Although he was the last king of the ancien régime in France, aristocratic life during the reign of Louis XVI (1774-1792) was marked by an unheard-of refinement and elegance. Horological creations were particularly remarkable for their tasteful design, precious materials and flawless execution. These creations are the remaining vestiges of the splendour of Versailles, which was brought to an abrupt end by the French Revolution, and which are often symbolized by the tragic fate of Queen Marie Antoinette.

In this article, La Pendulerie invites you to explore some of the most beautiful clocks of the Louis XVI period.

An Allegory of Study

During the whole of the 18^th century, Paris was reputed for its elegant salons where aristocrats and lovers of literature from all over Europe gathered to discuss art, science and philosophy. This trend resulted in frequent references to Knowledge or Study, which became common in learned conversations.

Antique Louis XVI Mantel Clocks — *Fig. 1 – Mantel clock, the “Geoffrin” model, movement by Ferdinand Berthoud (1727-1807), late Louis XV period, circa 1765.* © La Pendulerie – Agence Phar

The very first “Study” clocks were indeed linked to the erudite society of Parisian salons. These clocks are now commonly known as the “Geoffrin” model, as their original design was created at the request of Madame Geoffrin (1699-1777), an influential Parisian hostess who regularly held salons.

The “Geoffrin” clock was so fashionable that several examples entered the royal collections in France, Spain, and Sweden. The figure of a seated woman who was concentrating on her reading would serve as a prototype for other representations of the allegory of Study over the following decades.

During the reign of Louis XVI, the Parisian bronze caster François Rémond (1747-1812) created a particularly ingenious design. It was based on two figures modelled in 1776 by the French sculptor Louis-Simon Boizot for the Sèvres Royal Manufactory, of which two examples in bisque are now in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Rémond cast these figures in bronze and placed them on either side of the dial, achieving a perfectly balanced composition, as may be seen in his preparatory drawing.

Produced from 1784 on, Rémond’s model was commercialised by Dominique Daguerre, a merchant of luxury goods who maintained an excellent working relationship with European royal courts. Louis XVI himself acquired two “Study” clocks for the Château de Saint-Cloud in 1788, while King George IV of England owned three examples.

Having benefited from the phenomenal success of the “Geoffrin” model, Rémond’s “Study” clocks remained popular until the Restoration period, that is, the 1830s. Certain variants were produced – sometimes quite unique in their treatment of decorative details – at the request of those who commissioned them.

Cercles tournants

Cercles tournant clocks (cercles tournants means “rotating rings” in French) are a specific type of Neoclassical clock that features annular dials that rotate horizontally around the case. They were best suited to vase-form marble or gilt bronze cases inspired by classical antiquity, which had recently come into fashion due to archaeological discoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum.

In 1778, French architect Richard Mique erected a remarkable folly representing the temple of Love in the newly created English garden at Petit Trianon, the domain of Marie Antoinette. This construction was unanimously admired by contemporaries and was imitated in several horological creations, thus adding new types of cercles tournants clocks.

Due to their unusual movements and easily recognizable style, cercles tournants clocks became highly fashionable in the late 18^th century, as every influential collector wanted to have at least one in his home. Some collectors commissioned exclusive and personalized pieces, as was the case for Elisabeth Auguste (1721-1794), Electress of Bavaria and Electress Platine of the Holy Roman Empire, who had her coat of arms included in the design.

Fig. 8 – “The Altar of Venus” cercles tournants clock, Paris, Louis XVI period, circa 1775-1780, no doubt commissioned by Electress Elisabeth Auguste. This clock has the particularity of integrating a cercles tournants system into a regular composition; on the discreet dial, luxuriously adorned with rhinestones, the time is indicated by the cross on the top of the princely crown. © La Pendulerie – Agence Phar

Lyre Clocks

The lyre, a musical instrument emblematic of the Greek poets, is associated with Apollo, the protector of the arts and leader of the Muses. This iconography was very much in harmony with the codes of the elegant and erudite French aristocracy during the 18^th century.

Lyre clocks are very distinctive, with their open cases through which one may admire the beauty of the mechanical movement. Clockmakers of the time managed to take full advantage of the lyre form by making the instrument’s cords a part of the compensating pendulum.

A luxurious type of lyre clock, with a porcelain case, was created in 1785 by the Sèvres Royal Manufactory. Two of the first examples were presented to Louis XVI in 1785/86; the king acquired them for the Versailles Palace. Although both were sold during the French Revolution, one was eventually returned to its original location in the Salon des Jeux. Given the high cost of production and the exacting qualitative requirements, porcelain lyre clocks were almost exclusively reserved for royals and their inner circle.

Fig. 10 – Porcelain lyre mantel clock from the Sèvres Royal Manufactory, movement by Dieudonné Kinable, enamel dial by Dubuisson, Paris, late Louis XVI period, circa 1785-1790. This example is almost identical to the one belonging to Louis XVI that is now placed in the Salons des Jeux at Versailles, featuring the signs of the Zodiac on the dial’s outermost border. The bezel of this clock is made up of an exquisite ring of rhinestones. © La Pendulerie – Agence Phar

Dieudonné Kinable was a clockmaker who specialised in movements for porcelain lyre clocks, as he purchased the greatest number of cases from Sèvres. Some of his creations even crossed the English Channel; some of them are today in the Royal British Collection and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Y. Huang

Here we present the most remarkable mantel clocks of French Empire period. Often made of gilt bronze, marble and other noble materials, they bear important testimony to a decade of splendour in the French decorative arts under Napoleon Bonaparte.

After Napoleon was proclaimed “Emperor of the French” on May 14, 1804, France entered a new era that is commonly known as the French Empire (1804-1815). During this period, the decorative arts – and horological creations in particular – reached new heights, giving rise to what we today call the “Empire” style.

This artistic presentation of political power was inspired by Parisian Neoclassicism. By the mid 18th century, the aesthetic dogmas that had prevailed in the decorative arts, both in Paris and in Europe, were coming into question. Abandoning previous iconography, the clocks of the French Empire embraced new forms and subjects.

Chariot Clock

The chariot motif was rarely used in Parisian clocks prior to the French Empire period. This was no doubt due to the difficulty 18th century clockmakers found in incorporating the movement and dial in the model. This difficulty was overcome by clockmakers of the early 19th century, who placed their dials in the chariot wheels.

Often made of ormolu gilt bronze, these chariots are driven by classical divinities. The composition and details are directly inspired by ancient authors, and particularly by Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The best-known models of chariot clocks in the French Empire period are those with Diana, Venus, Apollo and Juno.

french empire mantel clock — Fig. 1 – “Juno’s chariot” mantel clock, movement signed “Lépine à Paris”, the bronze mounts by Pierre-Ange Adrien Thibaut. Paris, French Empire period, circa 1800-1805. The Parnassia Collection. © La Pendulerie – Agence Phar

The most successful examples always came from the workshops of the finest bronziers of the time. Among these bronze casters, one should mention Antoine-André Ravrio (1759-1814), Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1757-1843), and Claude Galle (1759-1815).

These beautiful chariot clocks, truly fashionable pieces during the French Empire period, were indispensable in every aristocratic interior whose owners wished to assert their good taste. Many of them were destined for the most prestigious personalities of the imperial court, and particularly members of the Bonaparte family.

Mention must of course be made of the masterpiece created by Thomire on the theme of Apollo’s chariot. These were undoubtedly the most majestic mantel clocks created during the French Empire. They were so spectacular that the sovereigns of Europe rushed to Paris to commission at least one example for their palaces. Some of these can still be seen in European royal collections, the most famous being those displayed in Buckingham Palace, Madrid’s Palacio Real and the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.

Egyptomania Clocks

Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt in 1798 made great contributions to the development of archaeology. That expedition was the driving force behind the Egyptology movement in Europe; it gave rise to a frenzy of artistic creations imitating the civilisation of ancient Egypt, commonly called “Egyptomania” or “retour d’Égypte”.

The contribution of important personalities during this period, was equally crucial to the spread of the new fashion. Among them was Dominique Vivant Denon, who had the privilege of accompanying Napoleon to Egypt. After returning to Paris, in 1802 he became the first director of the Louvre and published a monumental volume made up of the notes he had taken during the trip – Voyage dans la Haute et Basse Égypte. This volume provided artists with a seemingly endless source of inspiration for Egyptomania designs during the French Empire.

One of the best-known Egyptomania clock models is attributed to British decorator Thomas Hope, who published the sketch for it in his Household Furniture and Interior Decoration Executed from Designs by Thomas Hope in 1807. However, all examples of this model were actually made in France, and usually bear usually the signatures of “Mesnil” and “Ravrio”.

Clocks Inspired by Ancient History

Ancient history, especially that of Rome, constituted another major theme for French Empire clocks. This tendency is particularly visible in the neoclassical compositions of Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825). The patriotic feelings elicited by these works contributed to expressions of contemporary patriotism.

Two paintings by David had already made a great impression during the last years of 18^th century – The Oath of the Horatii and The Intervention of the Sabine Women. During the French Empire, the most talented Parisian artisans managed to introduce these two themes into gilt bronze mantel clocks.

The “Horatii” clock illustrates the moment when the Horatii brothers promise their father to defend Rome from the three Curiatii, who were valiant warriors from the neighboring and rival city of Alba and also happened to be married to their sisters. This model was particularly appreciated by European royal families, who recognized in it their patriotic ideals, and their aspirations of placing country before family.

The “Sabine” clock represents a critical moment in the struggle between the Sabines and the Romans, when the Sabine women intervened to reconcile the hostile parties. Here, the bronzier chose to retain the principal characters in David’s painting. The female figure keeling on the dial and holding aloft a new-born baby, constitutes the culminant point of the whole composition, as it does in David’s work.

Although brief, the French Empire was undoubtedly a golden age for the French decorative arts in general, and for horological creations in particular. The timepieces made during this period, composed of gilt bronze, marble, and other precious materials, demonstrate all the technical and technological progress achieved during the 18^th century.

Preserved today in the most prestigious public and private collections, they continue to relate the glorious past of an entire period. One can easily imagine Napoleon himself contemplating the back and forth motion of a gleaming pendulum, amidst all the other gold highlights and precious objects in his lavish palaces.

Y. Huang

Author: Emmanuel DIJOUX

The Most Beautiful Clocks of the Louis XVI Period I