636 - FRANCE

FRANCE Title: Museum-Quality Mantel Clock Set with Elephant and Flute Musical Mechanism, Louis XV Style. Date: Mid-18th century. Designer: The case was designed by Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain. Material: Fire-gilded or patinated bronze, tortoiseshell, and other materials. Dimensions: 72.5 x 47 x 25 cm. Description: A fully three-dimensional figure of an elephant stands on a curved, ebonized socle case with rich gilt bronze and brass fittings in the form of rocaille motifs, foliage, and volutes. On its back rests the round, richly ornamented clock case, supported on the side by the animal’s raised trunk and crowned by a fully three-dimensional putto. White enamel dial with Arabic numerals for hours and minutes and openwork gilt hands. Large, round clock with a thread suspension system, featuring hour and half-hour chimes on a bell. At the top, slightly to the side of the putto, is the trigger for the flute mechanism. The base houses a mechanical musical mechanism with a large pinned cylinder and a pipe register; the mechanism is accessible via hinged doors at the front and rear. The front door features an openwork, ornamental lattice panel, while the sides and edges of the case are edged with substantial, rocaille-style fittings. This impressive clock is based on a design by Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain, or may well have come from his workshop, even though the bronze is not hallmarked. The high-quality finish of the bronze suggests this is a possibility. Another example of this model is held, for instance, in the collection of the Residenzmuseum in Munich. Another comparable example, featuring a flute-playing mechanism and an elephant, was sold at Sotheby’s during the auction of the Margraves of Baden in October 1995. The clock, which was offered as Lot 121, was mentioned in the Karlsruhe Palace inventory in 1869 and was housed in the Blue Court Room. Clocks featuring exotic animals are among the rarest and most prestigious creations of 18th-century French bronze art. Elephants, rhinoceroses, lions, and other unusual animal motifs reflected the contemporary fascination with the foreign and the exotic and were favored for particularly elaborately designed clock cases. Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain had already developed several such models before 1750 and is regarded as one of the most important bronze casters who shaped this stylistic language. Contemporary sources explicitly confirm that clock cases featuring elephants, lions, bulls, and other animal motifs were produced and offered for sale in his workshop. Elephant pendulum clocks, in particular, occupy a prominent position within this group. The elephant serves not only as a decorative motif but also as a structural element of the composition, upon whose back the actual clock case rests. The animal figure is frequently combined with richly ornate rocaille forms, foliage, figurative finials, and gilded bronze elements. Only a few examples of these elaborately executed models are known to exist today. Some also feature sophisticated clockworks or musical mechanisms, which further underscore their special status within French Rococo luxury production Condition: The functional clockwork has been refurbished and partially replaced. Please note that this item was manufactured using materials derived from endangered species. In accordance with CITES regulations, this item cannot be exported from the EU Provenance: - Private collection, Northern Germany Literature: - Ottomeyer, Hans, and Pröschel, Peter: Vergoldete Bronzen, Vol. 1. Munich 1986. Compare this with the clock model featuring an elephant and Cupid, without a case and with a musical mechanism, p. 123, 2.8.3. This model is signed by Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain. - Tardy: *La Pendule Française*, 1 vol. *Des origines au Louis XV.*, 1975. On pages 170 and 171, there are two additional clocks of the same model, each of which also has a pedestal with an integrated clockwork mechanism. Estimated shipping costs for this lot: This lot is not suitable for parcel shipping. Transport must be arranged by a shipping company following consultation after the auction. Additional shipping insurance Shipping insurance up to a total invoice amount of 25,000 euros: max. 41.65 euros over a total invoice amount of 25,000 euros: 1.8 per thousand Shipping to the U.S. by individual arrangement after the auction. #France #Clocks. Please note that this item is made of materials for which a permit is required under CITES regulations for export to countries outside the EU. We would like to point out that such a permit is generally not granted.