- 95
A Fine and Rare Directoire Ormolu and Enamelled Skeleton Mantel Clock circa 1795, the enamelling by Joseph Coteau
Description
- Joseph Coteau 1740-1801
- height 19 1/4 in.; width 12 1/2 in.; depth 4 1/4 in.
- 49 cm; 32 cm; 11 cm
Condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Joseph Coteau was one of the pre-eminent enamellers of the day. After the abolition of the guilds in 1791, enamellers were allowed to sell complete clocks without being required to include the name of the clockmaker. At the same time, a decimal system of measuring time was introduced. The system divided the day into ten hours and the hours into 100 minutes; the year also was divided into ten months, each of which was divided into three decades, thereby giving each month exactly 30 days, as reflected on the date ring of the present example. The system, which became compulsory in 1794, was very short-lived and lapsed with the rise of Napoleon and the establishment of the Empire. Thus, clocks which incorporate this feature are extremely rare.
A very similar clock enamelled by Coteau, which incorporates a subsidiary dial with Republican hours and minutes in the place of the medallion painted on the present clock, is illustrated, J.-D. Augarde, Les Ouvriers du Temps, Geneva, 1996, p. 103, pl. 66. Another example, attributed to Coteau was sold, Sotheby's, London, December 8,1995. Each of these clocks has an identical phase of the moon arch and each is decorated with similar motifs; each incorporates oval medallions enamelled en grisaille and all are of virtually identical dimensions.