Pendule sur console

Historical significance

• The Martin lacquer technique was used to decorate both the case and its bracket with red and white flowers on a green ground. Ormolu bronzes, forming volutes of foliage and shells, underscore the curved lines. A Chinese figure holding a parasol is seated on the top. The centre of the bracket is decorated with a Chinese head in high relief.
• The white enamel dial has Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for the five minutes. The hands are pierced and engraved.
• The spring-driven movement has a verge escapement. The pull-repeat mechanism, mounted on the back plate, is of the all-or-nothing type.
• With its rocaille bronzes and Chinese figure, this piece is representative of the type of clock being manufactured in Paris in the mid-18th century. A very similar clock, signed “Gosselin à Paris", was auctioned at Sotheby 's, in London, on 15 June 1990 (n° 8). This type of movement, with the repeating work fitted on the back plate, was perfected by Julien Le Roy in 1728 for a clock made for Louis XV. Approved by the Academy of Sciences and then by the Arts Society, this particular construction found favour with many clockmakers.

Sources & references

1. Musée international d'horlogerie, online collection record, inv. IV-389: https://collection.mih.ch/fr/collection/item/39199/

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.