France, Louis XVI period
Chased and gilt bronze
Carrara white marble
The enamelled dial is signed « MUSCET à Paris »
Similar examples
- Pavlovsk Palace, in the antechamber of the « Grand Duke » or secretary room (inv n°1389-IV)
- Louvre museum (inv. N°OA 6625)
- Collection of Her Majesty the Queen of England
Probably identical examples, 18th century collections
- A similar clock went on sale in the collections of the count of Merle on March 1st, 1784, lot 217 (p. 108) « A clock, striking the hours and half, by Baillon, accompanied by a figure of a seated woman, well draped, holding a mirror in one hand, a snake in the other, and leaning on the clock ; the whole placed on a grooved plinth, a woman’s mascaron, a garland of laurels and a lion’s muzzle in gilt bronze on a double blackened wooden plinth decorated with rosettes, moldings and balls : height 12 inches 4 lines »
- An identical clock is also described in the inventory after death drawn up in 1772 of Jean-Baptiste Baillon, “valet de chambre-horloger ordinaire” of the dauphine Marie-Antoinette.
This chased and gilt bronze mantel clock represents the allegory of Prudence in the form of a woman, dressing in the antique style, extended and leaning against a fluted terminal supporting the dial. In her right hand, she holds a mirror in which she looks at herself as a snake is wrapped around her left hand.
The overall rests on a plinth framed by a matte border adorned with two rosettes. A woman’s head surrounded by garlands of foliage decorates its centre. This plinth rests on a white marble counter-plinth adorned with chased and gilt bronzes such as a foliated post frieze with a shell in the centre and small spinning feet.
The white enamelled dial with Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for the minutes, is signed “Muscet à Paris”.
An Allegory of Prudence
This model was designed by Antoine Foullet (circa 1710-1775), a Parisian cabinetmaker and merchant. His drawing dated 1763 appears in the Livre de dessin de pendules, published around 1765 under the title “Piece of office, small prudence, Foulet, colour 275 pounds, gilding 187 pounds, golden price 462 pounds” preserved at the Doucet Library and signed by the founder Pierre Antoine Foullet, with the inscription “Pièce de Bureau Petite Prudence”.
The theme of Prudence is illustrated here according to the description of Cesare Ripa’s Iconology of a woman holding a mirror and a snake, a traditional attribute of Intelligence. The mirror has been in usage since Middle Ages and it signifies consciousness and the prediction of the future. This theme had a great success in watchmakers circle in the 18th century. However, it was lately identified: in 1884, Albert Jacquemart believed to see an allegory of truth. It was also thought as a representation of Cleopatra, especially due to the presence of the mirror, symbolism of beauty, and of the snake.
Another exemplar of this clock is described during the sale of the count of Merle on March 1st, 1784, lot 217 : “A clock, striking the hours and half, by Baillon, accompagnied by a figure of a seated woman, well draped, a hand holding a mirror, the other a snake, and leaning on the clock ; the overall placed on a grooved plinth, a woman’s mascaron, a garland of laurels and square, a gilt bronze lion’s muzzle on a double blackened wooden plinth adorned with rosettes, moldings and balls: height 12 inches 4 lines”. There is also another exemplar described in the inventory after the death of Jean-Baptiste Baillon, “valet de chambre-horloger ordinaire” of the dauphine Marie-Antoinette, drawn up in 1772.
Bibliography
Emmanuel Ducamp (dir.), Pavlosk, Les collections, Paris, Alain de Gourcuff, 1993, p. 184.
Pierre Kjellberg, Encyclopédie de la pendule française du Moyen Âge au XXe siècle, Paris, Les Éditions de l’amateur, 1997.
Elke Niehüser, French Bronze Clocks, Atglen, Schiffer, 1999.
Hans Ottomeyer et Peter Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, Die Bronzearbeiten des Spätbarock und Klassizismus, Munich, Klinkhardt & Biermann, 1986, p.162.
Tardy, La pendule française dans le monde, Paris, Tardy, 1994 (7e édition revue et complétée).
Pierre Verlet, Les Bronzes dorés du XVIIIe siècle, Paris, Picard, 1999 (2e édition).
Livre de dessins de pendules, manuscrit conservé à la Bibliothèque d’Art et d’Archéologie Jacques Doucet, Bibliothèque nationale de France, cote VI E 15 Rés, folio 34.
Good overall condition, gilding of use, slight split on the dial
Description
France, Louis XVI period
Chased and gilt bronze
Carrara white marble
The enamelled dial is signed « MUSCET à Paris »
Similar examples
- Pavlovsk Palace, in the antechamber of the « Grand Duke » or secretary room (inv n°1389-IV)
- Louvre museum (inv. N°OA 6625)
- Collection of Her Majesty the Queen of England
Probably identical examples, 18th century collections
- A similar clock went on sale in the collections of the count of Merle on March 1st, 1784, lot 217 (p. 108) « A clock, striking the hours and half, by Baillon, accompanied by a figure of a seated woman, well draped, holding a mirror in one hand, a snake in the other, and leaning on the clock ; the whole placed on a grooved plinth, a woman’s mascaron, a garland of laurels and a lion’s muzzle in gilt bronze on a double blackened wooden plinth decorated with rosettes, moldings and balls : height 12 inches 4 lines »
- An identical clock is also described in the inventory after death drawn up in 1772 of Jean-Baptiste Baillon, “valet de chambre-horloger ordinaire” of the dauphine Marie-Antoinette.
This chased and gilt bronze mantel clock represents the allegory of Prudence in the form of a woman, dressing in the antique style, extended and leaning against a fluted terminal supporting the dial. In her right hand, she holds a mirror in which she looks at herself as a snake is wrapped around her left hand.
The overall rests on a plinth framed by a matte border adorned with two rosettes. A woman’s head surrounded by garlands of foliage decorates its centre. This plinth rests on a white marble counter plinth adorned with chased and gilt bronzes such as a foliated post frieze with a shell in the centre and small spinning feet.
The white enamelled dial with Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for the minutes, is signed “Muscet à Paris”.
