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An extremely fine and rare Louis XV gilt bronze petit cartel clock with bracket of eight day duration with a magnificent case stamped with a C-couronné poinçon and attributed to Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain, the finely painted white enamel dial by Antoine-Nicolas Martinière, signed and dated on the reverse a. n. martiniere P-naire Du Roy 1747, with blue Roman numerals for the hours and outer black Arabic numerals for the minutes, with a fine pair of blued steel hands, the movement with quarter striking with full repeat on request, the magnificent case of scrolling cartouche outline, surmounted by a putto with butterfly wings seated on a plinth, the dial bezel enclosed by foliate scrolls and continuing to the glazed pendulum aperture below, on an elaborate foliate scrolled and pierced bracket ornamented with scallops and centred by a dragon
Paris, dated 1747
Height of clock: 33.5 cm, height of bracket 16 cm.
Literature: Hans Ottomeyer and Peter Pröschel, “Vergoldete Bronzen”, 1986, p. 108, pl. 2.2.1, illustrating an equally elaborate mantle clock with case by Jean-Joseph de St. Germain and dial signed S B Paillard in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which as here has a surmounting putto with a dragon beneath the dial. Pierre Kjellberg, “Encyclopédie de la Pendule Française du Moyen Age au XXe Siècle”, 1997, p. 91, pl. B, illustrating a very similar Rococo cartel with bracket surmounted as here with a putto above a dragon within the bracket, the clock with a movement by Julien le Roy à Paris.
This rare cartel clock epitomises the exotic nature of Rococo art as well as the highest degree of quality achieved by masters during Louis XV’s reign. The dial has rare blue numerals, which is evidence of its high quality; it was executed by Antoine-Nicolas Martinière (1706-84), whose talents so impressed King Louis XV that he was appointed Emailleur et Pensioneur du Roi (as signed on the reverse of the dial). The date of the dial’s completion 1747 perfectly corresponds with the stamp of the C-couronné on the case, which rather than a signature was visible proof that it was completed between March 1745 and February 1749, corresponding with a royal edict that all bronzes were to be struck with this mark between those dates.
The overall style and quality of the case shares much in common with the work of the esteemed bronzier Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain (1719-91). As here he delighted in portraying animated putti perched in precarious positions, appearing as if they are about to tumble from the clock case, such as his mantle clock case in the Musée de Carnavalet, Paris (of which there is an identical model illustrated in Pierre Kjellberg, ibid. p. 117, pl. F.) The overall design also looks to the designs of the great Rococo ébéniste Charles Cressent, such as a comparable case in the J. Paul Getty Museum and at the same time reflects the Rococo designs of Juste Aurèle Meissonier, who often included putti in similar poses (e.g. a design for a candlestick with cascading putti of 1728, Ottomeyer op. cit. p. 102, pl. 2.1.1), as well as a finished candlestick in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence, (Ottomeyer op. cit. p. 103, pl. 2.1.3.)
Jean-Joseph St. Germain was one of the most important Parisian fondeur-ciseleurs of his day and as such created some of the most notable cases in the Rococo style such as the ‘Diana the Huntress’ clock in the Musée du Louvre, Paris as well as other magnificent cases featuring rhinoceros and elephants (of which there are also examples in the Louvre). He later played an important role in the Neo-classical movement, casting for instance the ‘Genius of Denmark’ clock (1765, Copenhagen Amalienborg). The son of an ébéniste Joseph de Saint-Germain (maître 1750), who specialised in the production of veneered clock and barometer cases, Jean-Joseph initially followed his father’s line before specialising in the production of bronze cases. Though he practised in this field from 1742 working ouvrier libre he was not received into the guild as a maître until 1748, but by that date he had already established his name as one of the finest and more innovative bronziers. His fascination with botany meant that he often included detailed varieties of vegetation. Equal was his interest in the animal world and especially for unusual creatures – of which the dragon was certainly the most exotic. The dragon, which is an attribute of Vigilance, was occasionally, like the snake, associated with time and thus appears with Aurora, goddess of the Dawn on another exotic Rococo clock case, circa 1740, of which there is an example in the Cleveland Museum of Art (Ottomeyer op. cit p. 108, pl. 2.2.2). Another reason why dragons were fashionable design motifs at this period was due to the Rococo fascination with the east and in particular China, thus they like Chinamen and Chinoiserie designs often appear on clock cases and other luxury pieces. The dragon was one of China’s most familiar motifs, and as the first of all animals, it was and is a symbol of masculinity, light, growth and life-giving water. Furthermore as king of the animals it is also represents nobility and royalty.
In addition to the magnificent case, the clock boasts a dial painted no less than Antoine-Nicolas Martinière, who as the first artist to create a complete enamel dial, was appointed Emailleur et Pensioneur du Roi. Because of the fragile and volatile nature of enamel, prior to 1740 complete enamelled dials had been restricted to watches. By the late seventeenth century clock dials featured separate enamel plaques to display the hours; then followed an attempt to create complete dials out of 13 or 25 individual pieces which were fitted together to form a seemingly smooth surface. But all this was to change, thanks to Martinière’s dramatic technical advances.
His unprecedented innovation is best summed up in his own words, which appeared in 1740 in Mercure de France. In his Lettre écrite de Paris à un horloger de Province sur les Cadrans d’Email, Martinière wrote “You ask me, Sir, to find out from the Porcelain Manufacturers if they could make you a Clock Dial one foot in diameter, because you tell me that you know it is impossible to make any of this size all in enamel, like Watch Dials. It is true that until recently this was impossible in the City, and even at Court: here is an example. The King ordered a Clock, and H. M. wished that the Dial be all of one piece, in enamel, and 14 inches in diameter. The one who received the order could only reply that he would attempt to carry it out, not that he would succeed. The Sr Martinière, Enameller, in the rue Dauphine, undertook this task, and succeeded so well in all respects, that he had the honour of presenting it himself to His Majesty, who was agreeably surprised, and gave him signs of satisfaction with so much kindness that he returned to Paris, enchanted with so happy a success, and resolved to carry out new studies in order to advance as much in his Art as would be possible...” It was probably at this time that the King granted Martinière a pension and the title of Emailleur et Pensioneur du Roi. Louis XV, whose interest in horology extended beyond the realms of a collector but also as a benefactor, rewarded certain craftsmen of outstanding talent. In addition to Martinière, the Royal Treasury also granted pensions to a select number of clockmakers such as Julien and Pierre III Le Roy, Ferdinand Berthoud, Jean V Martinot and Pierre Millot.
Martinière supplied enamel dials to many of the most esteemed clockmakers including Baillon, Bailly, Lepaute and Julien Le Roy, whose clock with a Martinière dial is among the many fine clocks in the Waddesdon Manor Collection, Buckinghamshire, (and is signed on the reverse in a similar manner as here). Other examples of his enamelled work can be found in the Wallace Collection, London, as well as the Musée de Château de Versailles and the J. Paul Getty Museum, California. Martinière and his wife, Geneviève Larsé had one son, Jacques-Nicolas (b. 1738) who became a clockmaker. At the time of his son’s birth the Martinières were living in rue Haute des Ursins. By 1740 Martinière was established at the sign of the ‘Cadran d’Email’ in rue Dauphine and then from 1741-55 in rue des Cinq Diamants in the parish of Saint-Jacques de la Boucherie.
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