A Louis XVI gilt-bronze and white marble obelisk clock, circa 1785
Lot Closed
September 23, 01:43 PM GMT
Estimate
6,000 - 10,000 EUR
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Read more.Lot Details
Description
decorated with two bacchantes holding a globe and two trophies adorned with a mask of Medusa on both sides, topped by an armillary sphere, the bas-reliefs with putti musicians, the rectangular marble base on four toupie feet, the white enamelled dial with Arabic numerals signed ‘Crosnier Paris’ ; (the dial and the movement associated with the case)
Haut. 70 cm, larg. 31,5 cm, prof. 20,5 cm ; Height 27 1/2 in, width 12 1/3 in, depth 8 in
Related literature :
P. Kjellberg, Encyclopédie de la pendule française du Moyen-Âge au XXe siècle, Éditions de l'Amateur, 1997, p.219
Antoine Crosnier (1732, died after 1806) signed his dials Cronier or Crosnier. He became a master watchmaker in 1763 and set up his workshop on Rue Saint-Honoré. His clients included Marshal de Choiseul-Stainville, the Marquis de Sainte-Amaranthe, Prince Belosselsky-Belozerky, the Duke of Deux-Ponts and Mr Sollier, to name but a few.
This clock, known as an ‘altar clock’, stands on a pedestal and is veiled in drapery. It is dedicated to Venus and celebrates the supremacy of Love. Its obelisk, adorned with a garland of pearls and topped with a globe, features a bas-relief of Cupid holding the torch of Hymen, supporting a globe carried by the Graces, attendants of Venus. The tablets on the base depict joyful putti busily preparing a sacrifice on the altar of Love.
A similar model, in turquoise blue marble, is kept at the Louvre in Paris and reproduced in H. Lengellé, known as Tardy, French Clocks the World Over, Paris, 1981, vol. II, fig. 60. A similar clock obelisk is also illustrated in P. Kjellberg, Encyclopédie de la pendule française du Moyen Âge au XXe siècle, Paris, 1997, p. 219.
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