STYLE London: Furniture, Clocks, Silver, Ceramics & Works of Art
STYLE London: Furniture, Clocks, Silver, Ceramics & Works of Art
A gilt and silvered-bronze "Persian" mantel clock garniture designed by Adolphe-Victor Geoffroy-Dechaume, French, circa 1855
Lot Closed
May 17, 03:05 PM GMT
Estimate
3,000 - 4,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
A gilt and silvered-bronze "Persian" mantel clock garniture designed by Adolphe-Victor Geoffroy-Dechaume, French, circa 1855
executed by Auguste-Maximillian Delafontaine; 3½-inch dial with enamel cartouche numerals the bell striking movement with Brocot suspension and stamped to the backplate HD, the case supported by metamorphic dragons on a shaped marble plinth with gilt base, together with a pair of matching two-light candelabra, the clock case stamped AD
Clock 45cm 17½in high; Candelabra 29cm 11½in high
A disciple of David d’Angers and Pradier, Adolphe-Victor Geoffroy (1816-1892), known as Geoffroy-Dechaume, provided models for both the orfèvres (goldsmiths) as well as bronziers, such as Delafontaine. He participated in the conception of the design of the Bonheur du jour, executed by Froment-Meurice for Louis-Marie-Thérèse de Bourbon, grand-daughter of the Duchess of Parma, now in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
According to the accounts of Geoffroy-Dechaume, the sculptor published the design of a “Persane” clock in 1852 for the bronzier Delafontaine. An example was then exhibited at the Universal Exhibition in 1855 in Paris.
The Delafontaine bronze factory was first established in the late 18th century by Jean-Baptiste-Maximilien Delafontaine (b.1750). The present lot was cast under the direction of Jean-Baptiste's grandson, Auguste-Maximilien. The firm produced decorative works of art of the highest quality and was a main competitor of the Barbedienne foundry.
Decorative objects cast by the Delafontaine foundry can be seen in the permanent collection of the Musée du Louvre in Paris.