An important French gilt-bronze, patinated bronze, and Carrara marble grande horologe designed by Frédéric-Eugène Piat and executed by Maison Millet circa 1890

the upper section with a lyre-shaped clock surmounted by an Apollo sunburst mask, the movement stamped A. D. MOUGIN / DEUX MEDAILLES, supported by a tapering pedestal fronted by a nymph standing on goatskin on a fluted base, flanked by scrolled volute and signed to the center MILLET / A / PARIS, terminating on winged lion paw feet.

V. Champier, Le Musée Frederic.-Eugène Piat, à Troyes, in Revue des Arts Décoratifs, no. 15, 1894-5, pp. 25-9 (for an engraving of the grande horloge LOUIS XVI) and no. 17, 1897, p. 402

Y. Devaux, L'Univers des Bronzes, Paris, 1978, p. 267, for another marble and bronze horloge, fitted with a similar full-length scantily-clad figure, executed by the firm Colin & Cie and shown at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago.

Frédéric-Eugène Piat (1827-1903) was a notorious French sculpteur-ornemaniste, creating mostly designs and models for clocks, wall-appliques, ceiling and table lamps, candelabras, and torchères.  All of his deisigns were executed by the leading firms of Parisian high quality bronziers, such as Christofle, Colin, Lemerle-Charpentier, Motteau and as in the present lot, Maison Millet.

Another example of Piat's Grande Horloge, cast by Lemerle-Charpentier, was sold Sotheby's, New York, November 3,1999, lot 514 ($222,500).

For a footnote on Maison Millet see lot 235.