Explore our rare antique french Rocaille or Rococo clocks, as well as decorative lighting, dating from the Regency or Louis XV period.
Exceptional Mantel Clock made of Gilt and Patinated Bronze with Matte and Ormolu Gilding
The Rhinoceros and the Chinaman
Dial and Movement signed by Master Clockmaker Jean-Baptiste III Baillon
Counter-enamel signed “a.n. Martinière” by Enameller Antoine-Nicolas Martinière
Case attributed to Master Bronze Caster Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain
Paris, Louis XV period, circa 1750.
Bibliography:
– Elegance and Wonder: Masterpieces of European Art from the Jordan and Thomas A. Saunders III Collection, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, May 2022-October 2023.
– J-D. Augarde, A Journey Through Clocks, Masterworks of the Parnassia Collection, Volume I Classical Clocks, Editions Faton, Dijon, 2022, p.276-279, ref n°70
The circular enamel dial, signed “Jean-Baptiste Baillon”, indicates the Roman numeral hours, alternating with applied gold fleurs de lys and the Arabic numeral five-minute intervals by means of two pierced and chased gilt bronze hands. The counter-enamel is signed “a.n. Martinière”. The hour and half-hour striking movement is signed “JBte Baillon à Paris”. It is housed in a finely chased case made of patinated and gilt bronze with matte gilt and ormolu finishing. The drum case, whose bezel is decorated with reeds and foliage, is further adorned by lateral flowering branches. Surmounting it is a Chinese man placed on a rocky terrace. In the back, the plaque covering the mechanism is made of pierced bronze adorned with flowers, C-scrolls and foliage, and is lined with raspberry-colored material. The drum case is placed on the back of a magnificent rhinoceros that is raising its head, with its ears pricked up and its mouth wide open. The animal’s rough skin is naturalistically rendered. It stands on its four legs, on a rocaille base decorated with C-scroll motifs, foliage, and tufts of grass.
The present clock is a perfect illustration of the keen interest in exoticism and naturalism shown by important Parisian collectors. The enthusiasm for all phenomena that were foreign to European culture was, indeed, a form of curiosity that characterized the spirit of the Age of Enlightenment during the 18th century. The remarkable design of the clock was inspired by the first rhinoceros known to Europe: a female coming from Asia, named Clara and warmly nicknamed Mademoiselle Clara. It was presented to Louis XV in 1749 in the Menagerie of the Versailles Castle, and was greatly admired by Parisians, who were fascinated by this mammal that seemed to be at the crossroads of reality and superstition. As was often the case, the animal’s fame brought about many depictions of it in the decorative arts of the time, and in particular several clock models representing this exotic animal. The famous Parisian bronze caster Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain began making models that included several variations, no doubt to satisfy requests by influential collectors or the great marchands-merciers (merchants of luxury objects) of the time. The variations might include the posture – more or less aggressive – of the rhinoceros, as well as the treatment of the figure surmounting the clock. The present example may be confidently attributed to Saint-Germain, for a small number of similar examples are known (sometimes featuring variations), which are stamped with Saint-Germain’s signature.
One type is known in which the position of the rhinoceros is inversed. One such example, whose movement is signed Dutertre, is on display in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Lyon (see P. Arizzoli-Clémentel, Ô Temps suspends ton vol, Catalogue des pendules et horloges du Musée des Arts décoratifs de Lyon, Lyon, 2008, p.5 9). A second type, one example of which was formerly in the Roberto Polo collection, features a dial signed Gille l’aîné; it is illustrated in J-D. Augarde, Les ouvriers du Temps, Genève, 1996, p. 156, fig. 123. A third example, whose dial is signed “Viger à Paris”, was formerly in the collection of Mr. and Mrs. René Grog-Carven; it is now in the Musée du Louvre (see D. Alcouffe, A. Dion-Tenenbaum and G. Mabille, Les bronzes d’ameublement du Louvre, Dijon, 2004, p. 79, catalogue n° 34). Finally, a small number of models in which the rhinoceros is turned toward the viewer’s left, are comparable to the present clock. One such clock is illustrated in Tardy, La pendule française des origines à nos jours, Ier Partie: de l’Horloge gothique à la pendule Louis XV, Paris, 1974, p. 173. A second example, whose dial is signed “Martin à Paris”, is shown in H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, Band II, Munich, 1986, p. 525, fig. 2. The latter model is comparable to the clock that appears in the painting by Laurent Pécheux representing Princess Marie-Louise de Bourbon-Parme, now in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence (see H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel, op.cit., Band I, p. 122, fig. 2.8.1).
Jean-Baptiste III Albert Baillon (? - 1772)
Was one of the most skilled and innovative clockmakers of his day. Baillon achieved almost unprecedented success to become, in the words of F.J. Britten, “the richest watchmaker in Europe”. One of the most important clockmakers of the 18th century, he was no doubt the most famous member of an important horological dynasty. His success was largely due to his ability to organise a vast and thriving private factory in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, which was unique in the history of 18th century horology.
Managed from 1748-57 by Jean Jodin (1715-61) it remained in activity until 1765 when Baillon closed it. Renowned horologist Ferdinand Berthoud was impressed by its scale and the quality of the pieces produced; in 1753 he noted: (Baillon’s) “house is the finest and richest Clock Shop. Diamonds are used not only to decorate his Watches, but even Clocks. He has made some whose cases were small gold boxes, decorated with diamond flowers imitating nature. His house in Saint-Germain is a kind of factory. It is full of Workmen continually labouring for him…for he alone makes a large proportion of the Clocks and Watches [of Paris]”. He supplied the most illustrious clientele, not least the French and Spanish royal family, the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne as well as distinguished members of Court and the cream of Parisian society.
Baillon’s father, Jean-Baptiste II (d. 1757) a Parisian maître and his grandfather, Jean-Baptiste I from Rouen were both clockmakers, as was his own son, Jean-Baptiste IV Baillon (1752 – c.1773). Baillon himself was received as a maître-horloger in 1727. In 1738 he secured his first important appointment as Valet de Chambre-Horloger Ordinaire de la Reine. Sometime before 1748 he was made Premier Valet de Chambre de la Reine and in 1770, Premier Valet de Chambre and Valet de Chambre-Horloger Ordinaire de la Dauphine Marie-Antoinette. By 1738 he was established, appropriately, in the Place Dauphine, and after 1751 in the rue Dauphine.
Baillon used only the finest cases and dials. The latter were supplied by Antoine-Nicolas Martinière and Chaillou while his cases were supplied by Jean-Baptiste Osmond, Balthazar Lieutaud, the Caffiéris, Vandernasse, Edmé Roy and especially Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain (1719-91).
His success allowed Jean-Baptiste Baillon to amass a huge fortune, valued at the time of his death on April 8, 1772 at 384,000 livres. His collection of fine and decorative arts was auctioned on June 16, 1772, while his remaining stock, valued at 55,970 livres, was offered at sale on February 23, 1773. The sale included 126 finished watches, totalling 31,174 livres and 127 finished watch movements at 8,732 livres. His clocks, with a total value of 14,618 livres, included 86 clocks, 20 clock movements, seven marquetry clock cases, one porcelain clock case and eight bronze cases.
Today one can admire Baillon’s work in some of the world’s most prestigious collections, including the Louvre, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Musée National des Techniques, the Petit Palais and the Jacquemart-André Museum in Paris; Versailles; the Musée Paul Dupuy in Toulouse; the Residenz Bamberg; the Neues Schloss in Bayreuth; the Museum für Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt; the Residenz in Munich and the Schleissheim Castle. Further museums include the Royal Art and History Museum in Brussels; the Spanish Patrimonio Nacional; the Metropolitan Museum in New York; the Newark Museum; the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore and Dalmeny House in South Queensferry.
Antoine-Nicolas Martinière (1706 - 1784)
Antoine-Nicolas Martinière was an enameller during the 18th-century and “Pensionnaire du Roy” (translates to “Resident of the King“). He collaborated on clocks with great names such as bronze-caster Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain and clockmakers Jean-Baptiste III Albert Baillon, Etienne Le Noir and Jean-Baptiste Gosselin.
Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain (1719 - 1791)
He was probably the most renowned Parisian of the mid 18th century. Active as of 1742, he did become a master craftsman until July 1748. He became famous for his many clock and cartel cases, such as his Diana the Huntress (an example is in the Louvre Museum), the clock supported by two Chinamen (a similar example is in the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Lyon), as well as several clocks based on animal themes, including elephant and rhinoceros clocks (an example in the Louvre Museum). In the early 1760’s he played an important role in the renewal of the French decorative arts and the development of the Neo-classical style, an important example of which may be seen in his Genius of Denmark clock, made for Frederic V and based on a model by Augustin Pajou (1765, in the Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen). Saint-Germain also made several clocks inspired by the theme of Learning, or Study, based on a model by Louis-Félix de La Rue (examples in the Louvre Museum, the Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York). Along with his clock cases, Saint-Germain also made bronze furniture mounts, such as fire dogs, wall lights, and candelabra. His entire body of work bears witness to his remarkable skills as a chaser and bronzeworker, as well as to his extraordinary creativity. He retired in 1776.
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Rare Gilt and Patinated Bronze Mantel Clock
The Trumpeting Elephant and Putto
Dial signed “Viger à Paris” for clockmaker François Viger
Case attributed to Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain
Paris, Louis XV period, circa 1745-1750
The round white enamel dial, signed “Viger à Paris”, indicates the Roman numeral hours and the Arabic five-minute intervals by means of two pierced gilt bronze hands. The hour and half-hour striking movement, whose plate is also signed “Viger à Paris” and numbered “650”, is housed in a case made of finely chased gilt and patinated bronze. Surmounting the clock, there is a winged putto flying above the clouds and holding a bow in his left hand. The circular case is adorned with garlands of flowers and leaves; it rests on the back of a trumpeting elephant with a raised trunk, which is standing on a rocaille terrace in the form of a rocky ground adorned with flowers.
The mid-18th century was a particularly creative period in the French decorative arts. Much was done at the time to favor the development of exceptionally talented artists and artisans and to incite them to come, from all over Europe, to create pieces for influential Parisian collectors. This was the context in which the present clock was made. Its unusual design, depicting a trumpeting elephant standing on a rocaille base, dates from the mid-18th century. Several variations of it are known, particularly as concerns the figure at the clock’s summit. Some clocks are surmounted by a monkey holding a parasol; others feature a shorebird being surprised by a dog; a further, rarer variation is that of a winged putto holding a bow, as in the present example. The model may be attributed to Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain, for another clock of this type, made of gilt bronze and signed by Saint-Germain, was offered on the Parisian art market (sold Paris, Hôtel Drouot, Maître Lombrail, June 18, 2008, lot 150). Saint-Germain specialized in horological creations featuring animals such as bulls, lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, and wild boars, and produced variations of them over the course of several decades. As concerns elephant clocks in particular, he made another successful model in which the composition was inverted and was surmounted by a young child holding a sundial (one such clock is illustrated in Tardy, La pendule française, Ier Partie: de l’horloge gothique à la pendule Louis XV, Paris, 1975, p. 171).
Only a small number of identical clocks are known, some featuring minor variations in design. In the case of clocks surmounted by a monkey, one example is in the Residence in Bamberg (illustrated in H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, Band I, Munich, 1986, p. 124, fig. 2.8.5). A second is in the Spanish Royal Collection (see J. Ramon Colon de Carvajal, Catalogo de Relojes del Patrimonio Nacional, Madrid, 1987, p. 23). One further such clock is in the collection of the Princes of Hesse in the Fasanerie Palace in Fulda (illustrated in the exhibition catalogue Gehäuse der Zeit, 2002, p. 93). As for models adorned by a sculptural group with a shorebird, one example, signed “Jean-Baptiste Baillon”, was formerly in the collection of Mrs. Anna Thomson Dodge (sold Christie’s, London, June 24, 1971, lot 39). Lastly, for the model with a surmounting putto, one clock, whose dial is signed “Renard à Reims”, was offered at auction when the collection of the Countess de Maigret was sold (Paris, Hôtel Drouot, Maître Delaporte, March 10, 1980, lot 44). A second example is illustrated in E. Niehüser, Die französische Bronzeuhr, Eine Typologie der figürlichen Darstellungen, Munich, 1997, p. 242, fig. 893.
François Viger (circa 1708 - 1784)
An 18th century Parisian clockmaker. Exercising independently at first, he became a master in August 1744 and opened a workshop in the rue Saint-Denis. As Jean-Dominique Augarde aptly states: “the pieces made in his workshop are of exceptional quality”. (Les ouvriers du Temps, Genève, 1996, p. 405). Viger ordered his clock cases from the best bronziers and cabinetmakers of the day, collaborating with such fine artisans as Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain, Antoine Foullet, and Jean-Baptiste Osmond. His work may be found today in important museums and private collections worldwide, including the Basel Historisches Museum de Bâle, the Wallace Collection in London, the Louvre in Paris, the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg and the Liazenski Palace in Warsaw.
Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain (1719 - 1791)
He was probably the most renowned Parisian of the mid 18th century. Active as of 1742, he did become a master craftsman until July 1748. He became famous for his many clock and cartel cases, such as his Diana the Huntress (an example is in the Louvre Museum), the clock supported by two Chinamen (a similar example is in the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Lyon), as well as several clocks based on animal themes, including elephant and rhinoceros clocks (an example in the Louvre Museum). In the early 1760’s he played an important role in the renewal of the French decorative arts and the development of the Neo-classical style, an important example of which may be seen in his Genius of Denmark clock, made for Frederic V and based on a model by Augustin Pajou (1765, in the Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen). Saint-Germain also made several clocks inspired by the theme of Learning, or Study, based on a model by Louis-Félix de La Rue (examples in the Louvre Museum, the Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York). Along with his clock cases, Saint-Germain also made bronze furniture mounts, such as fire dogs, wall lights, and candelabra. His entire body of work bears witness to his remarkable skills as a chaser and bronzeworker, as well as to his extraordinary creativity. He retired in 1776.
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Important Rocaille Musical Mantel Clock made of Gilt Bronze with Matte Finishing
Dial signed “Gille L’aîné à Paris” for Pierre Ier François Gille, known as Gille l’Aîné (Gille the elder, 1690-1765)
Musical movement signed “Gille Fils à Paris” for Pierre II Gille (1723-1784)
Case signed “Dumont”, probably for the bronze-caster Antoine-François Dumont (active circa 1750-1760)
Paris, Louis XV period, circa 1755
The case stamped twice “DUMONT”
The old springs signed and dated “Buzot Debre (December) 1755” by the springs’ maker.
The round white enamel dial, signed “Gille L’aîné à Paris”, indicates the Roman numeral hours and the Arabic numeral five-minute intervals by means of two pierced gilt bronze hands. The hour and half hour striking movement, whose plate is signed “Gilles L’aîné à Paris” and is numbered “590”, is housed in a rocaille case of finely chased gilt bronze with matte finishing. The clock is surmounted by a lightly draped putto that is seated on a C-scroll and holds a torch adorned with a star. The bezel is surrounded by wave motifs. The case, lavishly embellished with branches and seeded foliage, stands on scroll feet; the aperture that reveals the pendulum’s movement is adorned with a large rocaille motif. The base with leaf-decorated scroll feet is adorned with scrolls, branches, foliage and volutes; it has pierced panels adorned with cutout motifs against which appear, on the façade, oak branches and an allegorical trophy representing Music. The base contains a musical movement playing twelve tunes on the hour; it bears the signature “Gille Fils à Paris”. The bronze on which the putto is sitting is stamped “DUMONT” on the back of the clock. Another “DUMONT” stamp is observable on the case of the musical movement.
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This rare clock, in the pure rocaille spirit of the mid-18th century, is remarkable for its base that contains a musical movement and for its general design, which is relatively similar to a model made during the same period by bronze caster Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain, an example of which is illustrated in G. and A. Wannenes, Les plus belles pendules françaises de Louis XIV à l’Empire, Florence, 2013, p. 152. Nevertheless, the present clock is much more representative of the asymmetrical rocaille style.
The two different clockmaker’s signatures on this clock, “Gille l’Aîné à Paris” and “Gille Fils à Paris”, suggest a collaboration between the father, Pierre I François Gille (1690-1765), and his son, Pierre II Gille (1723-1784). The clockwork mechanism would therefore have been made by the father, and the musical movement by the son.
As for the stamps “DUMONT”, they were made by the creator and sole owner of this model, the bronze-caster Dumont. Considering the dating of the present clock, it is very likely that the Dumont in question is Antoine-François Dumont, who became master bronze-caster in 1753. He produced only very few examples of this unusual model.
Among the small number of identical clocks, two clocks are known, however they lack the surmounting putto. The first, which stood on the mantel of the drawing room of the Hôtel de Feuquières, decorated by Henri Samuel, was formerly in the collection of Robert Zellinger de Balkany (illustrated in E. Evans Eerdmans, Henri Samuel, Master of the French Interior, New York, 2018, p. 146-147). The second clock, which bears the signatures of the clockmaker Martre in Bordeaux and the bronze caster Dumont, is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (see H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, p. 126, fig. 2.8.11, and E. Niehüser, Die französische Bronzeuhr, Munich, 1997, p. 198, fig. 39).
The signatures “Gille l’Aîné à Paris” and “Gille Fils à Paris” are those of two Parisian clockmakers, father and son. Until 1765, the signature “Gille L’Aîné” was used by Pierre I François Gille (1690-1765), while his son Pierre II Gille (1723-1784) signed his dials “Gille L’Aîné Fils”.
After becoming a master on 18 November 1746 as the son of a master, Pierre II Gille opened a workshop in the rue Saint-Martin, then the rue Saint-Denis and the rue aux Ours. At the beginning of his career he worked with his father, then he opened his own workshop in the mid-18th century and immediately encountered great success among influential collectors. On his father’s death in 1765, Pierre II Gille took over his signature, marking his pieces “Gille l’Aîné à Paris”.
During the 18th century, clocks bearing the signature “Gille L’aîné” were mentioned as belonging to the Marquis de Brunoy, the Prince Charles de Lorraine, the influential Farmer General Perrinet de Jars, the Duke de Gramont, the Prince de Condé and Augustus II of Saxony.
The signature of this Parisian bronze caster – “Dumont”: is relatively rare; very little is known about his career. Pierre Verlet mentions several Parisian bronziers with that name who were active as of the second half of the 18th century, particularly a certain Antoine-François Dumont, who became a master as an apprentice on April 11, 1753 (see Les bronzes dorés français du XVIIIe siècle, Editions Picard, Paris, 1999, p. 415).
