65 - CLOCK

CLOCK Based on a design by Étienne Martincourt (master craftsman in 1762). Made of chiseled and gilded bronze, the dial is signed “DENIERE” and set within a vase surmounted by a seed, flanked by seated female figures representing the muses Urania and Clio; the clock rests on a stepped white marble base and an oblong pedestal ending in spinning-top feet. 19th century 52 x 39 x 23 cm (chips in the marble, typical restorations) Note: The Denière firm, specializing in artistic and decorative bronzes, was founded in the early 19th century by Jean-François, who was succeeded by his son Guillaume, active from 1849 to 1903. Comparative Bibliography: -P. Kjellberg, *Encyclopédie de la Pendule Française du Moyen Âge au XXe siècle*, Éditions de l’Amateur, Paris, 1997, p. 215. -H. Ottomeyer, P. Proschel et al., *Vergoldete Bronzen*, Munich, 1986, Vol. I, p. 181, fig. 3.7.10 -A clock of the same model was delivered by this bronze artist around 1775 to King Louis XVI for the Council Chamber at the Tuileries; it is currently in the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu (see G. Wilson et al. "European Clocks in the J. Paul Getty Museum," Los Angeles, 1996, pp. 114–123). -A 19th-century model similar to ours, part of a mantelpiece set, was sold at Christie’s London on June 7, 2016, lot 36.