Rare Framed Cartel made of Matte Gilt Bronze, Mahogany-Tinted Wood, Painted Metal and Black Marble

Dial signed “Masson à Paris” by Master Clockmaker Denis Masson
Enamel Dial signed “Barbichon rue Saint Severin n°…ris” by Edmé-Protais Barbichon
Paris, Louis XVI period, circa 1785
The round white enamel dial, signed “Masson à Paris”, indicates the Arabic numeral hours and fifteen-minute intervals by means of two bronze hands that are pierced, gilt, and engraved.
The date when the present clock was made leads us to attribute the dial’s signature – “Masson à Paris” – to clockmaker Denis Masson. The lower portion of the dial also bears the signature and localization “Barbichon rue St Severin n°…(Pa)ris”. This refers to Edmé-Protais Barbichon, a well-known Parisian enameller who was a colleague and principal rival of Joseph Coteau. The hour and half hour striking movement is housed in a cartel case in the form of a framed picture, which is made of finely chased, matte-gilt bronze, wood that is colored to imitate mahogany, painted sheet metal, and black marble. The clock is surmounted by a quiver full of feathered arrows that emerges from a bouquet of acanthus leaves flanked by laurel branches, which surmounts a cornice decorated with a leaf frieze that is supported by two children in the form of terminal figures, who hold Ionic capitals in their hands, and whose bodies terminate in leaves from which garlands are suspended. The terms flank a cartel housing the movement, surmounted by two children, and adorned with ribbon-tied branches, a lyre and a seed finial. The frame is adorned with rosettes, interlacing branches, bead friezes, leafy scrolls, and a ribbon-tied bow. The whole is surrounded by a wooden frame and features a blue-lacquered ground. A leaf and seed finial finishes the composition.
The present cartel may be considered a unique piece in fine Parisian horology during the reign of Louis XVI. Its design as a framed picture, its exceptional quality and the opulence of the materials that compose it make it one of the most remarkable cartels of the period. It would clearly appear to have been commissioned by a wealthy Parisian connoisseur, who no doubt wished to showcase it in an elegant interior decorated in the latest fashion. More than just a clock, it is truly an exceptional cabinetmaker’s piece, in which a skillful clockmaker has placed a state-of-the-art neoclassical movement and adorned with motifs drawn from the ornamental vocabulary of the late Louis XVI period.
Becoming a master on March 1, 1746, Denis Masson was one of the most important Parisian clockmakers of the 18th century. He began as an ouvrier libre, then became a master in 1746, opening workshops successively in the Abbaye Saint-Germain-des-Prés, on the pont Notre-Dame in 1747 and in the rue Sainte-Avoye in 1778. He quickly gained fame among important Parisian connoisseurs of luxury horology, particularly for his clocks adorned with Saxon porcelain figures. Like most of the finest clockmakers of his day, Denis Masson worked with many of the best artisans of the time. He collaborated with the bronze caster Jean-Baptiste Vallée and the cabinetmakers Lieutaud and Foullet. Among his clients were the Infanta of Parma, the duchess de Mazarin and the duchess de Villeroy, as well as the Marquis de Persan and the Prince and Princess de Condé.
Edmé-Protais Barbichon was a fine enamellist, active during the latter half of the eighteenth century. His competitors were notably the famous enamellers Joseph Coteau and Dubuisson. His name is always associated with the finest clocks and makers, including Ferdinand Berthoud and Charles Bertrand.