253 - GILT-BRONZE CLOCK FEATURING TELEMACHUS' CHARIOT

GILT-BRONZE CLOCK FEATURING TELEMACHUS' CHARIOT The dial, marked with Roman numerals, is set within the wheel of the chariot driven by Telemachus, with Minerva seated in the rear; the base features an antique frieze and uprights in the form of lictor's fasces (one is missing). Based on a design by Jean-André Reiche (1752–1817). The dial is signed Charles Oudin, a student of Breguet. Empire period. H: 45 cm, W: 49.5 cm, D: 12 cm. (Gilding heavily worn). To date, several examples of this clock model have been documented, likely crafted by various bronze casters, among whom Claude Galle deserves mention—his signature was found on a clock preserved in the Spanish royal collections— as well as André Reiche, who deposited a model of this clock at the Imperial Library in 1807. The example at the Château de la Malmaison is believed to have been a gift from Bonaparte to Joséphine. Among the other examples, a large number are believed to have belonged to officers of the Empire, notably Marshals Edouard Mortier and Jean Baptiste Jourdan; a third was most likely given to General Charles Claude Jacquinot by the Emperor.