock now at the Gulb enkian Foundation i n Lisbon

( i n v .  1 9 5 ) .

4 2 .  M a l y v o i r e worked as a finisher  f o r Julien Le Roy and the

Lepautes. See J.-A. Lepaute, Memoire  sur I'echapemens  . . .

4 3 .

  See note 7.

 W i t h

 the exception of

 A r g a n d ,

 none of

 these

clock-makers had yet

 been

 received as

 masters

 in  1759.

4 4 .  Archives de la Seine,  D 4  B

6

,

 balance

 sheet of October 25,

1 7 6 7 . Georges Royer,

  compagnon

  horloger,  also worked for

Delunesy and Biesta.

4 5 .  A . N . , E*

  1 3 9 1 B , decree

 of the Conseil d'Etat du Roi of

August

  2 8 ,

  1 7 6 4 , document 18.

4 6 .

  A . N . , O

1

  1 6 7 3 , dos.

  1 0 ,

 letter  f r o m the marquis de Mar-

i g n y

  to the architec t Jacques-Germain Soufflot, Mar ch  2 1 ,

1 7 5 7 -

4 7 .

  Bibliotheque Nationale, Manuscrit Francais,  8 2 5 8 ,

  fo l .

 32,

receipt fo r a watch valued at  5 , 0 0 0  livres  delivered in  1 7 7 0 .

4 8 .

  A . N . , F

1 7

  1 2 6 6 - 1 .

4 9 .

  A . N . ,  R

1

  3 1 7 , R

1

  3 2 4 , R

1

  3 7 9 and O

2

  4 7 0 .

5 0 .

  Jacques Domi nque Cassini,  Memoir es pour   Servir a

  I'Histoire

de s

 Sciences  .

 . . (Paris,

  1 8 1 0 ) ,

 p. 208.

5 1 .   A . N . ,  O

1

  1 5 8 4 , doc.

  4 4 ,

 memo randum by Lepaute con

cern ing an astronomical clock intended for a cabinet at La

Muette, see Ronfort  1989.

5 2 .

  Memoires

  de

  VAcademie des

 Sciences

  pour I'annee  ij66  (Paris,

1 7 6 8 ) .

5 3 .  Archives of Parma, CBf, cart.  4 6 , letter

  f r o m

  Lepaute,

7 5 2 -

5 4 .

  See note 50 and J.-A. Lepaute, Memoire  sur I'echapemens.  . .,

i n

  w h i c h

 he

  describes

 hims elf as "overwhelmed

  w i t h

  w o r k

f r o m   the courts of Naples and of Spain."

5 5 .  A . N . ,

  M i n . ,

  X C V I I ,  3 4 6 , May 15, 1755.

5 6 .

  A . N . , V

3

  7 7 B , contract o f December

  2 0 ,

 1758.

5 7 .

  See note  1 1 . Th is invento ry contains a note concerning a

d e l i v e r y

 o f clocks b y

 Jean-Baptiste

 Lepaute to Lepaute de

Bellefontaine and back interest owed by the latter to

N ic o l e

 Etable,  wife

  o f

 Jean-Andre Lepaute.

5 8 .

  See note

  4 6 .

 The letters of Soufflot and the marquis de

M a r i g n y

  d w e l l upon the small size of the space located

above the archways of the Louvre, w h i c h constituted

 Jean-

Andre Lepaute's  f o u r t h

  l o d g i n g ,

 obtained upon the resig

nation of the  g o l d s m i t h Jacques Roettiers.

5 9 .  C ha n t i l l y ,

 Conde

  A r c h iv e s ,

 AC 7, authorization o f

 January

4>  7 7 3 -

6 0 .

  See note 30 .

T H E  CHA RLES LE ROY WOR KSH OP

T h e signa tur e "Charl es Le Roy" was i n use b etwee n

1734 and the en d of the eighte enth c entury.   U n t i l  about

1770, it  i d e n t i f i e d  movements pro duce d by the workshop

o f  Charles Le Roy.  A f t e r  that

  date,

 it was

 used

  by his son,

Etienn e-Aug ustin Le Roy.

Charles Le Roy was born in 1709

1

  and died on Octo

ber 2,

  1 7 7 1 .

2

  He mar rie d Marie-Mad eleine Bercher (died

o n

  A p r i l  8 1776),

3

  who bore him at

  least

  four  sons:

M i c h e l - N i c o l a s

 (17 34-1 803) , a lawyer at the Parlement de

Paris, who later  became  a parish priest in Nanterre;

Et ienne-August in,

  Hor loger

  du Roi  ( f r o m  1737  u n t i l  after

1792); Norbert, a priest; and Jacques

 Prosper

  (died after

1790), a  marchand-mercier.

4

He was admitted to the Paris

  g u i l d

  as a master clock-

maker on August 16, 1733.

5

  His workshop was located

first

  i n

  the rue des

  Precheurs,

6

  then, starting in 1745 at

the latest, in the rue Saint-Deni s, on the corner of the r ue

d u

  Signe, opposite the churc h of Saint-Leu.

7

Etienn e-Augu stin Le Roy was bor n in 1737

s

 and d ied

after 1792. He was ad mi tt ed to the Paris

  g u i l d

  as a master

clock-maker on November 22, 1758.

9

  He  assumed  or

received the

  t i t l e

  o f  Hor loger  du Roi  at an uncertain

  da te .

1 0

I n

  al l l i k e l i h o o d  he worked  w i t h  his father before contin

u i n g

  his activities un de r the

  name

  o f "Charles Le Roy" in

th e

  same

 premises.

11

  He sold his stock, betwe en 1792 and

1799, to Gaspard Cacha rd, wh o pur sued his trade i n the

same

 premises un de r the trade  name "Cac har d, Succr. de

C h .

  Le Roy."

12

T h e

  absence

 o f notarized  deeds of the  k i n d  cited in

connect ion  w i t h  the oth er biogra phies i n this book  does

not preclu de the con ten tio n that Charles and Etienn e-

A u g u s t i n   Le Roy were both

  b r i l l i a n t l y

  successful an d

wealthy.

13

  Th re e factors sup por t this conclusi on: the

Charl es Le Roy fami ly's rise in society, the lo cat ion o f the

L e

 Roy's works hop , and its activities.

T h e fami ly's rise in society can be established by fo ur

observations. The  first  o f

  these

  is the fact that  M i c h e l -

N i c o l a s ,

  eld er son o f Charl es Le Roy, was i n a posit ion to

become an  advocat  (l awyer ) at the Parl eme nt de Paris, an

obvious sign of accrued we alth . Th e second is the decision

b y  Charles Le Roy, as early as 1764, to establish for his

w i f e an d him self a perpe tual fou ndat ion for the saying of

masses.

14

  T h e

  t h i r d

  is the  t i t l e  o f

 Hor loger

  du Roi,  w h i c h

Etienne-Augustin Le Roy was allowed to

  assume

  as a

result o f his deliv eri ng clocks and watches di rectl y to

L o u i s   X V I .

1 5

  T h e last is the

  appearance

  of Etienne-

A u g u s t i n   Le Roy on the electoral lists at a time when a

man's  r i g h t  to vote dep end ed on the

  state

 o f his fortu ne.

B I O G R A P H I E S

  183

Page 197: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 197/225

Ano the r consid eration is the location of the

  w o r k

shop,  w h i c h  sto od, by 1748, in the rue Saint-Denis, wher e

i t

  was to remain for over

  s i x t y

  years. A t that ti me this

street and the rue Sain t-Hon ore were the two tho rou gh

fares on

  w h i c h

  a ll the  l u x u r y

  trades

  of the capital were

assembled. Charles Le Roy's choice of loca tion is indic a

t i v e

  o f an am bit ion deservedly rew arded , since his

 estab

l ishment

  is ment ioned  w i t h  praise on a par  w i t h  that

accorded to Juli en Le Roy, Ferd ina nd Ber tho ud, or the

V o i s i n s

 i n the  p r i n c i p a l almanacs o f the second

  h a l f

 of the

eighteenth century.

Th e Charles Le Roy wo rks ho p was mostly devo ted to

watches. By 1765, the num be r pro duc ed had reached

2,340.

1 6

  Th is implie s an annual pr odu cti on of about

eighty

  items an d was practica lly equiva lent to that of

Juli en Le Roy or Jean-Baptist e  B a i l l o n .  The workshop's

produc t ion

  grew

  s w i f t l y

  after the  a r r i v a l  of Etienne-

A u g u s t i n ,

  reaching 4,000 before 1772.

1 7

  Th e num ber

10,347  i

s

  fou nd on a watch a complications  ( w i t h t he days o f

the week and other indications)  f r o m  the mid-1790s .

18

These

  figures do not include a gr oup of u nn um be red

watches for  w h i c h  it is ha rd to dete rmin e whet her the sig

natures  are apocryphal or whether the

  absence

  of num

bers  was intent ional .

1 9

 I t appears  that the Le Roys used

many  watchcases  i m por t e d  f r o m  Switzerland; the

  o n l y

suppl iers i n Paris that we have been able to  i d e n t i f y  are

Moyse Du clo ux and Pierre de Mon cha nin .

Th e Le Roys' pr od uc ti on of clocks was unus uall y

s m a l l

  u n t i l

  about 1760.

  Case-makers

  who supplied the

workshop include  Joseph  de Saint-Germain, Ant oin e

F o u l l e t ,

  Jean

  Pecourt, Francois Du ha me l, an d Francois

Goyer for woo d

 cases

 veneered  w i t h  marquetry, the Caf-

fieris

  and

  Jean-Joseph

  de Saint-Germain for those  i n  g i l t

bronz e. Later o n in the century, probab ly at the  i n i t i a t i v e

o f

  Et ie nne-Aug ust in, this prod uct i on  w o u l d  noticeably

increase.

20

  The workshop's suppliers at that time

i n c l u d e d  th e  fondeurs-ciseleurs  Jean-Louis Beaucourt,

Francois  V i o n ,  Jean-Joseph  de Saint-Germain, Etienne

M a r t i n c o u r t ,

  Pierre  V i e l ,  Robert and Jean-Baptiste

Osm ond , Jean-Baptiste Zaccon, Jean-Nicolas Fremon t,

A u g u s t i n

  Le

  M i r e ,

 Eti enne Blavet, and Francois Rem ond .

L i t t l e

 is kno wn about the collaborators who prov ide d

mechanical parts. Charles Le Roy had at least two ap

prent ices , Phi l ippe Ar ma n d

2 1

  and  Jacques-Denis  Lema-

zur ie r .

2 2

  He also employed the clock-makers Antoine

Francois

2 3

  and Florent Lecomte.

2 4

  For clock-springs the

L e  Roys  c h i e f l y  tu rn ed to the Richards, father and son.

The workshop's clientele was

  l i k e

  that of the oth er

great clock-makers o f the day. It includ ed Louis

 X V I ,

  his

brother, the comte de Provence,  M i l e  de Clermont (a

princess o f the bloo d), Messieurs Bergeret, de Mo nt ho -

l o n ,

 an d de Bonne val, as  w e l l as the court s of Sweden and

Saxony among others.

Th e inv en tor y of the king's clocks and the Gard e

Meub le o f Janu ary 1, 1788, lists nin e clocks signed

"Charles Le Roy,"

  w h i c h

  we re al l, at the tim e, in Louis

X V I ' s  priv ate apartments in Versailles.

25

 At least three o f

these

  were models by  V i o n a nd two were by Osm ond . A n

i n v e n t o r y  o f the clocks be lon gin g to the Men us Plaisirs

und erta ken by Robert Robi n in 1793 mentions a ten th

c l o c k , w h i c h  can be  i d e n t i f i e d  as the one in the Ge tty

Museum (cat. no. 16).

2 6

S i x  o f the n ine clocks on the

  first l is t

 undoubte dly cor

respond to  those  men tio ned i n the personal accounts of

L o u i s  X V I  (paymen ts made to Le Roy betwee n 1773 and

1777).  These  accounts also mention a watch  f r o m  the

same  w or k s hop .

2 7

  It has not been de term ined how

Etienne-Augustin Le Roy entered the personal service of

L o u i s  X V I ,  who was the n Daup hi n. He had an  o f f i c i a l

p o s i t i o n ,

  since he rece ive d a salary o f 474  livres  and a pen

sion of 200

  l ivres

  an nuall y. Th e salary  came  to an end

when Louis  X V I  ascended  the throne in 1774. The  k i n g

nonetheless pu t his tru st in the clock-maker since he reg

u l a r l y  dispatched h im on various errands  u n t i l  1791 (i n

particular to settle several  b i l l s  sent by the

  l i b r a r i a n

  B l a i -

z o t ) .  I t  appears  in any event that Etienn e-Aug ustin Le

Roy was clearly ent itl ed to

 assume

 the  t i t l e

 Hor loger

  du Roi.

N O T E S

1.  A large num ber of clock-makers w i t h the name Le Roy or

L er o y p l ied th eir trade i n Paris in both the seventeenth

and eighteenth centuries. They were often unrelated. The

artist

 under discussion, for instance, was unrelated to the

f a m i l y

  o f

 Julien

 Le Roy (see biogr aphy i n this volume),

although

 one of the latter's brothers was named Charles

and was also a clock-maker.

2.

  His tomb is in Saint Genevieve's cathedral in Nante rre. His

epitaph reads: "Here,

  a w a i t i n g

 the glorious Resurrection,

lies

 Charles Le Roy, Clock-maker in Paris, Bourgeois of

Nanterre, Deceased on 2 Octob.  1 7 7 1 . aged 62 years.

  Rel i

g i o n  loses one of it s most

  f a i t h fu l

  disciples.

 Fi l led

  w i t h its

S p i r i t , he revered  al l the Mysteries, he knew its True

M a x i m s and put them  i n t o practice. This temple loses

an e d i f y i n g m odel of fervor and piety, the Poor and the

Unfortunate

  a recourse and a comforter, the Parish, an

exemplary man, w ho assembled  al l the  c i v i l and moral v i r

tues, an  o b l i g i n g man who sought  o n l y to do good, Chris

t i a n Y o u t h , a fathe r who encouraged it to Science and to

V i r t u e by kindnesses o f various sorts.  Hocce  amoris

  & f

  reve-

rentice

  Monumentum   Plaudente  Pago,  Pusuerunt Moerentes

Fului,  1 7 7 8 . " ( Epita ph by R. P. Bern).

3.   Archives Brateau .

4 .  Death certificate of Nicolas-Jacques  J u l l i a r d , dated  A p r i l

2 0 ,  1 7 9 0 , published b y J. J.  Guif f rey,  Etat-Civil  de s  tapissiers

de s Gobelins  . . . (Paris,  1 8 9 7 ) , p. 38.

5 .

  Liste

  1 7 4 8 .

6.   A . N . ,

  M i n . , X X X ,

  2 5 9 , Mar ch 6,  1 7 3 4 .

7 .  A . N . , M i n . , X X ,  5 8 7 , July  2 1 , 1745.

8.   E. Chavaray, Assemblee  Electorate  de

 Paris

  (10 nov.  1790-15

juin  1791) (Paris,  1 8 8 0 ) , p. 25.

9.

  A . N . , Y 9 3 8 6 .

184

  B I O G R A P H I E S

Page 198: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 198/225

Page 199: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 199/225

w h i c h  he invented a special repeating mechanism, and

t w o

  repeating watches,  " w h i c h  are the  first  t o have b een

made  w i t h a featu re tha t allows His Majesty to remove the

c l o c k - f a c e

 i n ord er to see the clo ckworks revealed."

21

  The

f o l l o w i n g  year he applied the  same  in ven ti on as in th e

k i n g ' s  w a l l

 cl ock to s i m p l i f i e d  repea ting clocks, the

  first

  o f

w h i c h  was intended for the comte de Clermont.

2 2

 From

then on he never

  ceased

  produ cing works of

  h i g h

  tech

n i c a l q u al i ty , i n c l u d i n g  t hree astron omical clocks, one of

w h i c h ,  "whose accuracy appe ared marve lous ," was used

b y Pierre-Louis Mor eau de Maup ertuis du ri ng his voyage

t o

 t he  A r c t i c C ircle in 1 736.

2 3

 The other two astronomical

c l o c k s  were made for  Jacques  ( I I ) Cassini at the Paris

Observatoire and for

 Jacques  ( I I I )

  Cassini for use in his

astron omical and geodesic operati ons i n the south of

France.

2 4

  I n 1740 Le Roy inv ent ed the

  "bate

  levee," by

suppressing the  bate

 o f

  th e

 case

 for the repeat ing watches,

w h i l e

  adding a  bate  to the  d i a l ,  w i t h i n

  w h i c h

  th e  t r a i n  o f

the movement was lodged.

2 5

  I n 1755 he added to the

w o r k s

  o f the rep eati ng watches a small anchor  escape

ment, the

  f u n c t i o n

  o f w h i c h was to regularize the

  t r a i n

 o f

th e  c a r i l l o n .

2 6

  Meanwh ile, together

  w i t h

  his son  Jean-

Baptiste,

  he wr ot e several articles on clock- an d watch

m a k i n g  for the  Encyclopedic

L e

 Roy's workshop produ ced a large numbe r

  o f  o r d i

nar y watches and clocks to satisfy the heavy de ma nd

r e s u l t i n g  f r o m

  his reputa tion .  W h i l e  it is impossible to

det erm ine the numb er of clocks w h i c h Le Roy

  h i m s e l f

  or

his

  assistants

  may have made, i t is kn ow n that he p ro

duced over 3,500 watches.

27

  This amounts to an  average

o f  one hu nd re d movements a year and, taki ng holidays

i n t o

  account,

2 8

  impli es that he prod uce d a watch in

 less

tha n three days. By comp aris on, the work sho p  o f Jacques

G u d i n

  produced no more than  fifty  a year

2 9

  and that of

Fe rd inand Ber thoud  t h i r t y  to  fifty.

30

  Th e numb er of

watches attributed to Le Roy, to  w h i c h  shou ld be add ed

the m ovem ent s o f his clocks, allows fo r the fact that he

subcont racted all or part o f this ong oin g  a c ti v i t y , w h i c h

was nonetheless carr ied out under his supervisio n.

H i s

  collaborators for the mechanical parts included

n o t  o n l y his apprentices, who sometimes  became h is com-

pagnons ,  Antoi ne Campary,

3 1

  Rene Senard,

3 2

  L o u i s - D a v i d

Car re ,

3 3

 Jean  Vernede,

3 4

  and Joseph  Sylvestre,

35

 bu t  first

and foremost his

  sons

  Pierre and Jean-Baptiste,

36

  his

b r o t h e r - i n - l a w

  Pierre Senard, his nephews S enard an d

D e l a f o n d ,  and his cousin Francois

  B e l i a r d ,

  as

  w e l l

  as

P i e r r e - H e n r i

  M a l y v o i r e ,

3 7

  Abraham Bar tho lony ,

3 8

 Marc

Y v e r ,

3 9

  A my Dentan ,

4 0

  Jean-Philippe Pl an,

4 1

  D a n i e l -

Samuel Plattel,

4 2

  Antoine Francois,

43

  and Frangois

D u b o i s .

4 4

  F or springs he mo stly tu rn ed to the Blakeys,

father and son.

4 5

  A n t o i n e - N i c o l a s M a r t i n i e r e  was already

p r o v i d i n g   h i m

  w i t h

  dia ls ,

4 6

  as was Nicolas J u l l i e n

4 7

  and

p o s s i b l y  E l i e

  Barbezat,

4 8

  i n 1731.

There is no known instance,

  w i t h

  the exception of a

f e w

 prototypes, of movements by Le Roy being

 w i t h o u t

  a

case

 o f  g o o d q u a l i t y . Th anks to his reput ati on, he was very

soon in a position to free

  h i m s e l f  f r o m

  the demands of

the commercial circuits in order to sell his production

d i r e c t l y .

  As a result, his relationship

  w i t h

  the makers of

c l o c k - a nd  watchcases a nd

  w i t h

  th e  marchands-merciers  was

regu late d exclusively by the pr inc ipl e of supply a nd

demand.

I t can be assumed tha t he freel y chose his cases except

w h e n

  the cli ent imp osed his own taste.  Such was the

  case

w i t h th e cartel created f or Louis X V in 1728. Th e marqui s

de Beri ngh em , who commissio ned the piece, reserved

th e

  r i g h t

  to have the

  case

  made at his conveni ence and

accordi ng to his drawi ngs. The cl ock-maker accepted this

c o n d i t i o n ,  and "he so

  w e l l

  succeeded  that it has been gen

e r a l l y

  appro ved and adm ir ed, bot h by connoisseurs and

b y  people of good  taste."

49

  Made of  g i l t  bronze and

c r o w n e d   w i t h

  a figure sy mbol izing Da wn ,

5 0

  it was exe

cuted by the  fondeur-doreur  Nicolas Le Sueur,

51

  who made

a copy of it for Bo nni er de La Mos son .

5 2

  A clock

  w i t h

  a

case

 by  C a f f i e r i ,  now in Waddesdon Man or in England ,

was also the result of a special commission,

5 3

 as was t ha t

b e l o n g i n g

  to the marquis de Puyseult

  w i t h

  a

  case

  by

Frangois-Thomas Germain,

  w h i c h

  was described thus in

1770:

  " I t e m

  one l arge cl ock, by Jul ie n Leroy, i n its  case,

made by Germain, Sculpteur Ordinaire du Roy, repre

senting the  Fates, estim ated . . . 3000

  L . "

5 4

W i t h

  these exceptio ns, as far as clocks are conc erne d,

J u l i e n

  Le Roy

  seems

  to have had a continuous relation

ship

  w i t h

  Andre-Charles  B o u l l e

5 5

  and his son Andre-

Charles

  ( I I )

  B o u l l e ,

5 6

  w i t h

 w ho m he shared the custom of

the prince de Carignan.

5 7

  D u r i n g  the 1730s, he installed

equation movements in

  pedestals

  and  w a l l  cases  by

Charles  Cressent .

5 8

  Henry Hahn, who was called Le

C o c q ,

5 9

  Nicolas-Jean Marchand,  Jean-Pierre  Latz,

A d r i e n   Dubois ,

6 0

 Anto in e Foullet, An to in e Gosselin, and

Balthazar Lieuta ud also provid ed hi m

 w i t h  cases.

Somewhat befor e and also du ri ng the Neoclassical

p e r i o d , t he signat ure " Julien Le Roy" was regul arly asso

c i a t e d

  w i t h

  gilt-bronze

  cases,

  th e  dates  o f

  w h i c h

  often

i n d i c a t e

  that they were executed after his death; in other

w o r d s ,  as we

  i n i t i a l l y

  pointed out, they were made for

Pierre

  ( I I I ) .

  These

 wor ks are the r esult of collaborations

between Pierre and Phil ippe and Jacques  ( I I )  C a f f i e r i ,

6 1

Jean-Joseph

  de Saint-Germain,

6 2

  Edme Roy,

6 3

  and Rob

er t Osmond.

6 4

  As far as watches are concerned,

  o n l y

  the

c l o c k - m a k e r

 Joseph Q u e t in

6 5

 has so far been  i d e n t i f i e d  as

a supplier of watchcases.

O n l y  on e  marchand-mercier  is kn ow n to have been a

customer o f Le Roy: Lazare Duva ux, to wh om he sup

p l i e d  movements for clocks decorated

  w i t h

  Vincennes

186

B I O G R A P H I E S

Page 200: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 200/225

p o r c e l a i n

  flowers a nd Meissen porce lai n figur es.  These

items were s old to Loui s XV , to the due de Parme, to

Mada me de Pomp adou r, to the due de Bou rgo gne, and to

the comte du  L u c .

6 6

L e  Roy's features are k no wn to us th ro ug h a paint

i n g  by Perronneau,

  w h i c h

  was engraved by  M o i t t e .

6 7

  His

haughty visage hardly

  does

 justi ce to the cordia l char

acter o f the m an as revealed by the tes tim ony of his

contemporar ies.

6 8

H i s  a b i l i t y

  to assimilate the most advanced scientific

knowledge

  o f

 his day should be

 stressed.

 His membershi p

i n

  the Societe des

  A r t s

  allowed hi m to meet nume rous

scholars and

  d i l e t t a n t i

 o f v a r y i n g social origins, opinions,

and specializations, and his theoretical treatises gave him

entree

  i n t o

 scholarly circles.

I t  appears  certain that he collected objects related to

his art, but th e lack of an inven tor y after his death pre

vents a determi nati on of the

 scope

 o f his c o l l e c t i o n and of

the nature of his other

  tastes.

69

 We do know that Pierr e

Gau dro n wanted hi m to inh erit the

  first

  French equation

c l o c k

  (produced in 1688 by his father Antoine Gaudron)

and a duplicate

  o f

 one he  h i m s e l f had  b u i l t  for the Regent

i n

  1717, as

  w e l l

 as an equinoctial sundial by

  M i c h e l

  But-

t e r f i e l d , w h i c h  was no doubt rare.

7 0

  He also acquired a

long-case clock a complications by Claude  ( I I I )  M a r t i n o t  i n

a

  case

  by Juste-Aurele Meissonnier,

71

  and he acquired

f r o m  his colleagues vario us examples  o f  t h e i r inventions.

7 2

L e  Roy's fortune amounted to about 200,000

  livres

  at

the tim e of his death. His investment i n stocks amo unt ed

t o

  108,000  livres,  w h i c h  yielded an annual income of

6,126  livres.  Most

 o f

 th e remai nde r is accounted for by two

houses

 in Paris, one i n the ru e

  S a i n t - M a r t i n

  "A

 1'Enseigne

de la Cloche," the other i n the rue de Hu rep oi x,  w h i c h

was rented for a  t o t a l o f 3,050

  l ivres

 per year, and one  h a l f

o f

  a house  i n

  V e r n e u i l

  near  Chatellerault (the other

  h a l f

o f

  w h i c h  belonged to his

  w i f e ) .

7 3

  The tools and stock of

the workshop were valued at  o n l y  8,422

  livres.

  Thi s rela

t i v e l y low

  figure,

  together

  w i t h

 the fact that the

  o n l y

 credit

appearing in his accounts consisted of a note   f r o m  the

chevalier de  L ' H o p i t a l  d ated May 8, 17 51, impli es that

J u l i e n

  had in fact ret ire d, in favor of his elder son Pierre,

some years before his death i n 1759. Thi s seems plausible

since he was th en seventy-t hree.

J u l i e n

  Le Roy must be acknowledged as the most

famous French clock-maker of the eighte enth centu ry.

H i s r eputa t ion  rests  upon the fundame ntal cont ribu tion

he mad e t o the pr eci sio n o f watches and clocks. His

mechanical discoveries, adopted by the most able of his

colleagues, contributed not

  o n l y

  to the renewal of Pari

sian clock production but also to a healthy  r i v a l r y  in the

p u r s u i t

  o f research re lated to the measurem ent of tim e.

The numerous solutions that were thus found gradually

raised France to the

  f r o n t

  ran k of all clock- making

nations,  d e p r i v i n g En gl and of the pri macy it had enjoyed

i n  this area under the last Stuarts, and

  w h i c h

  i t was n ever

t o

  recover.

L e Roy's

  w o r k

 encompass ed the thre e classic divisi ons

o f

  his art: large mo nu men ta l clocks, ord ina ry clocks, and

watches. I n the  first

  field

  he perfected  h o r i z o n t a l works so

that they

 w o u l d

 m ar k bo th mean time and solar

  t i m e .

  The

monu ment al clock of the  H o t e l  des Missions Etrangeres

was a

  b r i l l i a n t

  example of this.

7 4

  As far as smaller clocks

were concer ned , he dev ote d his research t o equa tio n

movements, showin g and  s t r i k i n g  solar time , and to

repeating movements. As for watches, his  a c t i v i t y  has

been perfectly summarized in the

  Encyclopedic:

  "He took

a ll

 that was best in French and English

 w a t c h - m a k i n g .

  He

suppressed  the latter's  doubles boites, chimes, a nd all the

secrets

  w h i c h made the works mor e

  d i f f i c u l t

  to take apart

and rep air; i n the fo rm er he elimin ated the pointless

ornaments  w h i c h  decorate the piece

  w i t h o u t im p r o v i n g

it .

  A n d

  finally

  he creat ed a compo site

  f o r m

  of watch

m a k i n g ,

  i f

 one can express the matter i n such terms, mak

i n g i t simp ler in its effects, mo re conve nient to  b u i l d ,  and

easier

 to repair and to main tain ."

7 5

L e

  Roy's wor ks were oft en present ed at eith er the

Academie des  Sciences  or the Societe des  A r t s  and were

p u b l i s h e d

  in various jour nals,

  i n c l u d i n g

  th e

  Mercure

  de

France,  th e Journal  de Trevoux, or the

 Memoir

  es  de 1'Academie

Royale  des

 Sciences.

  A  few rep ort s made before the Societe

des

  A r t s

 seem to have remaine d in part unpub lis hed.

7 6

 I n

1 7 4 1 ,

 upo n the  p u b l i c a t i o n o f one o f his discoveries in t he

Mercure  de  France,  he decla red "its usefulness to all the

most comp licat ed watches

  appears

  so considerable to me

that I hasten to pub li sh it so that my colleagues may take

advantage o f it sooner rat her th an later."

77

  This utterly

mo de rn open-mindedn ess, so cont rary to the not ion

o f

  protecting  one's  technical

  secrets,

  no doubt explains

the strength

  o f

 his influence in the pre-encyclopedic circle

i n

  Paris.

78

H i s

  contemporaries praised both the man and his

w o r k .

  I n England, George Grah am pai d him a cordial

c o m p l i m e n t

  i n speaking o f one o f his works: " I w i s h  I

were no t so ol d i n or de r that I mi gh t make watches after

t h i s

  mode l . "

7 9

  I n France his talen t was hail ed by me n of

letters

  l i k e

  V o l t a i r e

  who, in 1745,

  t o l d

  one of Le Roy's

sons,  "the marechal de

  Saxe

 an d your father have beat en

the English."

8 0

 Th e scientist Jacques  (I I) Cassini,

  w r i t

i n g

  in 1739, decl ared t hat he reg ard ed "le Sr Jul ie n Le

R o y "  as "the ablest clock-maker we have in France."

81

  I n

1776 Paul-Philippe Gudin de La Brenellerie reminded

his

  readers

  that Le Roy "was the  first  to overtake t he

E n g l i s h  a nd w ho per mi tt ed (clock-making) to attain its

present  l e v e l . "

8 2

  No r were his colleagues spa ring in their

B I O G R A P H I E S

  187

Page 201: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 201/225

compliments. Ferdinand Berthoud praised his merits in

th e  Encycloped ic

82,

  an d in his

  Histo ire

  de la Mesure du Temps

par

  les Horloges:  "Jul ien Le Roy, this able artist to w ho m

Frenc h clock-m aking owes its outsta nding rep uta tion ."

8 4

Francois B el ia rd also me nt io ne d hi m as the "ablest clock-

make r in France and possibly in Eur ope ,"

8 5

  w h i l e

  Pierre

Gaud ron, i n h is  w i l l ,

  w r i t t e n

  as early as 1742, made a sig

nificant  bequest  "to a gentleman  (un honnete homme)  so

r i g h t l y  renowned for his very great  a b i l i t y "  w ho

  "stands

a m o n g

  those

  . . . who  have  most con trib ute d to the per

fection  o f our ar t ."

8 6

 Jean -An dre Lepaute dwel t up on his

open-mindedness:  " M .  le Roy, far removed  f r o m  an y jea l

ousy so un wo rt hy of a true Citoye n, has only sought to

give all Clock-makers the op po rtu nit y of seeing his  work,

o f

  benefit ing

  f r o m  his knowled ge, and of enla rging i t  w i t h

thei r  own. "

8 7

  Berthoud went even further, noting that

"Julien

  Le Roy enjoyed great consider ation in his  l i f e

t ime;  he dese rved i t , not only because  of his talents, but

above all

 because

 o f his love for the A r t he cult iva ted, and

as a result of his personal qualities."

88

  A f t e r  his death,

many clock-makers, for commercial  reasons,  thought i t

advantageous t o present th eir works as "ouv rier de Julie n

Le

  Roy," a practice  w h i c h  Be liar d had already begun to

criticize vigo rousl y in 1767.

A n

  enu me rat ion of Le Roy's cl ientele,

  w h i c h

  was

incredibly  extensive an d incl ud ed all the most elegant

memb ers o f Fren ch and Eur ope an aristocracy,  w o u l d  go

fa r

  beyond the normal  scope  of the  present  book. An

anecdote

  w o r t h  m ent ioni ng concerns Ferd inand V I of

Spain, who was one of his most dem and ing customers. I n

1747 the  k i n g  instructed his

  ambassador,

  the duke of

Huescar, no t to leave the clock-maker's

 house

 u n t i l

  he had

finished the kno b fo r a

 cane

 decorated  w i t h  a watch and

w i t h  di am ond s; n or was he to do so, even i f the  k i n g  o f

France sum mon ed hi m to Versailles to sign the  peace

t reaty .

8 9

  I n

 s o l i c i t i n g

 his lodgings in the Lou vre , the clock-

maker wrote to Phi l iber t  O r r y  o n Jul y 24, 1739: " Th e

sup plic ant . . . has the hono r of  w o r k i n g  for His Majesty,

M r  le due d'Orl eans , the Princes and  Princesses  of the

Court , and for H. E . Monseigneur the Cardinal de

Fleury

  . . ."

9 0

  These assertions  are corro bora ted by the

invento ries of the princes o f the blood.  Besides those

al ready ment ioned, the due de Bourbon,

9 1

  the prin ce de

C o n t i ,

9 2

  the comtes de La Ma rc he

9 3

  and de Clermont ,

9 4

and  M i l e  de

  Sens

9 5

  al l ow ne d one o r several of his wor ks.

We may  w e l l  wonder, in view of this impressive  l i s t ,

whether Le Roy might not  have been  enti t l ed to para

phrase  the mo tto of the  house  of Roh an thus : "Roy ne

puis,

  prince ne daigne, Le Roy suis."

96

  The technical ,

artistic, and social success of Le Roy was a consequence o f

his innovative  s p i r i t  an d is in  i t s e l f  p r o o f  of the perfe ct

balance  achieved by the  c i v i l i z a ti o n o f his day.

NOTES

1.  Comte de Beauchamps,  Les Comptes

  de

 Louis  XVI  (Paris,

1 9 0 9 ) , p.  5 1 :

  " M o n t h

 of December. I have paid Julien Le

Roy for a mari ne chrono mete r . . . 2 , 4 0 0  livres"

2 .

  Julien  (I

 I )

 Le Roy was the second of his line to

 bear

 this

Christian

 name (see the genealogical table below). Since he

cannot be confused  w i t h his ancestor, he  wi l l be referred

hereafter simply as Julien Le Roy. His son Pierre is desig

nated  I I I  to distinguish him f r o m  his uncle, Pierre  ( I I ) ,

who was active in Paris d ur in g the

 same

 period.

3.   He was christene d in that  city on Augu st 8 in the church of

Saint-Clement.

4 . A . N . , M i n . , L X X X V ,

  5 5 9 ,

  October 15, 1 7 5 9 , record of the

private partition o f the estate o f Julie n Le Roy, to

 w h i c h

 is

attached an attested

  a ff idavi t

  of the same date.

5 .  Cardinal 1987 .

6.   Annon ces, Affiches etAvis

  divers,

  notice dated October 26,

1 7 6 9 .

7 .  Pierre  ( I I I ) was admitted to the

  g u i l d

 as a master clock-

maker on July 9,  1 7 3 7 . He was a membe r o f the Acade mie

des Sciences in Angers and  Horloger  du Roi as a result of his

being lodged in the Louvre , having succeeded his father in

his lodgings in the Galleries. His research in marine

chronometry quite r i g h t f u l l y

 made

 him as famous as his

father.

8 .

  Jean-Baptiste was a physician and a membe r of the Acade

mie Royale des Sciences, Garde du Cabinet de Physique

du Roi at La Muette. He submitted to the Academie sev

eral chronometric inventions,

 w h i c h

 were put into

 a p p l i

cation by his father and his brot her Pierre

  ( I I I ) .

 He was

appointed to the Academie on August  3 0 ,  1 7 5 1 , and on

July

  1, 1 7 7 0 , was given the ra nk  o f

  Pensionnaire-Mecanicien

to replace the recently

 deceased

 Abbe

 N o l l et .

 A f t e r  their

father's death, he shared  w i t h his brother the  t i t le to the

lodgings in the Galleries of the Louv re. He was a close

f r i e n d o f Benjamin Franklin and corresponded

  w i t h

  h i m

f o r

  over

  f o r t y

 years (see C.-A. Lopez, Le

 Sceptre  et

 la Foudre,

Benjamin  Franklin  a

 Paris,

  1776—1785 [Paris,  1 9 9 0 ] ) .  He

served as a clearinghouse for correspondence between

B r i t i s h  and French partisans of Americ an independence

(see the letter of L o r d Stormont to L o r d W aymouth, dated

November 6,  1 7 7 6 , published in G. and  M . von Pro-

schwitz,

 Beaumarchais

  et

  le Courrier

  de

 VEurope

  [ O x f o r d ,

1 9 9 ° ] ) -

9.

  Charles was a chemis t, a professor of medi cine at the  U n i

versity of Montpellier, a corresponding member of the

Academie Royale des Sciences

 ( 1 7 5 2 ) ,

 and a member of

the Royal Society in Lond on ( A . N . , Y 1 5 6 7 7 ,

  scelle

  [pre

l i m i n a r y

  inventory] of December 10,

 1 7 7 9 ) . Julien-David

served as architect to the  k i n g and was a member of the

Academ ie des Insc riptio ns et Belles-Lettres, of the Acade

mie Royale  d Architectur e, of the Academie de Marine,

and o f the Royal Society of Antiquarian s in Londo n. He

was also a historio graph er at the Ac ademia in Bologna.

Information concerning the

  li fe

 of Charles and Julien-

D a v i d

 Le Roy can be fou nd in Michaud, Biographie Univer

sale  Ancienne etModerne,  rev. ed.,  v o l . 24.

1 0.   Liste  1 7 4 8 .

1 1 .  Possibly even before

  1 7 1 9

 (see Cardinal  1 9 8 7 , p .  1 7 ) ; in

any event, he was director when this Societe was reinstated

i n  1 7 2 6 - 1 7 2 9 .

 Concerning the Societe des  A r t s , see Ron-

f o r t

  1 9 8 9 .

1 2 . A . N . , Y 9 3 2 3 . O n July  2 4 ,  1 7 3 7 , he was replaced as jure  by

Antoine de  Saint-Martin. T he  list o f g u i l d  members pub-

188

BIOGRAPHIE S

Page 202: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 202/225

lished

 i n  1 7 4 8  mentions Julien Le Roy a s jure  in  1 7 3 1 , but

further investigation

 has shown that this must be a tran

scription error.

1 3 . A . N . , Maison du  R o i ,  O

1

  1 0 5 7  (p .  1 8 2 ) and O

1

  1 6 7 2 .  The

nomination

  o f Julie n Le Roy as one o f the king's clock-

makers was accepted by Philibert Orry,  Contrdleur General

des Finances  since  1 7 3 0 . Despite the contention of G .  de

Bellaigue (Bellaigue  1 9 7 4 , v o l .  2, pp.  8 5 5 - 8 8 6 ) ,  one

should note that Julien Le Roy was never   Valet de Chambre-

Horloger

  du Roi, a

 title

 corresponding to

 four

  offices then

occupied by Claude  ( I I I ) Martinot  (first quarter,  from

1 7 2 5  to  1 7 4 3 ) ; Jean-Jacques Aube rt (second quarter,  from

1 7 3 6  to  1 7 4 5 ) ;

 Jean-Pierre

 Delacroix (third quarter of

1 7 3 7 ) ;  an d Jean  (V ) Martinot  (fourth quarter). For an

explanation of the various positions entitling a person to

use the title Horloger duRoi  and the prerogatives attached

to i t , see Augarde  1 9 9 6 .

1 4 . A . N . , O

1

  1 6 7 2 ,  memorandum o f August 10, 1 7 4 4 ,  pre

sented by the Visiteurs  an d  Gardes  o f the Comm unaut e des

Horlogers.

1 5 .  For the

  first  address,

 see "Mem oire pour servir a l'Histoire

de FHorlogerie depuis  1 7 1 5 jusqu'en  1 7 2 9 , "  in Le Roy

1 7 3 7 . The second one

 appears

 on th e certificate of bap

tism o f Pierre  ( I I I ) Le Roy  ( A . N . , O

1

  6 8 1 ) .

1 6.   J. Prie ur, "Les Le Roy, Ho rlo ger s de  1 5 5 0  a  1 7 8 5 , " in Car

dinal  1 9 8 7 ,  pp .  3 7 - 4 0 .

1 7 .  See the genealogical tables on pages 2 0 1 - 2 0 3 .  Louis-David

Carre was doubly his nephew: he was the son of one of his

wife's

 sisters, and he married Therese Le Roy, daughte r o f

Pierre  ( I I ) Le Roy.

1 8 .  Bellaigue  1 9 7 4  and Cardinal  1 9 8 7 .  Both refer to an

assertion  made by Ferdinand Berth oud. Charles Le Bon,

known for his work o n equa tion clocks, was Marchand Hor

loger privilegie

  du Roi suivant  la Com

 from

  May 9, 17 07

( A . N . , V

3

  1 9 1 , f o l. 37V to

 June

  1, 1 7 3 9 ( A . N . , V

3

1 9 2 ,

f o l .  1 5 l r ) .

 Thi s particula r designation implies that an

apprenticesh ip ca rried out und er his supervision was not

recog nized as acceptable by the Paris clock-makers'

 guild,

o f

 which

 he was not a member.

1 9.   Both the bonds which existed between Pierre Gaudron

an d

 Julien

 Le Roy, and the alm ost  f i l ia l respect shown to

Pierre  by Julien, according to Gaudron himself, argue in

favor of this eventuality.

2 0 .

  See Le Roy

  1 7 3 7

  (note 15) .

2 1 .  J. Le Roy, "Memoire conte nant les moyens d'augme nter le

Commerce et la Perfection des ouvrages d'h orlogerie ,"

manuscr ipt, Paris, Conservatoire Nati onal des Arts e t

Metiers

  (8 ° K A 1 3 ) .

2 2 . I b i d .

2 3 .  P. L . Moreau de Maupertuis, La

 Figure

  de  la

 Terre

  determinee

pa r

  les Observations  . .

 .

 faites  par  ordre du Ro y  au  Cercle Polaire

(Paris,  1 7 3 9 ) , pp.  1 9 5 - 1 9 8 .

2 4 . A . N . , Maison du  R o i ,  O

1

  1 6 7 2 ,  letter

 from Julien

 Le Roy to

Philibert Orry,

 July

  2 4 ,

 1739.

2 5 .  Cardinal  1 9 8 7 .

2 6 . I b i d .

2 7 . I b i d .

2 8 .  Taking into account Sundays and religious holidays on

which one di d not work, public holidays num bere d about

one hu nd red in eighteenth -century France.

2 9 .  Based on calculation s made by the present  authors.

3 0 .

  Augarde

  1 9 8 4 ,

 p. 69.

3 1 .  A . N . , M i n . , L X X X V , 4 0 3 , September  2 9 , 1723.

3 2 . A . N . , M i n . , X X X I V , 5 3 1 , March 2,  1 7 4 1 .

3 3 . A . N . , M i n . , L X X X V , 4 9 7 ,  October  2 3 , 1743.

3 4 . A . N . , M i n . , X X X I V , 5 6 7 , November 9, 1747.

3 5 . A . N . , M i n . , L X X X V , 5 2 4 , A p r i l  16 , 1 7 5 0 ,  an d  A . N . ,  O

1

1 6 7 2 .

3 6 .  J.-C. Sabrier, "Eclaircissements sur la contribution de la

famille Le Roy aux progres de  l'horlogerie," in Cardinal

1 9 8 7 .

3 7 .  See Lepaute biogra phy in this volum e, note  4 2 .

3 8 . A . N . ,

 V

3

  7 6 B , J u l y 8 ,

 1754.

3 9 .  Th is clock-maker is one o f the two witnesses who signed

the attested  affidavit  made out after the death  o f Julien Le

Roy. See note 4.

4 0 . A . N . , E*  1 2 9 3 ,

  decree

 o f the council o f March 5 ,  1 7 5 4 ,

doc. no.  3 2 .

4 1 .  A . N . , E*  1 4 0 9 ,

  decree

 o f the council o f March  2 5 , 1 7 6 6 ,

doc. no.  3 2 .

4 2 . A . N . , E*  1 4 0 9 ,

  decree

 of the council o f March  25, 1 76 6 ,

doc. no. 29.

4 3 . A . N . , E*  1 4 0 9 ,

  decree

 of the council o f March  2 5 , 1766,

doc. no. 3 1 .

4 4 . A . N . , E*  1 3 9 1 , decree of the

 council

 of August  2 8 , 1764,

doc. no. 16.

4 5 .  Le Roy  1 7 3 7  (note  15 ) and Blakey  1 7 8 0 .

4 6 .  W. Edey, French  Clocks  in North American Collections  (New

York,

  1 9 8 2 ) , no. 44.

4 7 .  Nicolas Jullien, peintre-emailleur,  was a mem ber of the

Societe des Arts. H e worked at first as an  ouvrier libre,  hav

i n g  only been received as master painter at the Academie

de Saint-Luc on September  2 3 , 1743.

4 8 .

  According

 to the Archiv es Brateau, Elie Barbezat was

admitt ed as a master pa inter  into the Academie de Saint-

L u c  on November 6,  1 7 7 7 .  He resided in the rue Bertin-

Poiree. It is most  l ikely  that he worked only for Pierre  ( I I I )

L e  Roy, unless he wor ked before that as an  ouvrier libre.

4 9 .  J. Le Roy, "No uve lle maniere de placer les quadr atures des

pendules a repetition," i n Le Roy  1 7 3 7 .

5 0 . A . N . , O

1

  3 3 7 1 , in vent ory o f the king's clocks, January 1,

1 7 8 8 .

5 1 .  Nicolas Le Sueur, master  fondeur  before  1 7 1 8 , added to his

title that  o f  Marchand Doreur, Graveur, Damasquineur

  Privile

gi e du Roi suivant  la Cour  ( A . N . , V

3

  1 9 2 , Aug ust 9,  1 7 3 0 ) ,  as

would  Philippe Caffieri  later on. He kept this patent  u n t i l

1 7 7 0 ,  thus assembling in the same wor kshop tw o special

izations that

 normally

 belonged to two differen t guilds and

could not be accrued to the same person.

5 2 .  Bon nie r de la Mosson sale, Paris, March 8,  1 7 4 5 ,  and  f o l

lowing

 days, lot  9 3 8 .

5 3 .  Bellaigue  1 9 7 4 ,  no .  1 0 . Th is may be deduced

  from

  the fact

that the m odel was not present when inven tories were

made o f the

 Caffieri

 w orkshop , before and after  1 7 4 9 .

5 4 . A . N . , M i n . , X C I I , 7 3 6 ,  December 14,  1 7 7 0 .

5 5 .  Ronfort  1 9 8 6 ,  pp .  4 7 5 ~ 4 9 4 -

5 6 . A . N . ,

 Y

  1 3 2 3 2 ,

 July

  2 8 , 1 7 4 5 ,

  scelle

  (preliminary inventory)

o f Andre-Charles  ( I I )  Boulle.

5 7 . A . N . , M i n . , L X X X V I I I , A p r i l 1 1 , 1 7 4 1 , assembly o f the

creditors of the prince de Carignan.

5 8 .  Edey  1 9 8 2  (note  4 6 ) , n o. 4 7 ,  for instance.

5 9 . A . N . , M i n . , X X X V I I I , 2 5 8, Aug ust 8,  1 7 3 1 , inventory

after the death of Hen ry Le Coq.

6 0 .  Th e existence of this collaboration allows one to

 assume

that an earlier one existed between Julien Le Roy and Ber

nard

  (I ) van Risenburgh (about  1 6 7 0 - 1 7 3 8 ) ,  a specialist in

B I O G R A P H I E S

  189

Page 203: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 203/225

the making of clock cases, whose  contremaitre  was

 Adrien

Dubois.

 See J.  N .  Ronfor t and J.-D. Augarde, "Le Maitre

de Bureau et 1'Electeur,"  LEstampille-LObjet

  d'Art

  (Decem

ber   1 9 9 0 ) , pp .

  4 7 - 7 5 .

6 1 .  A large numb er o f Caffieri's clocks have movements by

Julien Le Roy.

6 2 .  Augarde

  1 9 8 6 ,

 p p.

  5 2 3 , 5 3 4 , 5 3 6 - 5 3 8 .

6 3 .

  C. Baulez, "La Pendule a la

 Geoffrin:

  Modele a

 succes,"

LEstampille  224

 ( A p r i l 1 9 8 9 ) ,

 p p.

  3 4 - 4 1 .

  Th is author's dat

in g

 o f the

 pendule

  a la

 Geoffrin

  shows that most of the exam

ples of this mod el

 which

 are equipped  w i t h a

 dial

 signed

"Julien

 Le Roy" are also equ ipped  w i t h  movements by

Pierre

  ( I I I )

  Le Roy.

6 4 .  Several of Osmond's clocks w i t h dials signed "Julien Le

Roy" were obviously made after  1 7 5 9 .

6 5 .  Joseph Quetin, master clock-maker and

  monteur

  de

  boites,

used a stamp bearing the

  initials

 JQ and a six-toothed

cogwheel.

6 6 .

  L. Courajod, Le

 Livre

  Journal

  de  Lazare  Duvaux

  (Paris,

1 8 6 5 ) ,

 n o s

-

  1

9

22

>

2 1

7 3 >

  2

3 6 , 2 7 0 0 , 2 7 84 , 3 2 4 0 , 3 2 6 0 .

  The

due de Bourgogne was Louis

 X V ' s

  grandson. The comte

de Luc was his illegitimate and unrecognized

  c h i l d .

6 7 .

  The painting

 appears

 to have been lost.

6 8 .  For descriptio ns  o f Julien Le Roy, see P. Le Roy,  Etrennes

Chronometriques

  . . . (Paris,  1 7 6 0 ) ; Abbe de Fontenai,  Dic

tionnaire  de s Artistes  (Paris,  1 7 7 6 ) ; and F. Prevot d'Exmes,

Julien  Le Roy,  Horloger  (Geneva,  1 8 0 9 ) . The two last-named

authors

  have

 generally drawn their inspiration  f r o m  the

first.

6 9 .  Hi s

 widow

 and children decided not to make an inventory

and to make a private partition o f the prop erty held in

common

 (see note  4 ) .

7 0 .  A . N . ,

  M i n . ,  X V I I ,

  7 5 7 ,

 May 19,

 1 7 4 5 ,

  w i l l of Pierre

Gaudron.

7 1 .  He made this acquisiti on at the

 sale

 that

 followed

  the death

o f  the paint er Charles Coypel in A p r i l

  1 7 5 3

 (lot

 5 7 9 ,

 paid

7 2 5   livres).

7

 2.

  See Prevot d'Exme s (note  6 8 ) .

7 3 .

  See note 4. Th e

 partition

 o f his

 estate gave

  2 5 , 0 0 0

  livres

  to

each o f his sons. Th e

  widow

 kept the remainder,  including

f u l l  t i t le to the three houses. Pierre  ( I I I ) Le Roy received

as his share all the eq uipm ent a nd the e ntire stock of the

workshop,

 excepting one clock

 which

 was given to his

brother Charles.

7 4 .  See P. Le Roy (note

  6 8 ) .

 This

 town

 house was on the cor ner

o f the rue du Bac and the rue de Babylone.

7 5 .  Encyclopedic  ouDictionnaire

  Raisonne

  . . . (Paris,  1 7 7 2 ) ,

introduction to the illustrations in the section devoted to

clock-making.

7 6 .  The

  library

 of the Conservatoire Nati onal des Arts et

Metiers

 in Paris has  some of his m anuscripts.

7 8 .  Cardinal

  1 9 8 7 .

7 9 .  R. Ha hn , "Science and the Arts in France: The  Limitations

o f

 an Encyclopedic

 Ideology,"

 Studies

  in

  Eighteenth-Century

Culture  10 ( 1 9 8 1 ) , pp .

  7 7 - 9 3 .

8 0 .  See Prevo t d'Exme s (note  6 8 ) .

8 1 .

  I b i d .

8 2 .  A . N . ,

  O

1

  1 6 7 2 ,

 letter

  o f July  2 3 , 1 7 3 9 ,

 to Philibert

 Orry.

8 3 .  Aux  Manes  de

 Louis

  XV  et  d es   Grands  Hommes  qui ont

 vecu sous

son regne.

  Essai  sur le  Progres  de s Arts  et  d e

  VEsprit

  humain

  sous

le

 regne

  de

 Louis

  XV (Deux Ponts,  1 7 7 6 ) , p p.  8 0 ,  8 1 .

8 4 .  Encyclopedic  ou  Dictionnaire Raisonn e  .

 . . (Paris,

  1 7 7 2 ) ,  a r t i

cles

  t i t l e d

 "H orloge " and "Horlogerie ."

8 5 .  V o l .

  1, p .

  2 0 7 .

8 5 .  Reflexion

  sur

  VHorlogerie  en  general  et

 sur

 le s Horlogers

  du Roi

enparticulier  (The Hague,  1 7 6 7 ) .

8 6 .  See note 70 .

8 7 .  J.-A. Lepaute,  Traite  d'Horlogerie  (Paris,

  1 7 5 5 ,

 re. ed. Paris,

1 7 6 7 ) ,

 p.  1 0 1 .

8 8 .  See note

  8 5 , v o l .

 2, p. 26 7.

89. Y.

 Bottineau, UArt

  de   Cour  dans  VEspagne

  de s

  lumieres,  174

 6—

1808 (Paris,

  1 9 8 6 ) ,

 p. 146.

9 0 .

  See note

  2 4 .

 Cardinal de Fleury was then prime minister.

9 1 .

  A . N . ,

  M i n . ,

  X C I I ,  5 0 4 ,

  February  1 1 , 1740.

9 2 .  Prince de Conti sale, Paris,  A p r i l  8, 1777.

9 3 .  A . N . ,

  M i n . ,

  X C I ,  1 1 1 6 ,

 October  2 2 , 1773.

9 4 .  A . N . ,  M i n . ,

  L X X I I I ,

  9 2 9 , June

 25 ,

  1 7 7 1 .

9 5 .  A . N . ,  M i n . ,  X C I I ,  6 6 5 , A p r i l 2 3 , 1765.

9 6 .  Th e mott o of the House of Rohan, one of the most cele

brate d fa milies of France, was: "Roy ne puis, princ e ne

daigne, Rohan suis"

 (king

 I cannot be, prince I deign not,

Rohan I am).

A N T O I N E - N I C O L A S  M A R T I N I E R E

Antoine-Nicolas

  M ar tin ier e was bo rn in Paris in

1706

1

  and die d the re on Septem ber 2, 1784. He was the

son of Nicolas Marti nie re (died before 1736),  master

emailleur

  a nd  patendtrier  in Paris and Marie Dum erg ue.

2

I n  1736 he mar ri ed Genevieve Larse, daug hter of Jean-

Francois Larse, a  master  clock- make r in Paris, an d

Louise-Cather ine Brezaguez.

3

  She bore h im at  least  one

son, Jacques-Nicolas (b or n 1738) .

4

He was admitted to the

  g u i l d

  i n Paris as  master  and

Marchand  verrier-fayancier-emailleur-patenotrier  on Jul y 3,

1720.

5

 F ro m 1741 on, he bore the

  t i t l e Emailleur

  et  Pension-

naire  du Roi.  H e  was

 jure

  o f his  g u i l d f r o m  1744 to 1746.

6

He resid ed successively in the rue Neu ve Not re Da me

(1736),  the rue Ha ute des Ursins (1738), the rue Da u

phi ne (1740), and th e rue des

  C i n q

  Diamants

  ( f r o m

  1741

to  his death).

Mart in ie re  belonged to a

  f a m i l y

  o f enamelers

  which

inc luded  no t  only  his fath er b ut also, conceivably, two of

his brothe rs, Jacques-Nicolas and Char les-A ndre  M a r t i

n iere ,

7

  a nd certa inly three o f his

  first

  cousins,

  Jacques-

Nicolas, Jean,  and Jacques-Antoine

  Bo u l l e .

8

I n

  th e

  eyes

  of posteri ty Ma rti nie re is the most

ren own ed e nameler o f clock dials of the reig n of Louis

X V ,

  even th oug h, in his own day, an art ist

  l i k e Nicolas

 Jul-

l i e n ,  enam eler o f the Societe des  Arts , was i n a posit ion to

claim

  th e

  t i t l e

  for h imsel f .

9

A

  te xt enti t led "Letter

 wr i t t en  f r o m

  Paris to a

  p rov in

cial  clock-maker conce rnin g enamel dials" and p rin ted in

th e

 Mercure

  de F r a n c e  o f  A p r i l  1740 describes his training

and his prod uct i on:

1 9O

  BIOGRAPHIE S

Page 204: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 204/225

Th e

  King  commissioned a  clock  and desired that the dial  he

made entirely  of  enamel  an d fourteen inches in diameter.

Th e

  person rece iving the order to make it replied  that he

could  only assume  responsibili ty  fo r  the attempt  to  pro

duce  such a dial, but could not guara ntee success.

M .

  Martinière, Enam eler, rue Dauphine, undertook i t and

was

 so success ful in every respect that he had the honor of

presenting

  it

 himself

  to His Majesty, who was pleasantly

surprised

  and who demonstra ted His satisfaction with such

kindness,

10

  that he returned to Paris,  del ighted by such a

hap py success, and re solved to undertake new studies to

advance in his Art,  as

 fa r

  as was possib le . We have al l the

more reason to assume that M. Martinière

  will  be

 able to

progress  ye t

  urther

  because he embodies in

  himself various

talents which are

  necessary

 fo r  him to succeed; A pupil of

Messrs.

  Bousseau and Coustou  p é r e ,  Sculptors to the

King,

  he spent a long t ime drawing at the Académie; he

was  even award ed three prizes, two of  them in 1727 and

the third in 1728. He is also the son  of  an able Enameler.

Yo u may well conceive, Monsieur, that with such assistance

he will  be able to produce works  of

  excellent

  taste, such as

clock-faces  of fifteen to sixteen inches in diameter, blazoned

with coats o f  arms,  numbered

  Cartouches

  fo r  Libraries  and

even  dials for  church c locks composed  of  several

  parts,

  yet

appearing,  from a distance, to be of  one piece; he al so

intends to decorate Bronzes and other Works with  colored

Enamel,  encrusted with gold. I am convinced, Mo nsieur,

that you  will  be pleased to have the information I have the

honor  of

  giving

  you.

11

M a r t i n i è re s o o n re a l i z e d   these

  hopes

  b y e x e c u t i n g

f o r

  L o u i s X V , b e t w e e n 1 7 4 1 a n d 1 7 4 2 , t h e e x c e p t i o n a l

A l m a n a c p e r p é t u e l e t t o u j o u r s n o u v e a u n o w i n t h e  W a l

l ac e C o l l e c t i o n i n L o n d o n .

1 2

  H e d i s p l a y e d h i s t a l e n t s a s a

d r a f t s m a n b y e x e c u t i n g , i n 1 74 7 , a p a i n t i n g o f t h e b a t t l e

o f

  F o n t e n o y i n e n a m e l .

1 3

  I t appears l i k e l y  t h a t h e  also  e x e

c u t e d t h e d e c o r a t i o n o f s e v e r a l w a t c he s .

H e s u p p l i e d d i a l s f o r t h e

 best

 c l o c k - m a k e r s

  o f

  h i s da y ,

i n

  p a r t i c u l a r t o J u l i e n L e R o y , perhaps  a s e a r l y as 1 7 3 1 ,

1 4

t o M e l c h i o r B o n n a v e n t u r e B a l t h a z a r ,

1 5

  L o u i s J o u a r d ,

1 6

a n d  Jean-Baptiste  B â i l l o n , b e g i n n i n g i n 1 7 4 0 ,

1 7

  a n d  also

t o E t i e n n e L e   N o i r ,  G i l l e s  l'aîné,  J o a c h i m

  B a i l l y ,  Jean

M o i s y ,  L a n g e d e B o u r b o n (a m a k e r

  o f

  b a r o m e t e r s ) ,

1 8

  a n d

t o p r o v i n c i a l o r S w i ss c l o c k - m a k e r s s u c h a s F o n c k i n

B e r n e .

1 9

I n  1 7 75 t h e S u p p l e m e n t t o t h e  Ta blettes de la Renom

mé e

  m e n t i o n s h i m as b e i n g

  s t i l l

  a c t i v e .

2 0

N O T E S

1.

  T h e p e r p e t u a l c a l e n d a r o f t h e W a l l a c e C o l l e c t i o n i n  L o n

d o n ( I n v . F 7 6 )

  bears

  t h e i n s c r i p t i o n Martinière age de 3  6 ans

ytembre 1742.

2.   I n 1 7 0 1 N i c o l a s M a r t i n i è r e , p a i n t e r o n e n a m e l , r e s i d e d i n

t h e r u e d u H a r l a y

  ( A . N . , M i n . , X X X I V ,

  3 1 3 , O c t o b e r 2 2 ,

1 7 0 1 ) . H i s w i d o w w a s

  l i v i n g

  i n

 Soissons

  i n 1 7 3 6 .

3.   A . N . , M i n . ,  L X V I I ,  4 9 8 ,  September  2 3 , 1 7 3 6 . L o u i s -

C a t h e r i n e B r é z a g u e z w a s t h e  sister o f t w o master  c l o c k -

m a k e r s . T h e b r i d e ' s d o w r y a m o u n t e d t o 2 , 00 0

  livres

  a n d

t h e g r o o m ' s f o r t u n e t o 4 , 0 0 0

  livres.

4 .

  A . N . , M i n . , X X X I V ,

  5 9 3 , O c t o b e r 4 , 1 7 5 3 . C o n t r a c t r e l a

t i v e  t o t h e a p p r e n t i c e s h i p

  o f Jacques-Nicolas

  M a r t i n i è r e t o

t h e

  master

  c l o c k - m a k e r

 Jean

  M o i s y .

5.   Catalogue des Maistres et marchands  Verriers-Fayenciers-

Emailleurs-Patenostriers  de la  Ville  e t Fauxbourgs de  Paris

( 1 7 7 2 ) . P r i v a t e c o l l e c t i o n , P a r i s .

6 .

  I b i d .

7 . S e e n o t e 4 . T h e y w e r e a d m i t t e d a s

  masters

  d u r i n g t h e

jurande

  o f A n t o i n e - N i c o l a s M a r t i n i è re ; t h e

  eldest

  o n

  Sep

t e m b e r 1 2 , 1 7 4 3 , t h e o t h e r o n

 J u n e

  1 , 1745 .

8.

  I b i d .  Jacques-Nicolas

  B o u l l é w a s a w i t n e s s a t M a r t i n i è r e ' s

w e d d i n g a n d g o d f a t h e r t o h i s s o n . H i s b r o t h e r

  Jean

  is

m e n t i o n e d i n 1 77 5 as b e i n g r e n o w n e d f o r h i s d i a l s , se e

Tablettes

  1 7 7 5 .

9 . S e e J u l i e n L e R o y b i o g r a p h y i n t h i s v o l u m e .

1 0 . I t w a s p r e s u m a b l y o n t h i s o c c a s i o n t h a t L o u i s X V g r a n t e d

h i m

  a p e n s i o n , w h i c h a l l o w e d M a r t i n i è r e t o

 assume

  t h e

t i t l e Email leur et Pensionnaire du Roi.

1 1 .

  T h i s d o c u m e n t w a s n o t k n o w n t o o t h e r a u t h o rs w h o

u n d e r t o o k t h i s s t ud y . T h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h i s t e x t i s i m p o r

t a n t f o r th e h i s t o r y o f e n a m e l d i a l s a n d

  reads

  t h u s : Y o u

a s k m e , S i r , t o   find  o u t  f r o m  t h e M a n u f a c t u r e r s o f P o r c e

l a i n ,  w h e t h e r t h e y w o u l d b e a b l e to m a k e y o u a c l o c k - d i a l

o n e f o o t i n d i a m e t e r , k n o w i n g , a s y o u s ay , t h a t i t i s i m p o s s i

b l e t o m a k e t h e m o f t h a t  size  a l l i n e n a m e l a s i n t h e

  case

 o f

w a t c h d i a l s . I t is t r u e t h a t

  u n t i l

  r e c e n t l y t h i s w a s i m p o s s i b l e

b o t h

  i n t o w n a n d a t C o u r t :

  here

  is a n e x a m p l e .

1 2 . I n v . F 6 4 t o F 6 7 . Se e F . J . B . W a t s o n ,

  Wallace Collection Cata

logues,  Furniture

  ( L o n d o n , 1 9 5 6 ) , p p . 34 — 35 .

1 3 . V e r s a i l le s , M u s é e N a t i o n a l d u C h â t e a u .

1 4 . S e e W . E d e y ,   French Clocks  in North American Collections

( N e w   Y o r k ,  1 9 8 2 ) , n o . 4 4 . I n t h i s case,  t h e s i g n a t u r e M r e

1 7 3 1 m i g h t c o n c e i v a b l y r e f e r t o M a r t i n i èr e ' s f a t h e r .

1 5 .

  A . N . ,

  Y 1 5 5 9 2 , M a y 4 , 1 7 3 7 ,  scellé  ( p r e l i m i n a r y i n v e n t o r y )

o f

  M e l c h i o r B o n n a v e n t u r e B a l t h a z ar .

1 6 .

  A . N . , M i n . ,

  X 4 4 0 ,

 June

  2 8 , 1 7 3 7 , i n v e n t o r y a f t e r t h e

d e a t h o f L o u i s

 Jouard's

  w i f e .

1 7 . S i g n a t u r e a n d

  date

  n o t e d b y M . G e n d r o t i n P a r is .

1 8. M e t r o p o l i t a n M u s e u m o f

  A r t ,

  N e w

  Y o r k ,  G i f t

  o f t h e S a m

u e l H . K r e s s F o u n d a t i o n , 1 9 5 8 ( i n v . 5 8 . 7 5 . 6 1 ) .

1 9 . S i g n a t u r e n o t e d b y M . G e n d r o t i n P a ri s .

2 0 .

  Tablettes

  1 7 7 5 .

2 1 .

  J .

  G u i f f r e y ,

  Histoire  de VAcadémie de Saint-Luc

  ( P a r i s , 1 9 1 5 ) ,

p .  3 8 5 .

B I O G R A P H I E S

  191

Page 205: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 205/225

PIERRE  M A S S O N

Pier re Masson was bo rn in 1714 and d ied in Paris on

December 16, 1788.

1

  I n 1739 he ma rr ie d Francoise

Delanoy,

2

  sister o f An dr e Delanoy, a spring-maker and

master cl ock-m aker in Paris. She bor e hi m thre e dau gh

ters: Marie-Jeanne,  w i f e  o f

 Jean

 Damo ur, a master sword-

maker ;

3

  Madeleine-Jeanne,  w i f e  of Etienne-Claude

Richard,

  a spring-maker;

4

  and Francoise-Genevieve, un

married in 1788.

5

Masson was a fabricant de

  ressort

  (spring-maker) who

was never admitted to the

  g u i l d

  as a master clock-maker.

H e

  does

  no t  appear  to have been related to the various

Parisian clock-makers bearing the  same  surna me. He

l i v e d f i rs t  in the rue Saint- Andre-de s-Arts (1760), then in

the rue de la Huc hett e (1784).

Masson was

  first

  inde pen dent ly active towa rd the end

o f  the 1730s and began  w o r k i n g  for Etienne Le  N o i r  at

the latest i n

  1 7 4 1 .

6

  I n 1744, on the beha lf

  o f Jean

  Goyer,

he bought a clock  f r o m  th e  ebeniste  Claude-Joseph Des-

godets, for

  w h i c h

  the bronzes had been specially designed

b y  Jean-Joseph  de Saint-Germain and of  w h i c h  Goyer

had copies made.

7

  Aside  f r o m  this (except for the

  names

o f  Jean-Baptis te D ute rt re ,

8

  G e r m a i n A dm yr a u l t ,

9

  and

D a v i d - L o u i s

  C o u r v o i s i er

1 0

) ,  l i t t l e is kn ow n abou t his  c l i e n

tele, alt hou gh it was no do ubt considerable. His reputa

t i o n was  w e l l  established, as can be

  seen

  f r o m  the mention

o f  his name i n the  Tablettes Royales de la Renommee  i n 1772

an d 1773, whe re he

  appears

  as a make r o f watch - ra the r

tha n o f clock-springs.

Masson ret i red many  years  before his death. At that

t i m e  he is descr ibed as a fo rm er

  officier

  mesureur du granier

a  sel,  an  o f f ic e  he relinqu ishe d February 14, 1782 .

11

  His

i n v e n t o r y  shows that he was reasonably  w e l l  off. His  f o r

tune the n amo un ted to about 50,000  livres,  composed

m a i n l y

  of stocks an d bo nd s.

1 2

N O T E S

1.

  A . N . , Y  1 1 2 0 6 ,  December 17, 1 7 8 8 ,  scelle  ( p r e l i m i n a r y

i n v e n t o r y )

 o f Pierre Masson.

2 . A . N . , M i n . , C X I

  I ,

 July 1, 1 7 3 9 , marriage of Pierre

Masson.

3.

  A . N . ,  M i n . ,

  C I X ,

  A p r i l

  8,

  1 7 6 5 ,

 marriage of Marie-Jeanne

Masson.

4 . A . N . , M i n . ,   L X X I I ,  4 5 0 ,  November  2 0 ,  1 7 6 8 , marriage of

Madeleine-Jeanne Masson.

5 .  A . N . , M i n . ,

  X X X V I ,

  6 0 4 , December  3 1 ,  1 7 8 8 , inventory

after the death of Pierre Masson.

6 .

  See Le N o i r b iography in this v o l u m e , note 34.

7.   A . N . , Y  1 0 9 8 9 , complain t of

 M a r c h

  6, 1745.

8.   See note 5.

9.

  Arch ives de la Seine,  D 4  B

6

, cart.

  25 ,

 balance sheet of

August 12, 1767.

1 0. A . N . , M i n . , X X X I V ,

  6 9 2 ,

 July  2 7 ,  1 7 7 3 , assembly of

D a v i d - L o u i s

 Courvoisier's creditors.

1 1 .   See note 5.

1 2.

  I b i d .

G E O R G E S - A D R I E N

  M E R L E T

T h e  emailleur  Georg es-Ad rien Mer let was bo rn in

1754.

  He was the son  o f Jean Me rlet , a grocer, and Ange -

l i q u e

  B o y e l l e d i e u . H e started his apprentice ship  w i t h  E l i e

Barbezat, an enam eler a nd mem be r of the Acad emie de

Saint-Luc, on October 30, 1767.

1

  A c t i v e  circa 1780, and

probably the

  successor

  to Barbezat, in 1784 he was

  l i v

i n g  in the rue Bertin-P oiree ,

2

 whe re he rema in ed at least

u n t i l

  1802.

3

  He the n resided in the rue des Lavand ieres-

Sainte-Opportune, where he was said to have been  l i v i n g

i n  1812.

4

M e r l e t

  was, together  w i t h Joseph  Coteau a nd H . Fr.

Dub uisso n, one of the three great enamelers  o f  c l o c k dials

o f  the end o f the eighteent h and the begin nin g of the

nin ete ent h centuries. Hi s oldest datable works are th e

dials for the c lock "au x sultanes,"  w i t h  a movement by

U r b a i n  Jarossay,

 executed fo r the comte d'Arto is by Fran

cois Rem on d in 1783.

5

 Me rle t suppli ed a great num ber o f

clock-makers   w i t h  dials,

  i n c l u d i n g

  the Lepautes, Louis

B e r t houd ,

6

  Nicolas  C o l l a r d ,  Dar lo t ,  J o l l i n  Vaine,  Jean-

A n t o i n e

  Le pin e, Liesse (in Roue n), Pier re Gavelle  Vaine,

Charles-Guil laume Maniere, Mugn ier , Robert Robin,

Leon ard Roque, Simo n Roy, and Nicolas Sotiau.

He also enam eled skeleton clocks, the gilt- bron ze

friezes of  w h i c h  were made in the manne r o f Etienne

M a r t i n c o u r t ,

  and put them on the market under his own

name along  w i t h  various other  h i g h l y  decorated clocks.

A s

  can be

  seen

  f r o m  the clo ck by  F o l i n  Vaine at the G etty

Mu se um (cat. no. 19), Merlet' s art is charac terized by

great delicacy. The  d i a l  o f the clock "aux sultanes" d em

onstrates  that even at the outset o f his

 career

  he was the

equal of Coteau and Dubuisso n.

N O T E S

1.

  A . N . ,

  M i n . ,

  X X X I I I ,  5 6 6 .

2 .

  Arch ives de la Seine,

  D 4

  B

6

,

 dos.

  3 7 2 7 ,

  A p r i l

 7,

  1 7 8 4 ,

 bal

ance sheet o f Jean  Georges Imbert Vaine mentio ning a cur

rent account and a note dated May  1 7 8 3 .

3.   Archives de la Seine, D i

 1 U 3 ,

 cart.

  1 4,

 dos. 1032,

14  Nivose an  X , balance  sheet o f Jean-Baptiste Georges.

4.   Almanack Azur,  1812.

5.

  I n f o r m a t i o n

  provide d by Christi an Baulez.

6.

  Paris, Musee Nat ion al des Techniques, Ms. 8°

 1 8 7 ,

  account

book of

 L o u i s

 Berth oud. Merlet's name appears on Octo

ber

  2 6 ,

  1 7 8 4 .

192

B I O G R A P H I E S

Page 206: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 206/225

T H E   R I C H A R D  WO R K S H O P

Th e signature " Rich ard" on clock-springs corre

sponds

  to that of a  f a m i l y  workshop run in

  t u r n

  by

Claude, Etienne-Claude, and Gaspard Richard. Claude

Richard died after 1789.

1

 He marr i e d Mar ie -Anne C o l l o t ,

who

  bore h im three c hild ren : Pierre-Joachim,  marchand-

mercier

  and clock-maker,

2

  Marie-Francoise,  w i f e  of the

marchand-mercier

  Anto ine- Marie Men ard, and Et ienne-

Claude. He was active as a  fabricant de

  ressort

  (spring-

make r) before 1747 an d was ad mit ted to the

  g u i l d

  as

maitre marchand-mercier  in Paris on Novem ber 16, 1759.

3

He relinquished his  business  to his son Etien ne-Cl aude

Richard on

 Janua ry

  1, 1769.

4

Etienne-Cl aude R ich ard was bo rn in Paris in 1 747

5

and di ed there before 1785. He was mar rie d  first  to

Madeleine-Jeanne Masson, daugh ter o f the spring-

maker Pierre Masson,

6

  wh o bore h im a daughter,

Madeleine-Francoise.

7

 H is two

 sons,

 Claude and Antoi ne-

M a r i e ,  were the resul t of his second ma rri age , to  M a r i e -

Anne-Genevieve

  M a u p o i l

  (died 1787).

8

  Etienne-Claude

was app ren tic ed to the clock-maker Jerom e-Franc ois

Regnault in 1767. Claude's grand son Gaspard Richa rd

(son of Pierre-Joachim Richard ) is men tio ned as a spring -

maker in 1787.

9

The Richards' workshop was among the most impor

tant producers of c l o c k -  and watch-sp rings o f the second

h a l f  o f the eigh tee nth cen tury. First established in the rue

Zacharie (1 747), it was tra nsf err ed bef ore 1767 to the rue

de la Huc het te, the loca tion at  w h i c h  it is men tion ed i n all

the commercial  almanacs  of the day. Relinquished by

Claude Ri char d to his son Etienne-Claude, the wo rksho p

was subsequently r u n by the latter's

  w i d o w ,  u n t i l

  1787,

10

w i t h  the help of his nep hew G aspar d wh o, in due course,

t o o k  it over.

The Richards supplied the best clock-makers of their

day: Andre-Georges Gu iot ,

1 1

 Etienne Le

  N o i r ,

  Charles Le

R o y ,  Pierre (I I) Le Roy, the Lepaute s,

12

  Lepaute de Bel-

lefontaine, Simon Ridereau ,

1 3

  An toin e Crosnier ,

14

  Louis

M a t h i e u

  Delagardette, Jean-Gabriel Imb er t Vaine,

15

  Rob

ert Robi n, Denis Masson,

1 6

  David-Louis Courvoiser ,

1 7

Jean-Baptiste

  Fure t ,

1 8

  and Ferdinand and Louis Ber-

t houd ,

1 9

  as

  w e l l

 as clock-makers  f r o m  the provinces, such

as J. H .

  V a r i n

  in Troyes.

N O T E S

1.

  A . N . , M i n . ,  X X X V I ,  6 0 4 , December  3 1 ,  1 7 8 8 , inventory

after the death of Pierre Masson.

2.   A d m i t t e d

 as

  marchand-mercier

  on November 15, 1774

( A . N . , Y 9 3 3 2 ) . I n the  acte de

  tution

  of his

 nephews

 he is

described as a clock-maker  ( A . N . , Y 5 1 6 0

  A ,

 December 1,

1 7 8 7 ) . He resided in the cour des Moines of the Enclos de

l'abbaye de Saint-Germain-des-Pres.

3.

  A . N . , Y 9 3 2 8 .

4 . A . N . ,  L X X X I I ,  4 5 0 , November  2 0 ,  1 7 6 8 . Marr iage con

tract of Etienne-Claude Richard. Claude Richard left  to

his son "the business . . . consisting in steel merchandise,

clock-springs both finished and unfinished . . ., the said

Sr. Richar d pere,

  wi l l

 forego the exercise of said profession

throughout the  city, faubourgs, and

 suburbs

 of Paris."

5 .

  Certificate

 o f

 baptism in the church o f Saint-Severin, Feb

ruary

  2 8 ,

  1 7 4 7 , attached to the contract of apprenticeship

o f

  February

  2 3 ,  1 7 6 7  ( A . N . , M i n . ,

  X X X I V ,

  6 6 0 ) .

6 .

  See note 4 and the Pierre Masson biography in this

v o l u m e .

7 .  A . N . , Y 5 6 1 0

  A ,

  February 1, 1 7 8 7 , appointment of

 a

 tutor

f o r Richard's mino r

 c h i l d r e n .

8.   I b i d .

9.

  See note 6.

1 0.  Paris, Musee National des Techniques, Ms 8° 187 ,  account

book of

 L o u i s

 Berthoud, December 3,  1 7 8 4 : "To Mme

Richard for springs, 64

  livres."

1 1 .

  Andre-George s Guiot (died

  1 7 4 7 )

 was one of Charles

Cressent's favorite clock-makers.

1 2 . A . N . , M i n . , L X I V ,  3 6 6 , October  2 8 ,  1759.

1 3 . A . N . , M i n . , L X X X V ,  5 8 4 , August 7, 1764.

1 4.   Orologio

  3

 ( 1 9 8 8 ) ,

 p. 104.

1 5.  Arch ives de la Seine,  D 4

  B 6 ,

  4 1 3 2 ,

 Jean-Georges

 Imbert's

balance sheet

 o f

 June

 9 ,  1 7 8 4 . Richard

 appears

 in settle

ment of current accounts, for the amount of  155

  livres.

1 6. A . N . , M i n . , L X X X V ,

  5 5 6 ,

  A p r i l 2 8 , 1759.

1 7. A . N . , M i n . , X X X I V ,  6 9 2 , July  2 7 ,  1 7 7 3 .

1 8.  Archives de la Seine,  D 4  B

6

, cart.  9 6 , dos.  6 6 5 7 , Jean-

Baptiste Furet's

 balance sheet

 of

 M a r c h

 8 ,  1 7 8 6 .

1 9.

  See note 10.

J E A N   R O M I L L Y

Jean

  R o m i l l y  was born in Geneva on June  27, 1714,

an d die d in Paris on Febr uary 16, 1796.

1

  He was the son

o f  Pierre  R o m i l l y  (1681-1717), a  master  clock-maker in

Geneva, a nd Jacqueline Balexert (died 1735). He ma rri ed

Elisabeth J o l l y ,  granddaughte r  o f Jean  J o l l y  (died 1751),

a master clock-maker in Paris.

2

  R o m i l ly ha d two chil dren ,

Edme-Jean  (17 39-177 9), a pastor of the Re form ed

Church, and Elisabeth (1742-1814),  w i f e  of Guil laume

O l i v i e r

  de Corancez (17 34-181 0), owner and editor of

th e

 Journa l

  de

  Paris.

R o m i l l y

  was admitted to the

  g u i l d

  i n Paris as

  master

clock-m aker on May 4, 1752, un de r the ter ms o f a deci

sion of Consei l d'Eta t du R oi o f

  A p r i l

  4, 1752,

 w h i c h  gave

h i m   a dispensation  f r o m  the obligatio n of

  f o l l o w i n g

  a

regular apprent iceship.

3

  He was the technica l dir ecto r of

the Manufactur e Royale d 'Hor logeri e f r o m  1787 to 1790.

R o m i l l y  resided in

  t u r n

  i n the ru e Pelletier (1752), the

B I O G R A P H I E S

193

Page 207: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 207/225

q u a i

 des Orf evres (1760), the place Da uph ine (1772), an d

the rue  Poupee  (1787).

The offspring of a

  f a m i l y w h i c h

  boasted thir tee n

clock-makers in the

 years

 betw een 1670 an d 1810,

  i n c l u d

i n g

  his fat her (w ho was the most famo us o f his

  l i n e ) ,

  his

uncle, and his three brothers,  R o m i l l y  was initi ate d int o

c l o c k - m a k i n g

 i n the

  f a m i l y

  circle in Geneva. Th e circ um

stances  of his move to Paris, about 1734,

4

  are not known,

b u t  i t appears  l i k e l y  that he trai ned hims elf by

  w o r k i n g

among Protestant clock-makers such as  Jean

  J o l l y .

5

  For

springs, he collaborated  w i t h W i l l i a m

  ( I I )

  Blakey.

R o m i l l y

  is the author of several theoretical publica

tions on chr ono me tr y that are exclusively devoted to

watches. He perfected the  deadbeat

  escapement

  w i t h

t w i n   pallet that had been developed by Caron de Beau-

marchai s an d present ed it at the Academi e des

  Sciences

 i n

1755.

6

Jean Jodin

  made

  reference to this inv ent ion : "M r.

R o m i l l y  has  j u s t

  made

  the most fortunate addition possi

ble to this

  escapement."

7

  As a result

  R o m i l l y

  was one of

the  f i r s t  clock-make rs to pro duce watches capable of ru n

n i n g

 eight days. On May 10,1758, he

 appeared

  before the

Academie to  present  a watch that had been running for

378

  days

 witho ut being wound.

8

 It lacked precision, how

ever, and even though he reduced the period to six

months, this watch

  f a i l e d

 t o obta in the

  degree

  o f  p r e c i s i o n

f o u n d

  in or di na ry watches. I t was

  finally

  Ferdinand Ber-

t h o u d   wh o managed to combine long dura tio n  w i t h  the

p r e c i s i o n

  R o m i l l y

  had been seeking.

9

  I n the real m of

c l o c k s ,  R o m i l l y  seems  to be the only clock-maker to have

used the compensation p en dul um invente d by Greni er.

1 0

R o m i l l y

  was on

  f r i e n d l y

  terms  w i t h

  Jean-Jacques

Rousseau

  and was part  o f  th e

  i n t e l l ec t u a l

 circle o f  the cap

i t a l .

  H e cont ri but ed various articles on clock- and watch

m a k i n g

  to the  Encyclopedic

  ou Dictionnaire Raisonne des

Arts

  . . . (Paris, 1772), in cl ud in g

 those

  on "A rc de Levee,"

"Frotte ments," "Pivots," and "Regulateurs," and also pro

v i d e d

  captions for the

  i l l u s t ra t i o n s .

 He was on good terms

w i t h  Diderot and d'Alembert, to whom he introduced

his

  namesake,

  Sir Samuel

  R o m i l l y ,

  i n 1781. Th e la tter

described him in the

  f o l l o w i n g

  terms: "He was a man of

v e r y

  great merit in his

  business,

  had  seen  a great deal of

the

  w o r l d ,

  an d was not wi th out a considerable po rt io n of

l i t e r a t u r e . "

1 1

  I n 1779 he

  became

  an  associate  member

o f

  the comm itt ee of the Salon de la Corr espon dance .

12

I n   1786 he was, together  w i t h  Ferdinand Berthoud,

A b r a h a m - L o u i s  Breg uet, Jean-Baptiste Lepaute, and

Jean  Gregso n, a mem ber of the commission form ed to

stud y Frangois-Jean Brall e's pro pos al fo r the establish

ment o f a Manuf actu re Royale d'Hor loger ie,

  w h i c h

  was

finally  create d by the

  lettres patentes

  of Louis X V I dated

Jan uar y 17, 1787 .

1 3

  He served as the manufactory's tech

n i c a l  d irector  u n t i l  1790.

R o m i l l y , who had encou raged his son-in-law to fou nd

th e Journal  de

 Paris,

  th e

  f ir s t daily

  liter ary newspaper in the

c a p i t a l ,  assumed

  respon sibilit y for the weather section.

T h i s

  allowed him to

  c l a i m

  w i t h

  some

  humor that  " j ' y  fais

l a

 pl uie et le beau temps"

  ( " I

  make

  f a i r

  weather and  f o u l , "

i n   ot her words, " I cont rol everyth ing here"). He pub

l i s h e d

  various texts in the

  Journal,

  incl udi ng a letter, in

1778, in

  w h i c h

  he demonstrated that perpetual motion

was impossible .

1 4

The major part of his clock-making

  a c t i v i t y

  was

devoted to watches, their mechanism being generally set

i n   extremely fine  cases.  Some of

 these

  were supplied by

A n d r e - L o u i s Levacher

  Vaine

 and decorated  w i t h  enamels

b y

  such

  w e l l - k n o w n

  artists as the painter  Jean  Prevaux.

He delivered one to the Menus Plaisirs on the occasion of

the wedding of the Dauphin, the future Louis

  X V I .

1 5

R o m i l l y   pr oduc ed o nly a small numb er of move

ments for clocks,

  w h i c h

  were placed in cases by B althazar

L i e u t a u d ,

  Charles

  Cressent,

  Robert Osmond, or

  Jean-

Joseph

  de Saint-Germain.

  These

  were in all

  l i k e l i h o o d

executed at the

  request

  o f suc h clients as the financier

Jean-Francois

 de Lab orde , the comte du Luc, the marqui s

de

  Pange,

  Madam e de Mont esq uio u, and the prin ce de

M o n a c o .  For Madame de Pompadour, in 1762, he

  made

the works for a

 Sevres

 porcela in clock

 w h i c h

 was part of a

garni ture of  f ive

  pieces

  for a mantelpiece . I t later enter ed

the colle ction of the due de Praslin.

R o m i l l y

  was the progenitor of a line of

  p o l i t i c a l  fig

ures, scientists, and  generals  who distinguished them

selves

  in France in the nineteenth century. His son Jean-

Edme,

  first

  destine d for the clock-maker's profession, was

ord ai ned a pastor in Geneva on Mar ch 14, 1763, and

became

 a famous

  preacher,

 exercising his ministr y

  first

  i n

L o n d o n ,

 t hen i n Switz erlan d. A t the age  o f  t w e n t y - t w o ,  he

w r o t e  the articles "Tolerance" and

  " V e r t u "

  for the great

Encyclopedic  He also co nt ri bu te d to Charl es Palissot's

Memoires

  Litteraires,

  for

  w h i c h ,

  among other things, he

w r o t e  an article on  Jean-Jacques

  Rousseau.

16

  Romilly's

s o n - i n - l a w , Guil laume

 O l i v i e r

  de Corancez, was a protege

o f  Anne-Robert-Jacques Tur got and Arm and -Th oma s

de

  M i r o m e s n i l .

 Thanks to the

 Journal  de Paris

  as  w e l l  as to

interests he held in a hired carriage  business,  his eco

n o m i c  situation was, according to his daughter, "close to

opulence whe n the Revoluti on occurr ed."

1 7

  Corancez's

son, Louis-Alexandre

  O l i v i e r

  de Corancez (1770-1832),

f o l l o w e d

  Napoleon to Egypt and was a distinguished

scholar, histor ian, and di plo mat . I n 1797 his da ughter,

M a r i e - J u l i e  O l i v i e r

  de Corancez, married Jean-Baptiste

Cavaignac, a mem ber of the Natio nal Conv ent ion and a

r e g i c i d e ,  who

  became

  Prefect under the Empire. Their

elde r son, God ef roy Cava ignac (1801—1845), was an

opponent of the July Monarchy and

  became

  one of the

194 B I O G R A P H I E S

Page 208: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 208/225

presidents o f the Societe des Dro its de l' Ho mm e.

1 8

  Their

you nges t son, Lou is- Eug ene (1802—1857), was

  first

  a

major-general, then gouver neur-ge neral of  A l g e r i a.  I n

1848 he was

  c h i e f

  executive of France ("chef du Pou voir

e x e c u t i f " )  and pres ented him sel f as a candidat e fo r

the presidenc y against Prince Louis- Napo leo n. Louis -

Eugene's  son  Jacques  (1853-1905) was several times a

minister und er the

  T h i r d

  Republic, most notably

  M i n i s

ter o f War at the tim e of the Drey fus affair. Jacques's  son

Eugene

  was one o f the most reno wne d Fren ch Helle nists

o f the be gin ning of the century,  w h i l e his son-in-law, Gen

eral Mangin,  became  a  m i l i t a r y  hero d ur in g the First

W o r l d

  War.

N O T E S

1.

  Recueil  Genealogique  Suisse

  (Geneva,

 1 9 9 4 ) ,

  v o l . 3, article on

Romil ly .

2 .

  Jean

 Jo l l y belonged to a line of Parisian clock-makers. He

was admitted as master

 o n

 June 9 ,  1 6 9 8 , and was elected

Garde

  Visiteur

  in  1 7 1 6 .

3 .

  A . N . ,

 Y

 9 3 2 7

 and

  A . N . ,

 E*

  1 2 7 8

 B. On this matter, see

B lake y biography in this volume, note 16.

4 .  Th e decree o f the Conseil d'Etat du Roi cited in note 3

states that  " f r o m  the age of t w e lv e he has

 been

 brought up

by  his  f a m i l y in the art of c l o c k - m a k i n g and has worked

since the age of eighteen as a

 compagnon

  together  w i t h  the

master clock-makers of Paris . . ."

5 .  On the occasion of her marriage , Elisabeth  G r i b e l i n ,

 Jean

Jolly's granddaughter, received a  200-livre  annuity  f r o m

the  k i n g , "since she was educated in the catholic, apostolic

and Roman  f a i t h  at the Nouvelles Converties," although

her mother was christened on October

  2 7 ,

  1 6 9 4 , in the

church of Saint-Barthelemy

  ( A . N . , M i n . ,

  X X X I V ,  589,

1 . 1 0 . 1 7 5 2 ) .

6 .  J.  Rom i l l y , "Une montre

 presentee

 par

  M .

  Rom i l l y , citoyen

de Geneve,"

  Histoire,

  Annee

  1 7 5 5

 (Paris,

  1 7 6 1 ) .

7.   J.J  o d i n , L es  Echappemens  a

 repos

  compares  aux Echappemens  a

recul,.  .

 .

  suivi  de Quelques  reflexions  sur

 Vetat

 present de   I'Hor-

logerie  . . . (Paris,  1 7 5 4 ) , p. 224.

8.   Encyclopedic,  seconde

  section, horlogerie

  ( 1 7 6 6 ) and  LAlma

nack Dauphin  ( 1 7 7 2 ) .

9.   F. Berthou d, De la

 mesure

  du temps . . . (Paris,

  1 7 8 7 ) .

1 0.

  Christie's, New Y o r k ,

 June

 5,  1 9 8 6 , lot  1 4 3 .  Grenier's pen

d u l u m

 was published b y J.-F. Pilatre de Rozier,  Observation

sur

  la

 physique,

  v o l . 16 (Paris,

  1 7 8 0 ) ,

 and again,

  w i t h mo d i f i

cations, in v o l . 29 (Paris,

  1 7 8 6 ) .

1 1 .  S. Rom i l l y , Memoirs

  of

  the

 life  of Sir  Samuel

  Romilly,

  written   by

himself,

  edited

  by  h is  sons

  (London,

  1 8 4 0 ) .

1 2 .

  J. Chatelus,

  Peindre a Paris

  au

 XVIHeme siecle

  (Nimes,

  1 9 9 1 ) .

1 3.

  Augarde  1 9 8 4 , pp.  66—79,

 a n

d

  A . N . ,

 E*

  1 6 5 0

 B.

1 4.   Magasin Encyclopedique

  (Journal

  de s Sciences,  de s Lettres  et  des

Arts)

  V I (An I V )

  ( 1 7 9 5 ) ,

 pp .  5 3 3 ~ 5 3 4 -

1 5.

  A . N . ,

  O

1

  3 0 4 4 , ite m no.

  3 1 1 .

1 6.   E . -J.

 Rom i l l y ,

  Sermons  recueillis  par  le pasteur  Juventin,  precede

d'un

  Eloge

  Historique,  3 vols. (Geneva,  1 7 8 8 ) .

1 7.

  M . - J .

  C a v a i g n a c ,M e m o i r e

  duneInconnue,  2780-1816 (Paris,

1896).

1 8.

  His tom b by Francois Rude, in the cemetery of M o n t -

martre, is one of this sculptor's finest works.

M I C H E L  S T O L L E N W E R C K

M i c h e l  Stoll enwer ck was a native of German y, pro b

ably  f r o m  the duchy of

  J u l i c h .

  H e di ed in Paris in July

1768.

1

  His

  f i r s t w i f e

  was Marie- Elisabe th Bod art . The y

had at

  least

  eight chi ldren,

2

  including: Pierre-Hubert

(about 17 40-a fter 1805), a clock-maker,

3

  Pierre-Mart in

( d i e d

 after 1805), a clock-maker wh o settled in the Un it ed

States

  of Ame ric a after 1769,

4

  Catherine-Elisabeth

(1739-af ter 1810), who mar rie d Charles-Dominique

Pesiere,  Huissier

  audiencier en la

  juridiction

  des

  Eaux

  et

Forets  a  Paris,  the n a lawyer at the Parlement de Paris;

5

Franco ise-An geliqu e (die d after 1804), wh o was ma rr ie d

i n  tu rn to Louis-Alexandre de

  V i l l i e r s

  (di ed befo re 1772)

and Alexandre-Pierre d 'Antibes ;

6

  Marie-Anne (died

after 1808); and  Jean-Francois  (born 1753).

7

 I n 1764 he

married his second  w i f e ,  Mar ie-A nne Courcelles (died

after 1777).

8

A c t i v e

  i n Paris as an ouvrier

  libre,

  Sto llen werc k was ad

m i t t e d

  to the  g u i l d  as a  master  clock-maker in that  c i t y

o n   A p r i l

  14, 1746,

9

  i n accordance

  w i t h

  a

  decree

  of the

Conseil d'Etat d u Roi given on Febru ary 1 of the

  same

year.

10

  H e  l i v e d f i r st  i n the Enclos de l'abbaye de Saint-

Germain-des-Pres, the n in the rue de la Comed ie Fra n

chise (1747) and i n the rue G uene gau d (1753), and fi

n a l l y  in the rue d u Harl ay on the place Dauph ine (17 57).

T h e

  date

  an d circumstances un de r

  w h i c h

  Stollen

werck

  settled i n Paris are un kno wn , as are the origi ns o f

hi s  f a m i l y . A clock-maker by the

  same

 name  was active in

A i x - l a - C h a p e l l e (Aachen) i n the mid dle of the eighteenth

century.

1 1

  Stollenwerck's conte mpora ries spelled his

name  in a variety of ways making it particu larly trouble

some  to scholars. Families

  o f

  th e

  same

 name  l i v i n g  in Ger

man y to day spell it with ou t the le tter "c." What is kno wn is

that Sto llenwe rck settled in Paris aro un d 1730. His  first

marr iage t ook place pri or to 1739, and he already o wned

an inde pend ent worksh op in 1740.

One can give onl y an indi rec t assessment of his pro p

erty. Th e marr iag e contract of his dau ght er i n 1762

seems  to  i m p l y  that Stolle nwerc k was relatively wealthy

f o r  a ma n o f his posi tion . Th is impressi on of financial

ease  is con fi rme d by the locat ion o f the establishment he

then occupie d: the rue du Harla y and the buildings

 o f

  the

place Dauphine onto  w h i c h  it ope ned were in the quar ter

i n   w h i c h

  the most fashionable and wealthiest clock-

makers o f the capital were to be fou nd . Th at he was prob

ably

  w e l l

  of f financially is also co nf ir me d by the fact t hat

Pierre-Hubert Stollenwerck's stock was acquired by his

stepmother for

 8,463

  livres,  paid in cash,

12

 an amount  cer

t a i n l y  provided by  M i c h e l  Stollenwerck, since Marie-

B I O G R A P H I E S

95

Page 209: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 209/225

A n n e C o u r c e l l e s' s d o w r y , d e c l a r e d

  three

  m o n t h s e a r l ie r ,

i n c l u d e d

  l i t t l e

  m o r e t h a n f u r n i t u r e o f n e g l i g i b le v a l u e .

1 3

T h e s e t t le m e n t o f t h e c l o c k -m a k e r ' s  estate,  o n t h e o t h e r

h a n d , w as o b v i o u s l y q u i t e a c o m p l i c a t e d m a t t e r s i n c e,

e i g h t e e n m o n t h s a f t e r h i s d e a t h , n o g u a r d i a n h a d y e t

been  a p p o i n t e d f o r h i s m i n o r c h i l d r e n (as a r e s u l t o f

w h i c h

  a n o t a r iz e d i n v e n t o r y c o u l d n o t b e m a d e ) ,

1 4

  a n d i t

w a s

  s t i l l

  n o t s e t t l e d i n 1 8 0 5 .

1 5

  I n a n y e v e n t , v a r i o u s c l u es

a l l o w

  a n e s t i m a t i o n o f S t o l l e n w e r c k ' s

  estate

  a t a b o u t

7 7 , 0 0 0

  livres

  a t t h e t i m e o f h i s d e a t h .

1 6

H i s

  c o n t e m p o r a r i e s r e g a r d e d S t o l l e n w e r c k as a n a r t

is t

  w i t h  a n e x c e p t i o n a l m e c h a n i c a l t a l e n t . I n 1 7 54

  Jean

J o d i n w r o t e t h a t " th e E n d e r l i n s , C a m s , S t o l l en w e r c k s ,

B e r t h o u d s , & c .

 have been

  r e d u c e d t o a f u r t i v e e x e r c i se o f

t h e i r

  s u p e r i o r t a l en t s i n f a v o r e d

  places

  . . ,"

1 7

  T h e  scope

o f

  s u c h

  praise

  c a n b e

  measured

  i n t e r m s o f t h e p r e s t i g e

a n d i m p o r t a n c e o f t h e w o r k s o f E n d e r l i n a n d B e r t h o u d .

O n

  F e b r u a r y 1 6 , 1 7 6 1 ,

 LAvant-Coureur

  d e c l a r e d t h a t : " L e

s i e u r S t o l le w e r k , c l o c k - m a k e r , w h o m w e m e n t i o n e d o n

t h e o c c a s i o n w h e n t h e b e a u t i f u l a s t r o n o m i c a l c l o c k w a s t o

b e

 seen

  i n h i s s h o p ,

  also

  h as a p a r t i c u l a r

  g i f t

  f o r a r r a n g i n g

c a r i l l o n s

  o f s i n g u l a r a c c u r a c y a n d e x a c t t o n e . T h i s a r ti s t

c o m b i n e s g r e a t t h e o r e t i c a l  a b i l i t y

  w i t h

  a p e r f e c t e x e c u

t i o n ,

  8c

 h i s h a n d i s a lw a y s g u i d e d b y p r i o r c a l c u l a t i o n . "

1 8

S p e a k i n g o f h i s m u s i c a l c y l i n d e r s i n 1 7 7 6 ,

  Pere

  E n g r a -

m e l l e  gave  h i m

  some

  v i b r a n t p o s t h u m o u s p r a i s e , " A s f o r

t h e i n s t r u m e n t s  w i t h  c h i m e s , o r c a r i l l o n s . . .

  those

  o f

S t o l k v e r c k

 have  e n j o y e d t h e h i g h e s t r e p u t a t i o n . . . p r o d

ucts  o f

  t h i s

  k i n d ,

  w h i c h c a n b e t r a n s p o r t e d i n t o t h e r e m o t

e s t l a n d s ,

  w i l l

  c o m p l e t e t h e t a m i n g o f b a r b a r i a n N a t i o n s ,

w h o  have

  a l r e a d y

 been

  filled  w i t h  a d m i r a t i o n u p o n s e ei n g

some  i n s t r u m e n t s b y M a r c h a l  8c S t o l k v e r c k . . . Some car

i l l o n s

  b y S t o l k v e r c k t r a n s p o r t e d t o C h i n a , M o n g o l i a , T u r

k e y a n d a m o n g s t t h e H u r o n s ,   have  l e f t  t h e s o v e r e i g n s o f

those

  v a st c o u n t r i e s e n c h a n t e d  w i t h  a d m i r a t i o n . "

1 9

  A n d

finally

  t h e e d i t o r s o f t h e

  Encyclopedic

  chose  t o

  represent

o n e

  o f

  h i s w o r k s i n t h e plates  d e v o t e d t o c l o c k - a n d w a t c h

m a k i n g ,

  i n o r d e r t o i l l u s t r a t e t h e a r t i c l e o n t h e

  c a r i l l o n

( p l a t e s

  X X V I I

  a n d

  X X V I I I

  o f t h e  first  s e c t i o n ) .

O n e m a y assume  t h a t S t o l l e n w e r c k w a s  first  t a u g h t b y

H e n r i  E n d e r l i n , w h o s e t r a i n h e l a t e r used,

2 0

  a n d w h o ,  l ik e

h i m ,

  r e s i d e d i n t h e  abbey  o f S a i n t - G e r m a i n - d e s - P r e s . I n

a n y e v e n t , T h i o u t  associated  t h e i r  names  i n m e n t i o n i n g

a n

  escapement

  i n v e n t e d b y E n d e r l i n .

2 1

T h e  first  k n o w n m o v e m e n t b y S t o l le n w e r c k i n s c r ib e d

w i t h  a

 date

  w as

 made

  i n 1 7 4 0 ,

2 2

  a n d t h e

  assertions  o f  Jean

J o d i n s h o w t h a t h i s r e p u t a t i o n w a s e s t a b li s h e d l o n g

b e f o r e h e w a s a d m i t t e d to t h e

  g u i l d

  as a

 master

  i n  A p r i l

1 7 4 6 . T w o l e g a l d o c u m e n t s a n d a s u r v i v i n g s p e c i m e n o f

h i s w o r k c o n f i r m t h is . T h e i n v e n t o r y

  made

  a f t e r t h e

d e a t h o f t h e d u e d e M o r t e m a r t i n A u g u s t 1 7 4 6 ,

2 3

  m e n

t i o n s t h a t i n h i s

  Paris

  t o w n

 house

  w e r e t w o c l o c k s b y S t o l

l e n w e r c k , o n e o f t h e m

  a secondes ,

  a n d t w o w a t c h e s , o n e o f

g o l d

  a n d o n e l a r g e s i l v e r  de ca mp a gn e .  T h e i n v e n t o r y o f

t h e m a r q u i s d e F e r r i e r e , i n 1 7 4 7 ,

  also

  m e n t i o n s a c l oc k

  a

secondes  b y S t o l l e n w e r c k e s t i m a t e d a t t h e h i g h p r i c e o f

6 0 0

  livres.

24

  F i n a l l y ,

  th e s u m p t u o u s

  long-case

  c l o c k i n t h e

C l e v e l a n d M u s e u m o f A r t , t h e  case  o f w h i c h bears  t h e

date

  1 7 4 4 ,

2 5

  g i v e s t a n g i b l e p r o o f o f t h e a r ti s t i c e x c e l l e n c e

o f

  t h e w o r k h e w as a lr e a d y p u t t i n g o n t h e m a r k e t .

Besides

  c l o c k s a n d

  watches

  w i t h

  t r a d i t i o n a l w o r k s ,

S t o l l e n w e r c k a p p l i e d h i s t a l e n t s i n t h e h i g h l y t e c h n i c a l

fields

  o f

  e q u a t i o n c l o c k s , p l a n i s p h e r e s , a n d c a r i ll o n s . I n

t h e  case o f t h e c a r i l l o n s , i t appears  t h a t h e

  made

  t h e m n o t

o n l y  f o r h i m s e l f b u t  also  f o r h i s c o l l e a g u e s . A t least  f ive

specimens

  o f h i s c a r i l l o n s

  have

  c o m e d o w n to u s . O n e

o f

  t h e o l d e s t , e x e c u t e d a t t h e  abbey  o f S a i n t - G e r m a i n ,

b e f o r e h i s m a s t e r s h i p , w a s

  made  f o r  Jean-Francois  D o m i -

n i c e 's c l o c k n o w i n t h e G e t t y M u s e u m ( c a t . n o . 5 ) . T h e  sec

o n d

  w a s p l a c e d , t o g e t h e r  w i t h  w o r k s s i g n e d b y E t i e n n e L e

N o i r  fils,  i n a c l o c k a t t r i b u t e d t o  Jean-Pierre  L a t z . T h i s

c l o c k  w a s n o t

  o r i g i n a l l y

  i n t e n d e d t o c o n t a i n a

 c a r i l l o n ,

  b u t

t h e a d d i t i o n m a y a c t u a l ly

  have

  c o i n c i d e d

  w i t h

  i t s e x e c u

t i o n .

2 6

  T h e  t h i r d  w a s c o m b i n e d  w i t h  t h e a s t r o n o m i c a l

w o r k s o f t h e

  long-case

  c l o c k b y L a t z n o w i n C l e v e l a n d .

T h e f o u r t h , d a t e d 1 7 5 6 , b e l o n g s t o a n e x c e p t i o n a l c l o c k

f o r

  w h i c h S t o l l en w e r c k

  also

  e x e c u t e d a c o m p l i c a t e d

m o v e m e n t . C r e a t e d f o r t h e m a r q u i s d e B r u n o y , s o n o f

Jean

  Paris

  de M o n t m a r t e l ,

2 7

  t h i s c l o c k' s g i l t - b r o n z e  case

r e p r e s e n t i n g t h e D e a t h o f A d o n i s i s o n e o f t h e m o s t

r e f i n e d

  w o r k s o f  Jean-Joseph  d e S a i n t - G e r m a i n . T h e

fifth  b e l o n g s t o a c l o c k b y P i e r r e  D a i l l e ,  d a t e d 1 7 6 3 , n o w

i n

  t h e W a ll ac e C o l le c t i o n i n L o n d o n .

2 8

  O t h e r c l o c ks  w i t h

c a r i l l o n s

  c r e a t e d b y S t o l l e n w e r c k c o u l d b e f o u n d , i n t h e

e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y , i n t h e c o l le c t i o n s o f

  M .

  M a l l e t ,

2 9

  t h e

marquises

  d e

  Pange

3 0

  a n d de C o u r t a n v a u x ,

3 1

  M . D u c l o s -

D u f r e s n o y ,

3 2

  a n d l a t e r i n th a t o f M . C o b l e n t z .

3 3

  O n e

l a s t c l o c k ,  w i t h  a s tr o n o m i c a l m o v e m e n t s a n d a

  c a r i l l o n ,

h o u s e d i n a n e x c e p t i o n a l  case  ( p o s s i b l y b y

  Jean-Pierre

L a t z )  made

  o f

 brass

  a n d t o r t o i s e s h e l l m a r q u e t r y l a v i s h l y

d e c o r a t e d

  w i t h

  g i l t  b r o n z e , w a s a c q u i r e d b y F r e d e r i c k I I

o f  Prussia.

34

T h e s e c o n d  field  t o w h i c h S t o l l e n w e r c k

  gave

  h i s

a t t e n t i o n w a s t h a t o f a s t r o n o m i c a l c l oc k s . H e  made  a t

least

  t w o o f t h e

  three

  s u r v i v i n g p l a n i s p h e re s t h a t b e

l o n g e d t o A l e x a n d r e F o r t i e r a n d m a y  have been  r e s p o n

s i b l e f o r t h e

  changes

  made

  i n t h e p o s i t i o n o f t h e s e c o n d

a r y d i a l s t h a t d i s t i n g u i s h e s t h e l a s t t w o   f r o m  t h e  first.

35

F o r t h e e q u a t i o n c l o c k s a n d

  those

  w i t h  a s t r o n o m i c a l  i n d i

c a t i o n s h e s o m e t i m e s  used  E n d e r l i n ' s t r a i n ,

3 6

  w h i c h h a s

a l r e a d y

  been

  m e n t i o n e d , o r t h a t w h i c h T h i o u t r e f e r r e d

to as a   cadrature angla ise.

37

W i t h  t h e e x c e p t i o n

  o f

  h i s s o n P i e r r e - H u b e r t , a n o t h e r

s o n , p os s ib l y P i e r r e - M a r t i n , m e n t i o n e d as a

  horloger

1 9 6 B I O G R A P H I E S

Page 210: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 210/225

mecanicien

  around 1775/1778,

38

  and David-Louis Cour-

vois ier ,

39

  th e  names  o f his collabora tors i n the clock-

making

  field

  are not kno wn .

Stol lenwerck

  probably bought the pro duct ion of

Pie rre -Hu ber t and sold i t und er his ow n name: "Th e Sr.

Stol lenwerck

  has ackn owle dge d tha t said effects . . .

be lo ng to said P. his son . . . tha t since the age o f eig hte en

years  he has granted h im fre edo m to

  w o r k

  on his own

account ."

40

As  far as marquetry

  cases

  are concerne d, Stollen

werck  col laborated

  w i t h

  Jean-Pierre  L at z .

4 1

  For br onze

cases, he often used

 Jean-Joseph

  de Saint -Germain

4 2

  and

Rober t Osmond, who  m a de  a clock  w i t h  a

  vase

 and

  l i o n

masks  inten ded fo r the due de Brissac,

43

  and Edme Roy,

one o f whose so-called "a la

  Geoffr in"

  models he

  fitted

w i t h  a movemen t .

4 4

  He occasionally provided decorative

bronze elements to gilders, in part icula r to Ignace-Pierre

G o b e r t .

4 5

I t

 seems

  l i k e l y tha t Stollenwer ck sold most of his pro

duc t ion

  himself. His clientele included

  r i c h

  di let tant i

and connoisseurs of  fine  mechanical pieces. Besides the

names

  already mentioned, one may add  those  of the

amiral -marquis de Massiac

46

  and the  barons  de Th i er s

4 7

an d de Bezenva l. I t was fo r the latter that he execu ted the

works  o f a  w a l l  clock, the pend ant of  which  was a ther

mometer s igned

  "Michel

  B ourb on," as  w e l l  as the works

o f  an ext rao rdinar y clock of  g i l t  and patinated bronze

repr esen ting an allegory of  His tory:  "On a cluster of

clouds ru n thr ou gh by the scythe of T i m e ,  there

  appears

a winged globe  h a l f  covered by a  v e i l  a nd  circled  by a

snake;  the hours are ma rke d upo n i t and a put to points

them out ,

  whi le

  another one, surro unde d  w i t h  attributes

o f  th e

  sciences

  a nd

  seated

  on the clouds, writes up on a

book he is h o l d i n g . "

4 8

NOTES

1.

  A . N . ,

 Y

  1 1 7 3 6 ,

 lawsuit brought against his

 widow

 for the

delivery o f meats to the couple

 thro ugh July

  3 0 , 1768.

2 .

  A . N . ,  M i n . ,  X X X I ,  1 7 3 ,

  February  1 1 ,

  1 7 6 2 ,

 marriage of

Catherine-Elisabe th-Nicolle Stollenwerck. In this contract,

she is named as inheriting

  f r o m

 her mother an amount

equal to one eighth of her

 estate.

 I t is no

 easy

 matter to

trace the childre n of

 Stollenwerck.

 A

 horloger mecan icien,

not a master, exercised his craft in Paris und er the name of

Stollenwerck  fits

  (see note

  3 8 ) .

 T his may possibly have

been

 Pierre-Martin.

 See note 4.

3 .  A . N . ,  M i n . ,  X X X I ,  1 7 7 , June

 8 ,

  1 7 6 4 ,

 transfer, by Pierre-

Hu be rt Stollenwerck, of his clock-maker's stock, to his

stepmother, M ari e-A nne Courcelles. Th e circumstances

o f

  this

 sale suggest

 that Pierre-Hubert may have been  the

M .  Stollenwerck who, in

  1 8 0 1 ,

 published a translation of

Fischer's book

 entitled Recherches Historiques

  sur

 le s

  Princi-

pales   Nations

  Etablies  en

 Siberie

  et

 dans  les Pays Adjacens,

  lors de

la

  Conquete

  de s

 Russes.

  Th e translator's  name is preceded

solely

 by the lette r  M , and it is impossible to establish

whether this is intended as the

  i n i t i a l

 o f a

  first

 name or an

abbreviation of "Monsieur." I n the preface the author

wrote

 th e

  f o l l o w i n g :  "originating  f r o m

  the land

 o f

 Juliers

but

 bo rn in Paris where I received my education, I was  still

young eno ugh, when I went to Russia, to be able to learn

the language of that country." After  having taken part as

an

 officer

 i n the campaign against the Turks, under the

orders o f Marshal Count

 Riumianzowski,

  Pierre-Hubert

married

 Elisabeth Abrahamovna o f the princely

 house

 of

Volkonsky

 i n Moscow in September

  1 7 7 6

 and returned to

settle in France, in the Berr y, du ri ng the  1 7 8 0 s .

4 .

  Pie rre -Ma rtin Stollenwerck is ment ioned as being in New

Y o r k

 i n  1 8 0 5  ( A . N . , M i n . ,

  X X ,  8 0 8 ,

 6 Nivose An

 X I V

  [doc

uments  missing]). His

 sons

 were no doubt the founders of

the

  firm

  of Stollenwerck Brothers, also in New

 Y o r k

  after

1 8 2 0 . G. H. B a i l l i e  ( 1 9 2 9 ) , mentions a P. M .  Stollenwerck in

Philadelphia in  1 8 1 3 , wh o may be the same Pierre-Martin

or

 one of his sons. Pierre-Martin was designated the god

father of his niece Sophie de  V i l l i e r s on September 22,

1 7 6 9 ,

 together  w i t h his stepmother, Mari e-An ne Cour

celles  ( A . N . ,

  M i n . ,  C I ,  5 8 4 ,

 deed of

 March

  17,

 1 7 7 2 ) .

 We

thank Christian Baulez for having drawn our attention to

this

  deed.

5 .

  See note 2. Charles -Domini que Pesiere was the son of

Dominique

 Pesiere, master

 clock-maker and great-

grandson of Nicolas

 ( I )

 Hanet, Christiaan Huygens's  agent

i n

 Paris. The proper ty of the groom amounted to  4 2 , 4 0 0

livres;

  that of the bride to her unspecified share in her

mother's  estate. She received a

 douaire prefix

  consisting of a

l i fe

 annuity of 6 0 0  livres  (repres enting a capital of  1 2 , 0 0 0

livres)  and a donation of

 3 , 0 0 0

  livres

  par preciput

  et

  horspart

(before  distribution o f the

 shares,

 inheritance

 taxes

 being

paid

 f or

  f r o m

  the  estate).

 Finally,

 Catherine-Angelique De

Walle made a donation of 6 , 0 0 0  livres  to the future couple,

w h o l l y devolving upon the survivor.

6 .

  A . N . ,

  M i n . ,

  I X ,  8 8 4 ,

  17 Nivose A n X I I I , power of attorney

given

 by Alexandre-Pierre d'Antibes to his

  wi fe .

7 .  Paris, Biblio thequ e Nationa le, Manus crit Francais, Fichier

Laborde, extract  f r o m the baptismal register of the church

o f  Saint Andre-des-Arts dated May

 4 ,

 1753.

8.  A . N . ,

  M i n . ,  X X X I ,

  1 7 7 ,

 March 2, 1764.

9.

  A . N . , Y 9 3 2 6 .

1 0 .  A . N . ,

 E*

  1 2 2 8 B .

 I n February

  1 7 4 5

 the government cre

ated the offices

  o f  Inspecteurs  et   contrdleurs  de s

 Jures  in

 a ll

 the

arts and crafts communities of the kingdom. This place

men t of heredit ary officers at their head went against the

desire of

 these

 communit ies to freely elect their own rep

resentative officers. Consequently  each

 g u i l d

 offered to

buy

 back

 these

 offices an d

  "H(is)

 M(ajesty), in orde r to

show the co ntinu atio n of his affection and benevolence,

allowed the m to do so." Being unable to borrow the

req uire d capita l, the Parisian clock-makers decided to ask

the king's permission to ad mit as masters twenty unquali

fied

 workers who

 would

 execute

  masterpieces

 and pay

increased admission

 fees

 amounting to

  2 , 0 0 0

  livres.  They

were allowed to do this on February 1,

 1 7 4 6 ,

 by the afore

mentioned decree.

1 1 .  See La Mesure  du  Temps dans  les Collections Beiges  (Societe

Generale de Banque, Brussels,  1 9 8 4 ) , no. 244.

1 2 .  See note 3.

1 3 .  See note 8.

1 4 .  See note

  1.

 Legal statement of October  8 , 1 7 6 9 .  One must

also take int o account various debts contracted by Stollen-

B

 I

 O

 GRAPH

 I

 E

 S

  197

Page 211: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 211/225

werck

 which were not settled after his death; for instance

those claimed by the clock-maker D avid-Louis Courvoisier

and the gilder Ignace-Pierre Gobert.

1 5 .  See note 6 . Th is was certa inly due to the fact that the estate

o f his father-in-law Bodar t had not yet been settled.

1 6.   Th is figure

  fits

  w e l l w i t h  a comparative study of the wealth

o f clock-makers such as the Le Noirs, Le Roys, Lepautes,

or   Voisins. I t is also consistent  w i t h  the estimation of the

prop erty o f Stollenwerck's

 first wife

 and o f the  l i q u i d assets

he disposed of

 i n 1 7 6 4

  to buy back the stock of his son

Pierre-Martin.

1 7 .  J. J

 odin,  Les Echappemens

  a

  repos compares

  aux

 Echappemens

  a

recul,.

  . .

 suiv i de Quelques reflexions

  sur

 Vetat present de VHor-

logerie.

  . . (Paris,  1 7 5 4 ) .

1 8.   Th e reference to the astronomical clock refers to

 Alex

andre Fortier's personal orrery.

1 9.   Pere Marie-Dominique-Joseph Engramelle, La  Tonotechnie

ou

  I'Art

  de Noter les cylindres  et tout  ce  qui est susceptible de

Notage dans les instrumens

  de

 Concert mechaniques

  (Paris,

1 7 7 5 ) '  PP-  3 5 - 6 4 -

2 0 .  T h iou t  1 7 4 1 . This train  is i n a long-case clock now in the

Museum

 fur Kuns thand werk in Dresden, the case o f

which, accor ding to He nry Hawley, may be attrib uted to

Jean-Pierre

 Latz. Reprodu ced in R. Muhe and H .

 Vogel,

Horloges

  Anciennes  (Paris,  1 9 7 9 ) , fig. 57 5.

2 1 .  T h iou t  1 7 4 1 .

2

 2 .  On a w a l l  clock formerly i n the

  collection

  o f Jean-Baptiste

Diette.

  SeeMaison etJardin

  (November  1 9 6 1 ) .  Information

kindly

 comm unicate d by Christi an Baulez.

2 3 . A . N . , M i n . ,

  X X I I I ,

  5 4 5 , August 3 1 ,  1746.

2 4 . A . N . , M i n . , V I , 7 0 7 ,  December 18, 1747.

2 5 .  H . Hawley,

 "Jean-Pierr e

 Latz, Cabinetmaker,"  Bulletin of

the Cleveland Museum   of   Ar t  (September-October  1 9 7 0 ) ,

n o.   1.

2 6 .  Sale, Sotheby's, Monaco,

 June

  16 , 1 9 9 0 ,  lo t 8 2 1 .

2 7 .  Anonymous sale, Paris, Aug ust  2 8 , 1 7 7 5 ,  lot 3. This clock,

formerly  in the  collection o f the

 comtesse

 de Behague, is

n ow   in the Ganay  collection. We are obliged to Christian

Baulez for com mun icatin g the seller's

  identity.

2 8 .  Inv. F 9 6 . The

  dial bears

 the double signature  o f

 Joseph

Coteau and Louis-And re  T h i l ,  which

  suggests

 that the two

enamelers were, at one tim e,

 associates.

 A n identical clock,

w i t h  Stollenwerck's signature on the

 dial,

 is now in the

Palais de l'Elysee, in the Salon des Port raits.

2 9 .  Sale, Paris, May 12, 1 7 6 6 ,  lo t  1 0 7 . T he  carillon plays  thir

teen different tunes.

3 0 .  Sale, Paris, Ma rc h 3,  1 7 8 1 , lo t  1 3 6 ;  Boileau sale, Paris,

March 4 ,  1 7 8 2 ,  lo t 3 0 8 . The marquis de

 Pange

 was a great

collector

 o f clocks. He owned, among other things, the

long-case clock by Ferdinand Ber tho ud, Balthazar  Lieu-

taud, and Philippe Caffieri  now in the Chateau de Ver

sailles. See C. Baulez,   I I

  L u i g i X V I , " i n

 / / mobile francese  dot

Luigi

  XVI

  a ll 'art deco

  (M i l a n , 1 9 8 1 ) , p. 6.

3 1 .  Sale, Paris, December  1 7 8 2 ,  lo t  1 1  (effetsprecieux).  The

marquis de Co urtanv aux was one of the most famous sci

entific diletta nti of the end of the eighteenth century.

Besides his

  collection

 o f

 scientific

 instrume nts, he owned a

complete clock-makers worksho p, splendidly equipped

w i t h m achines and instrum ents of every

 kind.

 Twenty-

four  clocks appeared i n his sale, seven by Bert hou d, six by

Lepaute, three by Stollenwerck, and one by Robert Robin.

S ix   o f these are eq uation clocks, one o f them being by Stol

lenwerck. On this matter see Augar de  1 9 9 6 .

3 2 .  Sale, Paris, Aug ust 18, 1 7 9 5 . This collection was assembled

at the end of the ancien regime and  M . Duclos-Dufresnoy

could

 n ot have been th e first o wner o f the Stollenwerck

clock.

3 3 .  Sale, Paris, Ma rch  1 3 / 1 4 , 1 9 0 8 ,  lo t  2 0 7 .

3 4 .  P. Seidel, Les collections d 'oeuvres d'artfrangaises  du  XVIHeme

siecle

  (Berlin,  1 9 0 0 ) , pp. 59, 199.

3 5 .  See Fortier biogra phy in this volum e.

3 6 .  See note 20 .

3 7 .

  See note 25 .

3 8 .  Tablettes  1 7 7 5 :  "Stollenwerck  fils,  rue Neuve Saint-Meri,

opposite the Cul de Sac du Boeuf, makes simple clocks to

which he adjusts carillons which repeat at each hour the

tunes one has chosen."

  Around  1 7 7 8 / 7 9

  he  lived in the rue

de la Verr erie ( A . N . , Y  1 0 9 2 9 A ) .

3 9 . A . N . , M i n . , X X X I V , 6 9 1 , May 2 4 , 1 7 7 3 ,  inventory after

the death of David-Louis Courvoisier; per note  o f June 2,

1 76 6 , s t i l l not settled.

4 0 .  Pierre-Huber t Stollenwerck does no t appear in the regis

ters

 of admission to mastership, no r does his broth er

Pierre-Martin.

4 1 .  Hawley  1 9 7 0  (see note  2 5 ) , p p.  2 i 5 f f .

4 2 .

  Augarde

  1 9 8 6 ,

  p.

 5 2 1 .

4 3 . A . N . , M i n . , X C I , 1 2 9 5 , December  2 8 , 1 7 9 2 , inventory

after the de ath of the due de Brissac. The clock was confis

cated d uri ng the Revolution.

4 4 .  Baulez  1 9 8 9 ,  an d  sale of

 vicomte

 Melchior de Vogue,

Paris, June 2 7, 1 9 1 0 ,  lot 107.

4 5 . A . N . , M i n . ,  X X V I I I ,  4 0 0 ,  August  2 6 , 1 7 6 6 , inventory

after the death of Ignace-Pierre Gobert, and  A . N . ,

X X V I I I ,  4 0 2 ,  February 8,  1 7 6 7 , m arriage o f his widow to

Louis-Nicolas Gerard.

4 6 . A . N . , M i n . ,  L X X I I I ,  9 8 9 ,  October 7,  1 7 7 7 ,  inventory after

the death of the marquise de Massiac.

4 7 . A . N . , M i n . ,  L X X I I I ,  9 2 5 , December  2 2 , 1 7 7 0 , inventory

after the death o f baro n de Thiers. The Stollenwerck

clock, which is listed as no.  5 6 7  in the inventory, di d not

appear

 i n the

 sale

 of this collector's belongings.

4 8 .

  Sale, Paris, Au gus t 10,

 1 7 9 5 ,

  lo t

  1 7 6 .

  The gilt-bronze

  wall

clock

 and its pendant  have been identified  by Christian

Baulez as numbers F 255 and  2 5 6 of the Wallace Collec

tion

 i n London. Number  1 9 1 , the clock w i t h  a globe, could

be

 seen,

 in the nineteenth century, in the  collection of

Baron

 Gustave de Ro thsc hild . See  A . Jacquemart,  Histoire

du Mobilier  (Paris,  1 8 7 6 ) , p. 84.

1 9 8 B I O G R A P H I E S

Page 212: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 212/225

C H A R L E S

  V O I S I N

C h a r l e s  V o i s i n  w a s b o r n i n  Paris  i n 1 6 85 a n d d i e d

there

  o n F e b r u a r y 2 4 , 1 7 6 1 .

1

  H e w a s t h e s o n o f F r a n c o i s

V o i s i n  ( d i e d p r i o r t o 1 7 2 5) a n d G e n e v i e v e C o s s o n ( d i e d

1 7 3 9 ) . I n 1 7 1 2 h e m a r r i e d h i s

  f i r s t

  w i f e ,  D e n i s e F o r t i e r

( d i e d  1 7 2 2 ) ,

2

  w h o b o r e h i m f o u r c h i l d r e n : A n t o i n e

( 1 7 1 7 — a f t er 1 7 8 9 ) , w h o w a s a d m i t t e d t o t h e

  g u i l d

  i n

 Paris

as a  master  c l o c k - m a k e r o n F e b r u a r y 1 9 , 1 7 4 3 ; D e n i s e -

M a r g u e r i t e ( b o r n 1 7 1 9) , w h o m a r r i e d t h e

  ma rcha n d-

mercier   E t i e n n e - F r a n c o i s S a n t i l l y ; M i c h e l l e ( b o r n 1 7 2 0) ,

w h o

  d i e d y o u n g ; a n d G e n e v i e v e ( b o r n 1 7 2 2 , d i e d b e f o r e

1 7 4 5 ) ,

  w h o m a r r i e d t h e  marchand-mercier   A u g u s t i n B o n -

n e m a i n . H i s r e m a r r i a g e i n 17 2 5 t o M a r i e - A n t o i n e t t e

C o n v e r s ( 1 7 0 8 - 1 7 6 3 ) r e s u l t e d i n

  f i v e

  c h i l d r e n :

G e n e v i e v e - A n t o i n e t t e ( b o r n 1 7 2 6 ), w h o d i e d y o u n g ;

A n t o i n e t t e - C h a r l o t t e ( b o r n 1 7 3 1 ) , w h o m a r r i e d F r a n c o is -

A m b r o i s e D i d o t , f o u n d e r   o f  t h e f a m o u s D i d o t p u b l i s h i n g

f i r m ;  A n t o i n e - H e n r y ( 1 73 3 — 1 81 5 ), w h o w a s a d m i t t e d t o

t h e  g u i l d  i n Paris  as a master  c l o c k - m a k e r o n A u g u s t 3 1 ,

1 7 5 5 ; C a t h e r i n e ( b o r n 1 7 3 4 ) ; a n d C h a r l e s ( 1 7 3 9 - 1 7 8 1 ) ,

Ecuyer

  Valet de Chambre du

  Roi.

4

V o i s i n  w a s a d m i t t e d t o t h e  g u i l d  i n Paris  as a  master

c l o c k - m a k e r o n A u g u s t 6, 1 7 1 0

5

  a n d f u n c t i o n e d as

  Ga rde

Visiteur   f r o m  1 7 2 6 t o 1 7 2 8 . H e  also  a c q u i r e d t h e h o n o r i f i c

t i t l e  Grand

  Messager   Jure  de VUnivers i te de

 Paris.

6

  H e r e s i d e d

i n  t h e r u e d e

  Sevres

 a n d i n t h e r u e D a u p h i n e ( a f t er 1 7 1 3 ) .

V o i s i n  w a s a p r o d u c t o f t h e P a r i s i a n m i d d l e class.  H i s

f a m i l y  boasted  a n o t h e r c l o c k - m a k e r i n t h e p e r s o n o f h i s

u n c l e N i c o l a s . O n e o f h i s u n c l e s , w h o s e

  name

  w as

  also

C h a r l e s , w a s  gardener  t o t h e  k i n g .  T h e f am o u s  tourneurs

en   ivoire

  w h o s e rv e d L o u i s X V a n d L o u i s

  X V I

  w e r e m e m

bers  o f h i s  f a m i l y .  H e  amassed  a f o r t u n e w h i c h , a t h i s

d e a t h a m o u n t e d t o o v e r 2 0 4 ,0 0 0

  livres?

  m o s t o f t h i s c o n

s i st i n g i n t h e f r e e h o l d o f f o u r  houses  a n d  h a l f  o f a g r o u p

o f

  f i v e

  o t h e r s , a l l o f t h e m l o c a t e d i n P a ri s . T h i s f i n a n c i a l

success  i s c o n f i r m e d b y h i s d a u g h t e r s ' p r e s t i g i o u s m a r

riages

 a n d t h e s o c i a l ascent o f  h i s i m m e d i a t e

  descendants.

H i s  la s t s o n , C h a r l e s , a c q u i r e d t h e o f f ic e o f   Valet de

Cha mb re

  Ordina ire du Roi

  w h i c h r a i se d h i m t o t h e  n o b i l i t y

8

a n d , i n 1 7 7 2 , o n e o f h is  grandsons  w a s a l a w y e r i n t h e

P a r l e m e n t d e P a r i s .

9

T h e p i c t u r e w e c a n   f o r m  o f h i s w o r k s h o p u n d e r t h e

Regence,

  as s h o w n b y t h e i n v e n t o r y

 made

  a f t e r t h e d e a t h

o f  h i s  f i r s t w i f e  i n 1 7 2 2 ,

1 0

  is t h a t o f a n a l re a d y r e m a r k a b l y

a c t i v e

  business.

  H i s p r o p e r t y w as t h e n e s t i m a t e d a t

6 0 , 0 0 0

  livres.

  T h e s t o c k a l o n e , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e e s t i m a t i o n

o f  t w o c l o c k - m a k e r s , H e n r y B a l t h a z a r a n d B e n o i t G e

r a r d ,  s e r v i n g i n t h e c a p a c i ty o f e x p e r t s , w a s v a l u e d a t

2 2 , 3 0 8

  livres

  a n d i n c l u d e d o v e r e i g h t y

 watches

  o f

  d i f f e r

e n t k i n d s ,

  w i t h

  g o l d , s i lv e r , o r m e t a l

  cases,

  t w e n t y - s i x

c l o c k s i n t h e i r

  brass

  a n d t o r to i s e s h e ll m a r q u e t r y  cases,

t o g e t h e r  w i t h  c h a i n s o f p r e c i o u s m e t a l , v a r i o u s b l a n k

m o v e m e n t s , a n d t o o l s . I n 1 72 5 h i s f o r t u n e h a d i n c r e a s e d

b y

  1 5 , 0 0 0

  livres.

11

  W h e n h e r e l i n q u i s h e d h i s

 business

  as a

g o i n g   c o n c e r n t o h i s s o n H e n r y o n D e c e m b e r 1 8 , 1 7 6 0 , it s

w o r t h

  w a s e s t i m a t e d a t 2 3 , 0 0 0

  livres.

12

V o i s i n

  p r o d u c e d m o s t l y l u x u r y i t e m s t h a t a r e b e t t e r

c h a r a c t e r i z e d b y t h e q u a l i t y o f t h e i r  cases  t h a n b y t h e

i n t e r e s t o f t h e i r m o v e m e n t s , w h i c h a r e m o s t l y s i m p l e i n

c o n c e p t i o n b u t e x c e l l e n t l y c r a f t e d .  V o i s i n  s p e c i a l i z e d i n

c l o c k s d e c o r a t e d  w i t h  p o r c e l a i n

  f r o m

  a b r o a d v a r i e t y o f

o r i g i n s ,  t h e m o s t n o t e w o r t h y o f

 w h i c h

  i n c l u d e t h e p o r c e

l a i n

  w a l l  c l o c k

  f r o m

  C h a n t i l l y n o w i n t h e G e t ty M u s e u m

a n d a c l o c k   w i t h

  A f r i c a n

  f i g u r e s i n  Chinese  p o r c e l a i n

f r a m i n g   a

 Japanese

  p o r c e l a i n case,  f o r m e r l y i n t h e c o l le c

t i o n

  o f t h e E l e c t o r o f B a v a r i a .

1 3

H a r d l y  a n y o f V o i s i n ' s c o l l a b o r a t o r s a r e k n o w n t o

u s ,

1 4

  w i t h

  t h e e x c e p t io n o f A d r i e n D u b o i s f o r  cases

v e n e e r e d

  w i t h

  m a r q u e t r y ,

 Jean-Joseph

  d e S a i n t - G e r m a i n

f o r  g i l t - b r o n z e cases,

15

  F r a n c o is D u b o i s f o r m o v e m e n t s ,

1 6

a n d

  Jean-Jacques

  G a v e l l e f o r

  watchcases.

17

  V o i s i n  also

p r o v i d e d

  m o v e m e n t s f o r  cases d e c o r a t e d  w i t h  l a c q u e r e d

o r i e n t a l  f i g u r e s b y t h e  M a r t i n  b r o t h e r s . H e w a s i n c o m

m u n i c a t i o n

  w i t h  a l a r g e n u m b e r o f

  marchands-merciers ,

i n c l u d i n g  H e n r i L e b r u n , Jean-Jerome

  A l l a i n ,

  F r a n c o i s

B a i l l y ,  B o n n e a u , a n d D u h a m e l  pere.

18

  H i s e l d e r s o n

w o r k e d

  w i t h  h i m f o r a

  w h i l e ,

  t h e n se t u p a n i n d e p e n d e n t

w o r k s h o p b e f or e r e t i r i n g i n 1 7 7 2 .

1 9

  H i s y o u n g e r s o n

a lw a y s r e m a i n e d   w i t h  h i m ; h e e s s e n ti a ll y r a n t h e

 business

i n  t h e r u e D a u p h i n e

  f r o m

  a b o u t 1 7 5 8 .

2 0

  I t w a s t h i s

  shop

t h a t w a s r e g u l a r l y m e n t i o n e d

  w i t h

  h i g h

 praise

  b y t h e v a r

i o u s c o m m e r c i a l

  almanacs

  o f t h e s e c o n d

  h a l f

  o f th e e i g h

t e e n t h c e n t u r y .

V o i s i n  used  t w o s i g n a t u r e s : " C h a r l e s  V o i s i n  a Pa r i s , "

a n d

  " V o i s i n

  a P a r i s " ( t h e l a t t e r a f t e r t h e d e a t h o f h i s u n c l e

N i c o l a s ) .  A n t o i n e  V o i s i n  chose  t h e s ig n a t u r e  " V o i s i n

  fils?

w h i l e

  A n t o i n e - H e n r y s i g n e d h i s w o r k s " H e n r y

  V o i s i n . "

T h e  scope  o f V o i s i n 's c l i e n t e l e w as t h e m a r k o f h i s

success.  I t i n c l u d e d i n d i v i d u a l s o f r o y a l b l o o d su c h a s t h e

duchesse  d u M a i n e , h e r s o n , th e c o m t e d ' E u , a n d t h e

duchesse  d e B r u n s w i c k , c o u n t le s s  members  o f t h e m o s t

r e n o w n e d f a m i l i e s o f t h e F r e n c h a ri s t oc r a c y , a n d s u c h

d i l e t t a n t i

  as t h e d u e d e C h e v r e u s e , p r i n c e F e r d i n a n d d e

R o h a n , t h e  princesse  d ' A r m a g n a c , t h e  marquises  d e

F u r c y , d e T a h o u t , a n d d ' A r c y , t h e m a r q u i s d e

  C

 as

 t r i e ,

  d e

P o n t s , a n d d e  Perensc,  t h e  comtes  de M o n t r o n d a n d

d ' A r g e v a l ,   M a d a m e d e P o m p o n n e ,  Presidents  D e l i s l e ,

t h e b a r o n d e M o n t m o r e n c y , t h e a m i r a l - c o m t e d ' E s t ai n g ,

a n d t h e a m i r a l - m a r q u i s d e M a s si a c. V o i s i n ' s r e p u t a t i o n ,

f i r m l y

  e s t a b l i s h e d  f r o m  a n e a r l y  date,  w a s u p h e l d b y

h i s

  sons.

B I O G R A P H I E S

  199

Page 213: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 213/225

NOTES

1.   Paris,

 Bibliotheque

 Nationale,

 Manuscrit

 Francais,

  Fichier

Laborde,

  from  the

 burial

 register of the chur ch of Saint

Andre-des-Arts,

 February

  2 4 ,

  1 7 6 1 .

2 .  A . N . ,  M i n . ,  X X I X ,  3 0 7 ,

 September

  2 2 , 1 7 1 2 .

3.  A . N . ,  M i n . ,  X I I ,

  3 8 9 ,

  A p r i l  3,

  1 7 2 5 .

4 .  He was also a freem ason. He was  Venerable  of the Lodge of

the United  Brothers

  (Freres

  Unis)  and later of

 its

 prolonga

tion, the Lodge of Saint Charles of the

 United

 Brothers.

5.  Liste

  1 7 4 8 .

6.  Concerning this

 function,

  see

  M .  Marion,

 D ictionnaire

  des

Institutions   de   la France  aux XVHeme

  et XVIHeme

  siecles  (Paris,

1 9 7 2 ) , a nd Thiery, A lmanack  du voyageur   a Paris  (Paris,

1 7 8 4 ) .

7.  A . N . ,

  M i n . , C X I X ,

  3 5 1 ,

  March

  1 1 ,

  1 7 6 2 , partition

 o f the

property

 o f Charles Voisin.

8.

  His advance on fee was dated May 8,

  1 7 6 5 .

 See

  A . N . ,  M i n . ,

X C I ,

  1 1 0 8 ,

 February 1,

 1 7 7 3 , inventory

 after the dea th of

the wife o f Charles Voisin  fils.

9.  A . N . ,  M i n . ,  X C I ,

  1 1 0 4 ,

  September 16,

 1 7 7 2 ,

 ma rriage of

Charles Voisin

  fils.

1 0 .

  A . N . ,

  M i n . , C X I X , 1 92 ,

 October

  2 0 , 1 7 2 2 ,  inventory

  after

the dea th o f Denise Fortier.

1 1 .  See not e 3.

1 2 .

  A . N . ,

  M i n . , C X I X , 3 4 6 . U nfortunately,

 a detailed

 inven

tory

 o f the stock established by priva te treatise was not

attached to the deed.

1 3 .

  Inv.

  K . V . C.210,

 Residenzmuseum,

  Munich.

1 4 .  On A p r i l  1 5 , 1 9 8 9 , a wall clock i n

 g i l t

 bronze attributed to

Charles Cressent  with a moveme nt by Charles Voisin was

pu t up for sale (lot

  9 0 )

 by

 Ader,

 Picard, Tajan in Paris. Th e

attribution

 of the

 case

 to Cressent is quite unfoun ded in

view

 o f the

  information

 available.

1 5 .

  J.-D. Augarde

  1 9 8 6 ,

 p p.

  5 2 1 - 5 3 8 .

1 6 .  A . N . ,  E*  1 3 9 1 B ,

 decree

 o f the council o f August  2 8 ,

  1 7 6 4 ,

doc.

 no. 16.

1 7 .

  A . N . ,

  M i n . ,

  X X X I V ,

  6 4 2 ,

 January  1 1 ,

  1 7 6 4 ,  inventory

after

 the de ath of the wife

  o f

 J.J. Gavelle.

1 8 .  A . N . ,  M i n . , C X I X , 3 4 7 ,

 inventory

 after the dea th of

Charles Voisin.

1 9 .  See note 9. Antoine Voisin is described in this docume nt as

an   ancien   maitre  horloger.

2 0 .

  See note 12 .

200

B I O G R A P H I E S

Page 214: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 214/225

G E N E A L O G Y  O F T H E  D E L A F O N D  A N D C A R R E

  F A M I L I E S

P I E R R E D E L A F O N D

Master Clock-maker, Tours;

later, Paris  ( 1 7 2 3 )

m .  Marie Lombard

J A C Q U E S T H O M A S

( 1 7 1 4 - ? )

Master Clock-maker

m .  Marie-Jeanne Lombard

J E A N N E

m .

 Julien Le Roy

Clock-maker to the  King

L O U I S - D A V I D

( 1 7 1 8 - 1 7 7 9 )

Master Clock-maker  ( 1 7 4 8 ) ,

Garde-Visiteur*  ( 1 7 6 8 ) ,

Syndic*  ( 1 7 7 5 )

m .  Therese

 Le Roy

E L I S A B E T H

m .

 Jean  Carre

Clock-maker, Chatellerault;

later,

  Paris

D A V I D

Merchant goldsmith,

Paris

m . Gabriel Le Provost

J E A N - B A P T I S T E

d .

 ca. 1746

Clock-maker

m .

 Louise Briand

R E N E E - V I C T O I R E

m . Jacques  Genisty

M A R I E - T H E R E S E

m .  Edme-Augus te Le Dou x,

Lawyer

J U L I E - R E N E

m .  Toussaint-

Frangois Hoguet

P I E R R E - J E A N

( 1 7 3

1

" ? )

Apprenticed in 1741

2 0 1

?

Page 215: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 215/225

G E N E A L O G Y

  O F T H E  L E R O Y ,

  S É N A R D ,

  H O G U E T ,  A N D  B É L I A R D F A M I L I E S

P I E R R E ( I )  J U L I E N

Master Clock-maker,

Tours

m .  Perrine Tante

J U L I E N  ( I I )

(1686-1759)

Master Clock-maker (1713),

Garde-Visi teur* (1735) ,

Clock-maker

  to

th e

  K i n g ( i 7 3 9 )

m . Jeanne  Delafond

P I E R R E ( I I )

(1687-1762)

Master Clock-maker (1721),

Garde-Visiteur* (1745)

m .

  Thérè se Boucher

P I ER R E ( I I I )

(1717-1785)

Master Clock-maker

( 1 7 3 7 ) »

Clock-maker

  to

th e

  K i n g

  (1759)

m .  Barbe C athe ron

F R A N Ç O I S E

(1692-?)

m .  Pierre S énard

( d -  1743)

Master Clock-maker,

Tours; later,  Paris

P E R R I N E

m .  1 Denis Gault

Master Clock-maker

(1741)

m .

  2

 Alexandre

F o r t i e r

L a w y e r

T H É R È S E

m .  David-Louis

Carré

Master Clock-maker

J U L I E N

( d .

  1754)

Master

Clock-maker

(1754)

R E N É

C H A R L E S

(1697-?)

Master Clock-maker (1722)

L o u i s

(1722-?) (1723-?)

(see note

  3) (see

 note

 4 )

J E A N - B A P T I S T E

(1720—1800)

Member of the

Académie

  de s

 Sciences

202

M A R I E - E L I S A B E T H

(1753-?)

m . Jul ien Bél iard

Master Clock-maker

(see note

 5)

1  D a u g h t e r  o f

  N i c o l a s

  P e l le t ie r Mas te r

  C l o c k - m a k e r

2

  D a u g h t e r

  o f J é r ô m e

  M a r t i n o t V a l e t  de

  C h a m b r e C l o c k - m a k e r

  to the

  K i n g

3

  A p p r e n t i c e d  i n

  1 7 4 1

  to  J u l i e n  L e Ro y

4  A p p r e n t i c e d  i n  1743  a n d r e s i g n e d  i n  1748

5  So n o f

  P i e r r e B é l i a r d

M a s t e r

  C l o c k - m a k e r

  a n d  e ld e r br o th e r  o f

  F r a n ç o i s B é l i a r d

Page 216: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 216/225

N I C O L A S

Master Clock-maker,  Paris

m . Jeanne  Berthon

D A V I D

( i 5 5 7 ? - i 6 3 5 )

Master Clock-maker to the  King, Tours  ( 1 5 8 6 )

m .

  Rebecca

  Rouer

1

J UL I EN ( I )

(d . 1691)

Clock-maker, Tours

G A T I E N N E

(d . before 1728)

m .  Francois Hoguet

G A T I E N

(d .

 1762)

Master Clock-maker

(after 1748)

m .  Marie-Francoise Pelletier

(see  note 1)

A N N E - F R A N C H I S E

m .

 Francois

  Beliard

(d . 1795)

Clock-maker to the

King  ( 1 7 4 9 ) ,

Garde-Visiteur*  ( 1 7 7 1 ) ,

Syndic*  ( 1 7 7 8 ) ,

Valet

 de C hambr e,

Clock-maker to the

King  ( 1 7 8 1 )

J E A N - G A T I E N

(d . after 1789)

Master Clock-maker

( 1 7 7 4 )

P I E R R E - F R A N C O I S

(before 175 0-

after 1790)

Master Clock-maker

( 1 7 7 4 )

J U L I E N - A N T O I N E

(1758-?)

Master Clock-maker

( 1 7 8 6 )

m .  Marie-Amelie

Arnault

F R A N C O I S  ( I )

(d .

 before 1766)

Master Clock-maker

(after 1748)

m .  1

 Suzanne

 Gerin

m .

  2 Marie-Elisabeth  Martinot

(see  note 2)

T o U S S A I N T - F R A N g O I S

(1743-after

 1804)

Master Clock-maker

( 1 7 7 9 )

m .

 Julie Le Provost

1  J E A N N E

m . 1

  Thomas

Ardesoif

Master Clock-maker

( 1 7 5 3 )

m .  2 Francois-Rene

Arnauld

1

1  E T I E N N E

(d .

 1741)

Clock-maker

2  F R A N C O I S ( I I )

(d .

 after 1766)

Master Clock-maker

F R A N C O I S - A L E X A N D R E

Clock-maker

2  M A R I E - A M E L I E

m .

 Julien-Antoine

Beliard

O n l y members

 o f those  famil ies

 connected

 to c l o ck -mak ing are i n c l u d e d

 here.

*A  position in the

 Guild

 of Clock-makers

2 0 3

Page 217: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 217/225

Page 218: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 218/225

G L O S S A R Y   TO

  M O V E M E N T

  TERMS 

Anchor-escapement ,

  see also

  escapement

I n   combinat ion  w i t h  a pendulum the anchor

  escape

ment regulates the

  speed

 o f the going

 t r a i n .

  I t is calle d an

anchor

  escapement

 because

 the

 shape

  o f

  it s pallets r esem

bles an anchor. Its inv ent ion is att rib ute d to  W i l l i a m

Cle ment (163 8-17 04), and it is ther efor e also called a

Clement

  escapement.

Barrel

A  wh eel composed of a too thed disk and a

  c y l i n d r i c a l

b o x .  The barrel turns freely on an arbor and contains the

m a i n s p r i n g ,

  w h i c h

 is hoo ked to the barr el at its outer end

and to the arbor at its inn er end. Th e barr el meshes  w i t h

th e

  f i r s t

  p i n i o n

  o f a

  t r a i n .

Brocot

  suspension

A   spring system, consisting of one or two strip

springs clamped between two

 brass

 plates. It was invented

b y

  the Parisian clockmaker

  A c h i l l e

 B ro co t (1817—1878).

Ca n n on   pinion,

  see also

 motion work

T h e

  p i n i o n

  that drives the motion

 w o r k .

 It is

 made

  to

compl ete one re vol uti on per ho ur and is dri ve n by the

center ar bor; it carries the min ute han d.

Coun t

  wheel

A

  whee l that is dr iv en by the

  s t r i k i n g

  trai n and deter

mines the number of

  b e l l

  strokes for

  each

  hour or part

there of. T he co unt wheel has a given num be r o f notches

spaced

  at increasingly wider intervals to permit the clock

t o strike in the correct sequence. At the quarter hour ,

  h a l f

hour, or  f u l l hour, a lever is l i f t e d  f r o m  a given notc h, and ,

after the requisite nu mb er o f strokes on the

  b e l l ,

  the lever

drops i nto the next notch  o f  the count wheel and

  stops

  the

s t r i k i n g t r a i n .

Crown  wheel escapement,

  see also

  escapement

T h i s  escapement

  has two pallets

  f i x e d

  on an arbor at

right

  angles  to  each  othe r. I t was used i n the ear ly clocks

o f  th e  Renaissance pe riod in combinat ion w i t h  a  f o l i o t  or

a balance. I n the clocks describe d i n this catalogue i t is

used in combi natio n  w i t h  a pendulum to regulate the

speed

  of the going

  t r a i n .

  The crown wheel

  escapement,

sometimes also called a verge

  escapement,

  is the oldest

k n o w n  escapement.

Endless-rope  winding mechanism

A   me chan ism that maintai ns power to a tr ai n as the

c l o c k

  is wound. This device was invented by Christiaan

Huygens.

Escapement ,  see also

  anchor escapement, crown wheel

escapement, verge escapement

A

  mechanism that alternately checks and

 releases

  the

d r i v i n g

  force

  o f

  a timepiece. The mechanism includes the

escape

  wheel,

  w h i c h

  provides impetus to the balance or

p e n d u l u m .

205

Page 219: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 219/225

F ly  vane

I n

  s t r i k i n g  clocks the last wheel of the strike

  t r a i n

  is

fitted

  w i t h

  a fly consisting of two vanes. The

  f r i c t i o n

between  these and the air slows down the

  t r a i n .

Going

  train

The wheel and pinions that transmit the  d r i v i n g

power

  f r o m

  the weight or mains prin g to the

  escapement.

Hour  wheel,  see also motion work

Part of the going

  t r a i n ,

  it rotates in normal clocks

once in twelve hours . Th e hou r wheel holds the ho ur

hand.

Locking  plate,  see count wheel

Minute  wheel

Part of the going t r a i n ,  it rotates o nce an hou r; it car

ries the cannon

  p i n i o n

  and the minute hand.

Motion

  work,  see also hour wheel, cannon pinion

The three wheels—cannon  p i n i o n ,  minute wheel

and  p i n i o n ,  a nd ho ur wheel—dir ectly behi nd the  d i a l

that transmit the rotation

 o f

 the mi nu te wheel to the h ou r

w h e e l .

Pinion

A

  small toot hed wheel

  w i t h

 six to fourte en teeth.

Quarter-repeater,

  see also  repeater

Repeats

  the quart er o f an hou r in add iti on to the

hours.

Rack striking  work,  see also  snail

A

  s t r i k i n g

  t r a i n

  i n w h i c h  the number of

 b l o w s

 struck

is

 cont rol led by the posi tion of a rack, the teeth o f  w h i c h

l i f t  the hammer.  M i s c o u n t i n g  cannot occur.

Recoil  escapement,  see also  anchor escapement

A

  specially designed  escapement

  w i t h

  a heavy  r e c o i l .

A s  the wheel turns, the pallets oscillate more or  less

q u i c k l y ,

  w i t h

  no supplementary arc.

Repeater

A

  clock that strikes hours , quarte r hour s, or even

minutes when a cord connected to the

  s t r i k i n g

  t r a i n

  is

p u l l e d .  There are various types of  repeaters;  a quarter

repeater sounds  a low not e for the ho urs and a  " t i n g -

tang" for each of the quarters.

Repeating

  train,  see also  repeater

T h e

  s t r i k i n g

  t r a i n  o f a  repeater.

Silk  suspension

A   s i l k

  thread wound around a squared rod,  w h i c h

can be tu rn ed to adjust the len gth and therefo re the

p e r i o d  of the pendul um. Lengthening the pendu lum

causes

 the clock to ru n slower, sho rten ing

  i t ,

 to ru n faster.

Snail,  see also

  rack

  striking  work

A notched cam that controls the

  s t r i k i n g

 of the hours

o r

  quarters.

Striking  hammer

A

  malle t that strikes the hours a nd

  h a l f

  hours on a

b e l l or a gong.

Striking  train

The wheel and pinions that transmit the  d r i v i n g

power

  f r o m

  the weight or mainspring to the  s t r i k i n g

hammer for

  s t r i k i n g

  the hours.

Verge

 escapement,  see  crown  wheel escapement

206

G L O S S A R Y

Page 220: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 220/225

I N D E X

Page numbers in bold face refer to extended biographies.

A

A d é l a ï d e ,  Madame,  181

A d m y r a u l t ,

 Germain,  192

A l b a n i , Francesco,

  172

A l b a t o n ,

 Pierre,  177

A l b e r m a r i e ,

  L o r d ,

  178

A l e m b e r t ,

 Jean Le Rond d',  164,  194

Alexander and Berendt, 113

A l i b e r t ,

  102

A l l a i n , Jean-Jacques,

  178

A l l a i n ,

 Jean-Jérôme,  199

A m a n t ,

  L o u i s ,

  180

A n g o u l é m e ,

 chevalier d',  175

Anne de Beaujeu, regent of France,  164 

A r a n c o u r t , marquis d',  169

A r c y ,

 marquise d',  199

Arenberg,

  due d',  185

Argand,Jean,  181 

A r g e v a l ,

  comte d', 199

Armagnac, princesse

 d ',  199

A r m a n d ,

  Philippe, 184

A r n o l d ,

  Edward, 106

A r r o u a r d ,  181 

A r t o i s , comte d',  144,  18 1, 192

Ascaffenberg,

  Schloss Johannisburg, 106

A s l i n e ,

  166

A u d i n e t ,  55

A u m e r l e , Marguerite-Elisabeth, 165

A u m o n t ,

 duc d',  175

A v e l i n e etCie,  139

B

Baden-Baden, Zàhringer Museum, 25

Bagatelle,

  P a v i l i o n

  de,  180

B a i l l e u l ,

  177

B â i l l o n , Etienne,  55

B â i l l o n , Jean-Baptiste, 55,   184, 191

B a i l l y , François,  199 

B a i l l y , Jean-Sylvain,  181

B a i l l y , Joachim,  166,  191

Balthazar, Henry,  199

Balthazar, Melchior-Bonnaventure,  191 

Barbedienne, Ferdinand,  120

Barbezat,

  E l i e ,

  18 1, 186,  192

Ba r  i e r ,  155

B a r r y ,

  Madame du,  178,  181

B a r t h o l o n y ,  Abraham,  186

Bartlett-Burdett-Coutts,

  W i l l ia m  Ashmead,

B a t h , Marquess of,  129

Beaucourt, Jean-Louis,  184

Beaujon,  M . ,  181

Beaumarchais, Caron de,  194

B e a u v i l l i e r s , duc de,  175 

Bélanger, François-Joseph, 181

Béliard, François,  186,  188,  203

B e l l a i g u e ,  Geoffrey de,  89

B e l l e ,  Jean-François de,  169

B e l l e f o n t a i n e ,  Lepaute de,  18 1, 193

B e l l e v u e ,

 Château de,  180

Bénard, Charles,  181 

B é n é z e c h ,

  Pierre,  120

B e n i s i m o n

  C o l l e c t i o n ,

  144

Beo, Johan n Andre as,  148,  150

B e r a i n ,

 Jean

  ( I ) ,  12, 16

Berault  ( f a m i l y ) ,  177

Bergeret, Monsieur, 184 

Beringhem, marquis de, 186

B e r l i n

K u n s t b i b l i o t h e k ,

  37, 38 ,  118,  172

Kunstgewerbemuseum atKôpeni k,  137

Schloss

 Charlot tenburg, 159

Schloss

 Potsdam, 150,  151 

Bernard, Samuel,  23,  55

B e r r y ,

 comtesse de ,  169 

B e r t h o u d

  Frères,  170,  196

Berthoud,

  Ferdinand,  163,  167,  170,  177, 

184,

 186,  188,  193,  194

Berthoud,

  L o u i s ,  170,  192,  193 

Bezenval, baro n de,  197

B l a i n e  Jewellers,  34

B l a i z o t ,  184

B l a k e y , Nicolas, 165 

B l a k e y , W i l l ia m  ( I ) ,  165,  185

B l a k e y , W i l l ia m  ( I I ) ,  163,  16 4,165-66

194

B l a v e t , Etienne, 184

B o i z o t , L o u i s - S i m o n , 128,  135

Bonemain, A u g u s t in ,

  199

Bonneau,  199

Bonnefont  neveu,  116 

Bonnet,  H e n r i ,  112 

Bonnet, Nicolas, 178,  181 

B o n n e v a l ,

 Monsieur de,  184 

Bordeaux, Chambre de Commerce,  89

Boucher, François,  172,  181 

Bouchez,  34

Boudier,

 Jean-Simon, 169

B o u i l l o n ,  duc de,  168

B o u l a r d ,  55

Boullanger,

 111 

B o u l l e ,

  André-Charles, 2, 7,  10, 12, 16, 17, 

20,23 ,25 ,  156, 158,  175,  186

B o u l l e ,  André-Charles ( I I ) ,  186

B o u l l e ,

 Jacques-André,  190

B o u l l e   workshop, 152

B o u l l é ,

 Jacques-Antoine, 190

B o u l l é , Jacques-Nicolas, 190 

B o u l l é ,

 Jean,

  190

B o u l l o n g n e  C o l l e c t i o n ,

  178

B o u r b o n ,  duc de,  82,  18 1, 182,  188

B o u r b o n , Lange de,  191

B o u r b o n ,

  L o u i s - H e n r i ,

  due de, seventh

prince de Conde,  45 ,  168

B o u r b o n ,  M i c h e l ,

  197

B o u r b o n ,  Palais de,  45

Bourgogne, due de,  187

Bousseau,

 Monsieur, 191

Brahe, Tycho, 172

B r a l l e , Francois-Jean, 194 

B r a n i c k a ,  Christine, 77

B r a n i c k i ,  Jan Clemens, Count, 7 5, 7 7

Breant, Jacques-Pierre-Thomas,  169 

Breguet,

  A b r a h a m - L o u i s ,

  194

Breguet,  L o u i s ,  169

Brethous, Leon de,  62

B r i c e ,

  Germain, 16

B r i g n o l l e s , marquis de,  178 

Brissac, due de, 197

B r i t i s h

  Royal

 C o l l e c t i o n ,

  55 ,  106,  143

B r o c o t ,

  A c h i l l e ,

  58,  120,  124, 154, 160, 201

B r o d o n ,  Nicholas, 55

B r u n o y ,

 marquis de,  181

B r u n s w i c k ,

  duchesse

 de,  199

Burdett-Coutts, Angela, Baroness,  85

B u r r e l l ,

  Peter,  1st L o r d  G w y d i r ,  41

B u r r e l l ,

  Peter,

 2 nd

  L o r d

  G w y d i r ,  41

B u t t e r f i e l d ,

  M i c h e l ,

  187

B u z o t ,  Charles 73, 78, 8 2,

167

177

B u z o t , Jean-Charles,  167 

B u z o t , Joseph,  167

Cachard, Gaspard,  183 

C a f f i e r i ,

 Jacques

  ( I I ) ,

  86, 8 9-90 ,  170, 178,

186

C a f f i e r i ,  Philippe, 89,  170, 178

C a f f i e r i ,

  workshop, 184,  186

C a i l l a u d ,  G. ,  169

Campary,  A n t o i n e ,  186

C a m p b e l l ,

  R i c h a r d James,  128

Carignan, prince de, 186

Caron  fils,  182

Caron

 père,

  111 

Carré,

 Jean,

  185, 2 01, 202

Carré,

 L o u i s - D a v i d ,

  185, 186, 202

Carus,  196

Cassini,

 Jacques  ( I ) ,

  186

Cassini,

 Jacques  ( I I ) ,

  18 6-187

Castrie, marquis de,  199

Catherine the Great,  empress of Russia,  135

Cauvet, Gilles-Paul, 118,  181

Cavaignac, Eugène,  195

Cavaignac, Godefroy ,  194

Cavaignac, Jacques,  195

Cavaignac, Jean-Baptiste,  194

Cavaignac, Louis-Eugène,  195

Cavalier, Prosper,  171

207

Page 221: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 221/225

Chainaut, Madame,  106

C h a n t i l l y porcelain manufactory,  4 2 ,4 5-4 6, 

178

C h a n t i l l y , Chateau  de ,  17, 45, 82 ,  199

Char din, Jean-Baptiste-Simeon,  172 

Chardon,

 Jacques,

  180 ,  182

Charles

  I I I ,

  k i n g of Spain,  181 

Charles  I V ,  k i n g o f Spain,  181 

Charles

  V I I ,

  k i n g o f France,  164 

Charles, prince o f Lorrai ne,  181 

Chaulnes, Mich el-Ferdina nd, due de, 170,

172

Chavagnac,

  marquis de,  175 

Chesterfield, Phil ip Dorm er

  Stanhope,

 4th

E a r l o f,  154,  155

Chevreuse,  due de,  199

Choiseul-Praslin, comte de,  12

Choisy,

 Chateau

  de ,  180 

C h r i s t i n a ,

 queen

 o f Sweden, 172

Ciechanowiecki, Andrew ,  128

C i r o u ,  Ciquaire,  45 

Clement,  W i l l i a m ,  20 1 

Clermont, comte de,  186,  188

Clermont, Madamoiselle de,  184

Cleveland Museum of A r t ,  99 ,  196

C l o d i o n ,

  172,  181 

Cluzed, Etienne,  177

Coblentz,

  M . ,

  196

Coentanfan, marquis de,  175

Coeur, Edme,  169 

Colbert,

 Jean-Baptiste,

  16,  23

C o l l a r d ,

  Nicolas,  192

C o l l i g n o n   [Jean-Joseph  Lepaute],  180

Consenne,

 Jean,  175 

Consenne,

  Leonard,  175 

Contades,

 marechal de,  175 

C o n t i ,

 Louis-Francois de Bourbon, prince

de, 100,  173,  188

Copernicus, Nicolaus,  173

Corancez, Guillaume  O l i v i e r  de ,  193

Corancez, Louis-Alexandre  O l i v i e r  de ,  194

Cornu,Jean, 16 

Cortonne, Jean  de ,  172

C o s i ,  181

Coteau, Joseph,  169,  192

Courtanvaux, marquis de, 181  , 196

Courvoisier (brothers),  181 

Courvoisier, David-Louis, 1 81 , 192,  193, 

197

Coustou p£r£,  191

Cressent, Charles,  48 , 52 , 55, 6 1 , 178,  186, 

194

Crosnier, Antoine, 193 

C u c c i ,  Domenico, 180

D

D a i l l e , Pierre,  196 

D a l v a Brothers, 18,  55 ,

D a r l o t ,  192

Darnault, Francois,  178 

Dasson, Henri,  120

Davenport,  163,  168

D a v i d  (dialmaker), 181 

D a v i d , Jacques Louis,  128 

D a v i s , Charles,  4 1 ,  100 

Debruge,  10 2,167

Decla, Jacques, 7 8, 8 2,168 177

D e l a f o n d ,   Pierre, 185,  201 

Delafontaine,  120

Delagardette, Louis-Mathieu,  193

Delamare,

  Commissaire,

  174 

Delanoy, Andre ,  192

D e l i s l e ,

  Presidente,

  199

Denier e,  120 

Dentan, Amy, 186

Desgodets, Claude-Joseph,

  192

Deshayes, Jean-Baptiste-Henri,  172

Desmarets,

 Nicholas (Mr. Desmarais), 23,

175

D e t r o i t

  Institute of A r t s ,  26, 3 5, 40, 57 , 91 ,

107,  113,  120,  122,  146,  154,  159

D i d e r o t ,  Denis,  164,  194

D i d o t ,  Francois-Ambroise,  199 

D i g u e ,

  164 

Dodge, Anna Thomson 52,  57

DoMand

  pere,

  166

D o m i n i c e ,

 Bernard,  168

D o m i n i c e ,  Denis,  168

D o m i n i c e ,   Etienne,  168

D o m i n i c e ,

  Francois,  168

D o m i n i c e ,

 Jean-Francois,

  28, 3 4, 3 7,  163,

164,  168—69,

1

^ o ,  196

D o n j e u x ,  Vincent, 4 1

Dresden

Museum fur Kunsthandewerk,  178 

Schloss

 M o r i tz b u r g ,  99

D r e y f u s ,   195 

D r o u o t ,  Frangois,  169 

D r o z ,

 Abraham-Louis-Humbert,  111 

D u b o i s , Adr i en , 169,  178,  186,  199

D u b o i s ,  Francois,  186,  199

D u b o i s , Jacques, 7 3, 7 5,  178

Dubuisson, Henri-Francois, 124,  163,169—

70 18 1,  192

DuChesne, Pierre,  7

Duclos-Dufresnoy,

  M . ,

  196

D u c l o u x , Moyse,  177,  184

D u c o r r o y ,  176

D u f o u r ,  Frangois,  176

Dugourc, Jean-Demosthene,  118

D u g r a n d - M e s n i l   ( f a m i l y ) ,  177 

Duhamel, Frangois,  184

Duhamel pere,

  199

Duplessis,

 Jean-Claude,

  181 

Duplessis, Margue rite-Ca therin e Boucher,

155

D u r i e r ,

 Jean,  8

D u r i n i ,

  Monseigneur, 168 

Duter t re

  ( f a m i l y ) ,

  177

Duter t re,

  Jean-Baptiste,

  192 

Duvaux, Lazare, 169,  178,  186

Duveen Brothers,  52 ,  57

E

East,

 Edward,  168

Ecosse, Jean-Marc-Antoine,  177

Egmont, comte d',  178

Eisen, Charles-Dominique-Joseph, 172 

Elector o f Bavaria, collection of, 199 

E m l y n , Viscount,  18

Emmoser, Gherard, 172

E n d e r l i n ,  Henr i , 173,  180,  196

Engramelle,  Pere,  196

Ephrussi, Maurice, 100

E s p i r i t o

 Santo, Jose

  and Vera,  85

E s p i r i t o Santo, Ricardo,  90

Estaing, amiral-comte d',  199 

Estaing, comte d',  175

Etable de La Briere, Jean-Jacques,  181 

Etable de La Briere, Nicole-Reine, 179

E u ,  comte d',  199

Exeter, Brown low Hen ry George, 4th Mar

quess of ,  34 ,  41

Exeter,  W i l l i a m  Alley ne Cecil, 3r d Marquess

o f ,

  41

F

Fabert, marechal de,  175

Fabre

 et

  fils, B . , 52,   57 

Faucheur,

 Alexandre le,  168

Faugnes, M . Perrinetd e, 155 

Ferdinand  V I ,  k i n g of Spain, 18 1,  188 

Ferriere, marquis de, 196

Feuillade, marechal de la,  175

F i e f f e , Jean- Alexandre,  170

F i e f f e ,

 Jean-Claude,  170

F i e f f e ,

  Jean-Jacques,

 5 8,  163,  164,

  170

F i e f f e , Jean-Nicolas, 170 

F i e f f e ,

  Nicolas,  170

Flavecourt, marquis de,  178

F l e u r y , Cardinal de,  188 

Fogg, Samuel, 41

F ol  /z/s,Jean,  181 

F o l i n ,  Nicolas-Alexandre, called  F o l i n  Vaine,

140,  143,  171 192

F o l i n ,

  Silvestre-Frangois, 171

Fonck,  191 

Fontainebleau,  Chateau  de ,  36 , 5 5,  118

Forcher, Jean,  181

F o r d , Edward,  166

Fortier, Alexand re,  92 , 9 4,  163,  171-73 202

Fortier,

 Jean,

  171

Fortier,

  M . ,

  100

Fortier, Romain,  172

Foster,

 John,  34 

F o u l l e t ,   Antoine,  108,  11 1, 1 12,  169 ,  178,

1 8 1 ,

  184, 186

F o u l l e t ,   Pierre-Antoine,  112

Frangois, Antoine, 186

Frankenthal porcelain,  46

Frederick  I I ,  k i n g o f Prussia,  196

Frederick  W i l h e l m

  I I I ,

  k i n g o f

 Prussia,

  150,

151

Fremont, Jean-Nicolas, 184

French and Company, 13, 26, 4 1 , 91 , 122,

146,  161

Fritzsche,  46

Furcy, marquise de,  199

Furet

  ( f a m i l y ) ,

  177

Furet,

 Jean-Baptiste,

  193

G

Gaignat Collection,  178

G a l l e ,  Charles,  169 

G a l l o i s

 veuve,

  181 

Galois, Etienne,  177

Gaspard, 16 

Gaudreau, Antoine , 89

208 I N D E X

Page 222: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 222/225

Gaudron, Antoine ( I ) ,  2, 5, 7, 17 4-75 , 185,

187

Gaudron, Antoine ( I I ) ,  169,  174 

Gaudron, Pierre,  165,

 1 7 4- 7 5 ,

  ^ 7 , 188

Gault, Denis  ( I I ) ,  1 7 1 ,  173, 202

Gavelle, Jean-Jacques, 199

Gavelle I 'aine,  Pierre, 192

George

  I V ,

 king

 of England, 144

Gerard, Benoit, 199

Germain, Francois-Thomas, 186 

Gervais, Francois, 177

Gide,

 Xavier,  177 

Gilles I 'aine,  106, 191

Girardon, Francois,  16 ,  23 , 25 

Glover

 and Charrot, 166

Gluck,

 Christophe  Willibald, 138

Gobert, Ignace-Pierre, 197

Gobert, Louis-Francois, 181

Godde, Jean-Isaac,  168, 169

Godon, Louis-Francois, 169

Gonzales, Manuel,  161 

Gosselin, Antoine,  186 

Gosselin, Jean-Philippe, 167

Gould, George Jay, 57

Gournay, 177

Goyer, Francois,  1 8 1 , 184

Goyer, Jean, 1 78, 1 8 1, 192

Graham, George,  154, 155, 187

Grandperrins  fils,  116

Gregory, P. J. G., 166

Gregson,

 Jean,

 194

Grenier, 194 

Grimou,

 Jean, 172

Gruyn,

 Pierre, 175

Gudin, Jacques, 176,  186 

Gudin,

 Jacques-Jerome,

 176

Gudin, Paul, called Gudin le

 Jeune,

  20 , 23,

55> 

Guiot,

 Andre-Georges,  55 , 193 

Gwydir,

 se e

 Burr

 ell

H

Hacker, David, 135

Hahn, Henry, known as Le Cocq,  175, 186

Handscombe, 166 

Hanet, Nicolas, 174

Hawley,

 Henry  17 , 99

Heban, Claude-Bernard,  widow of, 111

Hebert, Thomas-Joachim,  80 , 178

Heller,

 P., 65

Helms, Nestor, 168

Henri  I I I , king o f France, 164

Henri

  I V , king o f France, 12 

Henry,

 Augustin-Michel, 180

Henry,

 Pierre, called Pierre Henry-Lepaute ,

180

Herbault, Louis-Francois, 177

Herbaut, Francois, 178

Hertford,  Marquis of, 12,  155 

Hervieu, Louis-Barthelemy,181 

Hillingdon, Lord,

 13

Hoguet, Francois  ( I ) , 203

Hoguet, Gatien, 203

Hoguet, Toussaint-Francois,  2 0 1 , 202

Hongr e, Etienne le, 16

Houdin  fils,  144

Houdon, Jean-Antoine, 181 

Hubert, Guillaume, 174,  177 

Huescar, duke of, 188

Huntsmann, 166 

Huquier, Gabriel, 6 1 , 62

Huygens, Christiaan, 5,  174, 201

1

Imbert   I a i n i ,  Jean-Gabriel,  1 7 1 , 193 

J

Jacquet-Droz, 181 

James I I , king of England, 168

Janvier,  Antide,  169,  170 

Jarossay,

 Urbain,  192 

Jean, Jean-Adrien, 170

Joao V , king o f Portugal,57

Jodin,Jean, 194, 196 

Johnson, Barbara Piasecka, 173

Jollain, Adrien-Jerome, 181

Jollin  I 'aine,

 192

Jolly, Jean,  19 3, 194

Joselin, 112

Joseph,

 Edward, 139

Jouard,

 Louis,

 191

Journe,  M . , 78

Jullien, Nicolas, 186,  190 

Julliot, Claude, 178

Julliot, Claude-Francois, 178 

K

Kinable, Dieudonne, 169

Kinzing, Peter,

  132,  135,

 138

Kirchner,

 Johann Gottlieb, 46

Klingspor, baron de, 129

Kraemer&Cie,

  120,  122 

Kriegseissen, Mathieu,  100 

Kugel, Jacques, 4 7, 69

La   Brenellerie, Paul-Philippe Gudin de, 187

La  Chausee, Pierre-Henry de, 170

La   Chausee, Pierre Nivelle de, 170

La  Fresnaye (father and son), 178

L a  Haye,

 Marin

 de,  17 , 9 9

L a  Hoguet te, S. H . de, 181

L a  Marche, comte de, 188

La   Marck, comte de, 178

L a M o s s o n , B o n n i e r  de ,  1 7 2, 1 7 3 ,  1 8 6

L a Reyniere, Gr imo d de, 181

L a Rochfoucauld, marquis de, 181

La   Tour, Maurice-Quentin de,  52 , 55

Laborde,

 Jean-Francois

 de, 194

Lagrenee, 172

Lagrenee,

  Father,

 155

Laisse, J. R, 12

Lalande, Jerome de,  179, 180

Lamb, John, 34

Lanz,J.W.,46

Lapina,

  107,  111 

Larse, Jean-Francois, 190

Latz, Jean-Pierre,

 9 2,  99 ,  169,  178, 186,

196, 197 

Lavoisier,

 Antoine, marquis de, 172

Le   Bon , Charles,  25, 175, 176 

Le   Brun, Charles, 12

Le  Brun,  Henri, 178

Le  Carpentier,

  Antoine-Mathieu,

 181

Le   Cocq [Henry Hahn], 175

Le   Faucheur, Alexandre, 168

Le  Gros, Pierre, 12,  16 

Le  Hongre, Etienne, 16

Le   Lorraine , Robert, 16

Le

  Mire,

 Augustin,  184

Le   Moyne, Pierre, 5

Le

  Noir,

 Claude,  177, 178 

Le   Noir, Etienne,  45 , 73, 102, 106, 167, 168,

177-78,

  1 91 ,  192,  193, 196

Le   Noir, Etienne  ( I I ) ,  70 ,  78, 102,

 16 4,

17 7-

78

Le   Noir, Etienne  ( I I I )  Alexandre, 177

Le   Noir, Etienne, workshop,  163,  177-78

Le   Noir,

 Isaac,

 177

Le   Noir, Jacques, 177

Le   Noir, Jean-Francois, 177

LeNoir,  Pierre-Etienne,  102, 177

Le

  Noir,

 Toussaint-Marie, 170

Le  Roy, Charles,  114, 118, 163, 165,18 3-

85> 193

Le  Roy, Etienne-Augustin, 1 14, 118,  165,

18 3-84

Le Roy,

  Jacques-Prosper,

 183

Le Roy,  Jean-Baptiste,  186, 202

Le Roy,

  Julien,

  12 ,  25 ,  65 ,  86 ,

  8 9 - 9 0 ,

 152, 

154,  159, 164, 165, 175,  17 7,  184,18 5-

8 8  

1 9 1 ,

 202

Le   Roy, Michel-Nicolas, 183

Le   Roy, Norbert , 183

Le   Roy, Pierre  (I )

 Julien,

  185, 202

Le   Roy, Pierre  ( I ) ,  1 7 1 , 202

Le   Roy, Pierre  ( I I ) ,  120,  17 1  193, 202

Le   Roy, Pierre  ( I I I ) ,  180, 185,  186, 202

Le   Roy, workshop,  16 5,

185-88

Le   Sueur, Nicolas, 186 

Lebon,

 Charles, 185

Lebrun,  Henri,

 199 

Lecomte, Antoine-Francois, 184

Lecomte, Florent, 184

Lefebvre,

 Thomas, 170

Lefevre, Louis-Francois, 181

Leleu,

 Jean-Francois, 181 

Lemazurier, Jacques-Denis, 184

Lemoyne, Jean-Baptiste, 172

Lepaute,

  Alban-Louis,

 180

Lepaute,

 Augustin-Michel-Henry,

 180

Lepaute, Jean-Andre,  116, 118, 120, 179-

82 188 

Lepaute, Jean-Baptiste  ( I I ) , 143,

  179,

180, 

194

Lepaute,

 Jean-Joseph,

 called Collignon, 180

Lepaute, Louis-Alexandre, 180

Lepaute, Pierre Henry

 [Pierre-Henri,

 called

Henri-Lepaute],

  34 ,  179,

180 

Lepaute, Pierre-Bazile, 34, 179, 180

Lepaute, P ierre-Michel, 180, 181

Lepaute, workshop,

  16 4 - 1 6 5 ,

  170, 179,

181, 182, 192,  193

Lependu, Jean-Baptiste, 181

Lepers, Jacques-Mathieu, 167

Lepine,

 Jean-Antoine,  129, 192

Levacher  I 'aine,  Andre-Louis,  194 

Levy, Etienne,  & Cie, 26

I N D E X  209

176

L

Page 223: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 223/225

Page 224: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 224/225

Portela,

 Juan,

  151 

Pradere,

 Alexandre,  73

Praslin, due de, 194 

Presles,

  Aranc de, Collection, 178

Prevaux,Jean,  194

P r i v e t ,

  181 

Provence, comte de, 18 1,  184

Pucelle, Jean,  181

Puyseult, marquis de,  186

Q

Q u e t i n , Joseph,

  186

Q u i n a u l t ,

 Philippe, 16

R

Regnault, Jerome-Francois,  193

Reinders, Louis,  169

Remond, Francois, 132,  135, 144, 18 1, 184,

192

Restout, Jean,  172

R e v e l ,

 Joseph,

  169 

R i c h a r d  workshop,  78, 11 1, 116,  118, 

*93

R i c h a r d ,

  Claude, 177, 181, 193 

R i c h a r d ,

  Etienne-Claude,  177, 192,  193

R i c h a r d ,

  Gaspar d, 193

R i c h a r d ,  Pierr e-Joach im, 193

R i c h e l i e u , Louis Francois Ar m an d de  V i g -

ne rot du

 Plessis,

 due de,  107, 178

R i d e l ,  143,  144

Ridereau, Simon, 193

R i e u x ,

 Gabriel Bernard de,  23, 52,   55

Ri senburgh, Bernard  ( I I ) , van, 80, 83,  178, 

181

R i v a z ,  Pierre de, 169, 180

R o b i n ,

  Robert, 55, 63,  120,  169,  184,  192,

*93

Roentgen,

  D a v i d ,

  132,  135, 137,  138

Rohan,

 duchesse

 de ,  175

Rohan, House of, 188

Rohan, prince Ferdinand de, 199

Roland, Philippe-Laurent,  128 

R o m a i n ,

  Pierre-Etienne, 169

R o m i l l y ,

  Pierre,  193 

R o m i l l y , Jean,

 4 8, 5 2,  164, 166,

193-95 

R o m i l l y , J ean-Edme, 194

R o m i l l y , Sir Samuel, 194

Roque, Leonard, 192

Rosenberg and Stiebel, 4 1, 77, 100

R o t h s c h i l d ,

 Alex andrine de,  85 

R o t h s c h i l d ,

  Alphonse, baron de,  58, 64,

77

R o t h s c h i l d , Clarice, baroness de, 77 

R o t h s c h i l d , Edm ond, baron de, 78, 85

R o t h s c h i l d ,  Edouard, baron de, 64

R o t h s c h i l d ,  Gustave, baron  de,  100

R o t h s c h i l d , Guy, baron de,  64

R o t h s c h i l d , Jame s A . de  {see  Waddesdon

M a n o r ) ,  99

R o t h s c h i l d ,  Nathaniel, baron de, 77

Rouen, Musee des Antiquites, 25

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, 164,  194

R o y ,  Edme, 166, 186, 197

R o y ,  Simon, 192

Rubens,  Peter  Paul, 172

R u d o l p h  I I ,  H o l y Roman Emperor, 172

S

Sacramento, E. B. Crocke r Ar t Gallery,

128

Saint Cloud, marquis de, 120,  122

Saint Petersburg

Pachkevitch  C o l l e c t i o n ,  136

Pourtales

  C o l l e c t i o n ,

  136 

State Hermitage Museum,  135

S a i n t - C l o u d ,  Chateau de, 178 

Saint-Germain,

 Jean-Joseph

 de,  48, 5 2, 55,

5 7 ,

  106, 166,  169, 170,  178,  181, 184, 

186,  192,  194,  19 7,199

Saint-Germain,

 Joseph

 de,  55, 5 7,  178,  184

Saint-Hubert, Chateau de,  180 

Saint-Hubert, Vassal de, 181

Saint-Romans, marquis de,  175

Sainte-Foy  C o l l e c t i o n ,  178, 181 

S a l m - K r y b o u r g ,

  prince de, 128,  181

Samoyault,

 Jean-Pierre,

  23

Sans Souci,

 Neues

 Palais, 25 

S a n t i l l y ,  Etienne-Francois,  199

Sarazin, 171

Sauvage,

 P., 5

Saxe,

 marechal de,  187 

Schomberg, comte de, 168 

Scott, Sir E. H. , 137

Schwerdfeger, Ferdinand,  171 

Sejour,  A c h i l l e - P i e r r e - D i o n i s du ,  172 l

Senard, Pierre,  185, 186,  202 

Senard,  Rene,  185, 186

Sens, Madamoiselle de,  188

Severin, Nicolas-Pierre,  166,  170

Sevres

 porcelain, 46,  128,  181, 194

Shalberg, Jon,  65 

Simmons, H . and J., 84

Smolen,  161

Solimena, Francisco, 172

S o l l e ,  K a r e l ,  34,  154

Sotiau, Nicolas,  192

St. Albans,

 Duchess

 o f

 ( H a r r i o t  M e l l o n ) ,

 85

Stadler, Charle s-Antoine, 181

Stollenwerck,   M i c h e l,  28, 34,  100,  164,  167,

173, 180,  195-97

Stollenwerck, Pierre-Hubert,  195,  196

Stollenwerck, Pierre-Martin,  195

Stouf, Jean-Baptiste,  181 

S ul ly , Henry,  165, 185 

Surmont, Lucien,  104

Su t ten ,W. ,6

5

Swedish Royal

 C o l l e c t i o n ,

 Drot tningholm

S l o t t ,

  55

Sylvestre, Joseph,  18 1, 186

Szechenyi,

  Countess

 Laszlo (nee Gladys Van

d e r b i l t ) ,

  41

Szymanowska, Marian na,  77

T

Tahout, marquise de, 199

Tamms, F, 151

Tavernier,

 Joseph,

  181

Tesnier, Jean-Bertin ,  178

Tessin, Carl Gustav, Count,  178

T h i a f f e t ,  Felix, 169

Thiers, baron de,  173,  197

T h i e r y ,  M . ,

  34

T h i o u t ,

 Antoine,  173

T h o m i r e pere, Luc-Philippe, 181

T h o m i r e ,

  Pierre-Philippe,  124,  126,  128, 

144

Thure t  ( f a m i l y ) ,  177

Thure t ,

  Isaac,

  174

Thuret ,

 Jacques,

 7,  12,  25

T i l l e t , Jean-Baptiste Adam du,  177

Toulouse, comte de,  25

Tresmes, due de,  175

T r o y ,

 Jean-Francois

 de, 23

T u b i , Jean-Baptiste, 16 

T u r g o t ,

  Anne-Robert-Jacques, 194

V

V a i l l a n t ,

 Jacques-Francois,

  169

V a n   de r  N e r f f ,  172

V a n d e r b i l t ,

  Cornelius,  I I ,  41

V a n d e r b i l t ,  Gladys (Countess Laszlo

Szechenyi),  41

V a n d e r b i l t ,   W i l l i a m  K. ,  I I ,  41

V a r i n ,

 J. H. ,  193

V e n i c e ,

 Palazzo d An n a ,  23

Ventadour, duchesse de, 175

V e r d i e r ,

 Francois, 172

V e r d i e r ,

  M . ,

  172 

V e r l e t ,

  Pierre,  82

Vernede,

 Jean,

  186 

V e r n o n ,

  Samuel

  ( I ) ,

  165 

Veronese, Paolo,  172

Versailles, Bibli otheque de,  144

Versailles, Chateau de, 12,  16, 55, 8 9,  128, 

164,  184,  188

V i a n ,

  159

V i c e n t i n o ,

  Nicol i",

  23

V i c t o i r e ,

  Madame, 181 

V i d a l ,  170

V i g e r ,  104

V i g u i e r ,

  181 

V i l l a m a r i n a ,  J. E,  58

Vincennes porcelain,  186

V i o n ,

  Francois,  17 1, 181,  184

V i r g i l , 5

V o i s i n , Antoine,  199

V o i s i n ,  A n t o i n e - H e n r i ,

  199

V o i s i n ,

  Charles, 42 , 163,  164,  184,

  199

V o i s i n ,  Etienne-Francois, 199

V o l t a i r e ,  Frangois-Marie-Arouet, 172

V u l l i a m y ,

  Benjamin,  106

w

Waddesdon Manor, Buckingh amshi re, 25,

35>99> *54>  55>  *5

8

>  59>

1 8 6

Wa i l l y ,  Charles de,  181

Washington, National Gallery of A r t ,  12

Weyl,Johann

  W i l h e l m

  [Jean Guillaum e],

3 2 ,  135'  i^

6

 

x

3

8

W i l d e n s t e i n ,  Georges,  77

Y

Y v e r , Marc,  186

Y v e r d o n ,

 Switzerland, Hotel de  V i l l e ,  155 

Y v e t a u x , marquis de,  175

z

Zaccon, Jean-Baptiste, 184

Z w e i n e r , J . ,

  159

I N D E X

211

Page 225: European Clocks

7/21/2019 European Clocks

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/european-clocks 225/225