Beautiful mantelpiece including : - Lot 143

Beautiful mantelpiece including : -L'enfant du miracle gilt bronze clock. Dial signed Chevallier in Paris (partly faded). Restoration period. H_45.5 cm W_35 cm -Claude Galle (1759-1815) (After) Pair of gilt bronze candlesticks with caryatid decor. Restoration period. H_27 cm With a globe (damaged) and its wooden base with floral motifs. After the assassination of the Duc de Berry on February 14, 1820, the Duchess, who had just learned that she was expecting a child, became the object of all the kingdom's expectations. The hope of a male heir, capable of ensuring dynastic continuity, mobilized the prayers of many French people. These expectations were fulfilled on September 29, 1820 with the birth of Henri, the future Duke of Bordeaux. The clock evokes this episode by showing the Duchesse de Berry breast-feeding her newborn son, while her eldest daughter, Louise de France, stands by their side. Our model is distinguished by the rare presence of the bulldog beside the child's cradle. Bibliography Model featured in P. Kejlberg, Encyclopédie de la pendule française , 1997, p. 429.