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A superb and large Louis XVI gilt and rose gilt bronze and white marble Pendule ‘A La Geoffrin’ of eight day duration, signed on the white enamel dial Charles Bertrand hger de L’académie Rle des Sciences and also signed and dated below 6 o’clock by the enamellist Barbichon le 6 Juillet 1787, housed in a magnificent case after the model by Laurent Guiard. The dial with black Arabic numerals for the hours and minutes and red numerals for the 31 days of the month with a very fine pair of pierced gilt brass hands and pointer for the calendar indications. The movement with anchor escapement, silk thread suspension, striking on the hour and half hour on a single bell, with outside count wheel. The clock within a rectangular white marble section with arched top surmounted by ribbon-tied oak leafs, flanked by a reclining classical maiden symbolising ‘The Employment of Time’ reading from a book on her lap, leaning her left elbow on the rectangular section and seated on a low stool with a scrolled parchment below, the whole upon a rare rectangular rose gilt plinth on a stepped rectangular marble base with gild bronze borders and frieze depicting putti at play
Paris, dated 1787
Height 52 cm, width 70 cm, depth 26 cm.
Literature: Geoffrey de Bellaigue, “The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor”, 1974, vol. I, p. 105, no. 17, illustrating a very similar clock, signed on the dial Julien Le Roy. Jean-Dominique Augarde, “Les Ouvriers du Temps”, 1996, p. 90, pl. 54, illustrating a very similar clock of circa 1758-60, the case by the fondeur Edme Roy and movement by Pierre III Le Roy in the Musée de l’Histoire de France, Paris. Peter Hughes, “The Wallace Collection Catalogue of Furniture”, 1996, vol. I, p. 440, F267, illustrating a very similar clock, circa 1768, the movement by Ferdinand Berthoud and case probably by Edme Roy. Elke Niehüser, “Die Französische Bronzeuhr”, 1997, p. 39, pl. 45, illustrating a very similar case with identical frieze, the dial signed Julien Le Roy. Pierre Kjellberg, “Encyclopédie de la Pendule Française du Moyen Age au XXe Siècle”, 1997, p. 263, pl. B, illustrating a very similar Louis XVI gilt and patinated clock housing a movement by Balthazar, with reference to another similar clock at Château de Fontainebleau.
The first known version of this enduringly popular model was identified by Christian Baulez (‘La Pendule à la Geoffrin Un Modèle Succès’, in “L’Objet d’Art/L’Estampille”, April 1989, pp. 34-41) as belonging to Madame Geoffrin (1699-1777). In her will of February 1777 she bequeathed it to Simon-Charles Boutin and described it as ‘représentant l’Emploi du Temps….l’original de toutes celles qui ont été faites sur ce modèle’. Madame Geoffrin’s notebooks referred to it as ‘ma pendule de Guyard’, which Baulez identified as the sculptor Laurent Guiard (1723-1788) who was celebrated after exhibiting a model for an equestrian statue of Louis XV at Versailles, January 1754. Madame Geoffrin almost certainly commissioned Guiard to provide the model for her clock in the same year. She subsequently commissioned another example in 1768 housing a movement by Musson, which was presented to Denis Diderot (Musée du Breuil de Saint-Germain, Langres). Baulez also proposed that the female figure representing ‘The Employment of Time’ might have been inspired by Nattier’s portrait of Madame Geoffrin as ‘Study’, 1738.
Prior to Baulez’s article the earliest examples of this clock were considered to be two supplied in 1758 by the marchand-mercier Lazare Duvaux for the duc de Bourgogne and the comte du Luc (both with movements by Le Roy). Other members of Madame Geoffrin’s circle to own such clocks included the banker Jean-Joseph de Laborde, the financier Nicolas Beaujon (illustrated in Augarde, ibid. p. 90) and the duc de la Vrillière. The duc de Choiseul also owned a similar model (seen in a miniature by van Blarenberghe on the Choiseul gold box, circa 1770-71) while anther was sold in the Blondel de Gagny sale (Paris December 1776-January 1777). The great English novelist and politician Horace Walpole also owned a model at Strawberry Hill, which he bought before 1774 for £50 (seen in a watercolour by John Carter showing the Refectory at Strawberry Hill, illustrated in Bellaigue, ibid, p. 106), which is considered to be the one now at Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire. Ferdinand Berthoud also supplied a number of movements for such pieces, such as the example in the Wallace Collection, London. While Le Roy and then Berthoud were the main clockmakers associated with this model, other eighteenth century makers included Le Nepveu, Moisy, Martin and Gilles l’Ainé (such as one owned by Charles III of Spain, in the Spanish Royal Collection). The above list is by no means conclusive (for further discussion of 18th century models and their owners see P. Hughes, ibid. p. 444). Guiard’s model proved one of the most popular eighteenth century case designs and continued to be cast with varying adornments and was again reproduced during the 1800’s by such fondeurs as Henry Dasson.
Most, it not all earlier models housing movements by Berthoud and Le Roy were cast by the fondeur Edme Roy (maître 1745, fl until after 1786). He also cast many other eighteenth century replicas and may well have been responsible for the present case. The fondeur François Rèmond is also recorded selling an example in 1782. Some models, such as the example at the Wallace stand on an ebonised plinth with Vitruvian scrolls, stamped Joseph, while other similar plinths bear the stamps of Balthazar Lieutaud and Joseph Baumhauer. The present frieze, made entirely of gilt bronze is identical to that adorning the model illustrated in Niehüser, ibid. p. 39, which interestingly attributes the case to Edme Roy. The present more overtly Neo-classical example however differs from the latter as well as other examples in that the rectangular section housing the clock itself is of white marble and does not have acanthus volutes at the base of each corner.
The movement for the present clock was made by Joseph-Charles-Paul Bertrand, known as Charles Bertrand (1746-89) and appears to be the only one of its type by this leading Parisian clockmaker. Bertrand made a limited number of skeleton clocks and clocks with complications; he also produced movements for other figural clocks, lyre-shaped models, cartels and watches. During his illustrious but relatively short career Bertrand made some very fine and rare works which are now prized among the world’s most prestigious collections including the Metropolitan Museum New York, the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore and the Musée National des Techniques in Paris. Bertrand, the son of a headwaiter was born in Nettancourt near Châlons on 24th May 1746 and in 1761 began an apprenticeship in Paris under Eustache-François Houblin (1722 d. after 1786). In 1770 Bertrand presented his chef d’oeuvre and the following year was received as a maître-horloger. Based on the obvious quality of his work he was appointed Horloger de l’Académie Royale des Sciences, which as here he proudly declared on his dials. In 1772 Bertrand married Marie-Française Perriard and in the same year established himself at rue Montmartre where he remained for the rest of his life. Despite his repute and prestigious clientele that included the marquise de Lambertye and M. Aranc de Presles, Bertrand was declared bankrupt on 23rd November 1789 – the year in which he died.
Although there are no known records to confirm that Bertrand used cases by Edme Roy, we do know that he was supplied by other leading case makers notably Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain, François Vion, Jean-Nicolas Frémont, T. Thomas, Bécourt and Jean-Baptiste Zacon. N. F. Poisson gilded some of his cases, the sculptor F. Cornière provided a number of marble cases while Knab supplied some of his watchcases. Bertrand’s dials were of the finest quality and were supplied by Joseph Coteau, Jean-François Borel, Jacques Anspach and as here by Edme-Portail Barbichon, of whom little is known but whose name is always associated with the finest clocks and their makers.
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