Important clock with revolving dial in chased and gilded bro - Lot 103

Important clock with revolving dial in chased and gilded bronze. The upper part formed by an ovoid vase of Medici shape with a handle in the shape of snakes and decorated with acanthus leaves revealing a double revolving dial in porcelain plate. The lower dial indicates the hours in Roman numerals, the upper dial the minutes in Arabic numerals, indicated by the arrow of a putto. The base of the clock has a fountain with a triton head and a pug drinking from it. Two putti sitting on the base. Mechanism, apparent functioning, sold as is. Beginning of the Louis XVI period. Dimension : 55 x 35 x 21 cm. This model of clock in the shape of an antique vase was created in Paris in the early years of the eighteenth century and met with great success, because of its elegance, its inventiveness and its break with the tradition of circular enamelled dials. Harmony, rigor and symmetry are highlighted here and appear as the main aesthetic considerations of the Louis XVI style, based on the balance of proportions. Our clock is in the spirit of the return to Antiquity and neoclassicism, which appeared in the middle of the 18th century, thanks to the rediscovery of the remains of Herculaneum (1738) and Pompeii (1748). One of the most important Parisian bronze and chisel makers under Louis XVI was undoubtedly Robert Osmond (1711-1789), whose production in the neoclassical style was particularly prolific, including a considerable number of clocks and cartels, the movements of which were entrusted to the most distinguished watchmakers of the time. Osmond also worked for one of the greatest merchant-merchants of the 18th century, M. Lazare-Duvaux, which enabled him to undertake deliveries for the Crown. Bibliography: P. Verlet, Les bronzes dorés français au XVIIIe siècle, Paris, 1987.