A highly important Louis XVI gilt and patinated bronze and white marble mantel clock of eight day duration representing the Vestal Virgins Carrying the Sacred Fire, with movement by Pierre-Claude Raguet-Lépine housed in a magnificent case attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire, signed on the white enamel dial Lépine/ HER. Du Roy Place des Victoires and also signed and numbered on the movement Lépine hger du Roy Paris/ no 4276 with later markings 580/WO and 2836/AM and also signed on the dial reverse Barbichon. The dial by Edme-Portail Barbichon with a dual Roman and Arabic hour chapter ring and a circle around the number one, with an outer Arabic minute ring and inner red numerals for the 31 days of the month with a fine pair of pierced gilt brass hands for the hours and minutes and pierced blued steel hand 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 case with a pair of Vestal Virgins carrying a draped casket housing the clock itself surmounted by a flaming tripod brazier on sphinx supports, headed by ram’s heads and flanked by a tazza and pitcher, the figures and casket on a shaped rectangular white marble plinth with rounded ends centred by a gilt frieze cast with putti playing flanked by square plaques mounted with the figures of Calliop to the left and Uranie to the right, supported on four reclining lions resting on a rectangular white marble base Paris, date circa 1785-90 Height 64 cm, width 53.5 cm, depth 18.5 cm. Provenance: Jean Grillon des Chapelles (1732-1813). Amador-Jean-Pierre Grillon des Chapelles (1768-1853), son of the latter and thence by descent and remaining at Château des Chapelles, Indre until recent years. Literature: Ernest Dumonthier, “Les Bronzes du Mobilier National, Pendules et Cartels”, 1910, p. 5, illustrating a design from 1790 by Jean Démosthène Dugourc for a chimney piece for the bedroom of Madame Adélaïde which shows a clock of the same model in central position on the mantelpiece. Hans Ottomeyer and Peter Pröschel, “Vergoldete Bronzen”, 1986, p. 297, pl. 4.18.5, illustrating a similar clock with case by Pierre-Philippe Thomire and dial signed Sauvageot à Paris. Tardy, “Les Plus Belles Pendules Françaises”, 1994, pp. 184-5, illustrating a similar clock by Pierre-Philippe Thomire with movement by Robert Robin with Sèvres porcelain plaques in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. Jean-Dominique Augarde, “Les Ouvriers du Temps”, 1996, p. 240, pl. 189, illustrating a similar clock with case by Pierre-Philippe Thomire with Sèvres plaques and movement by Robert Robin in the Corcoran Gallery, Washington. Pierre Kjellberg, “Encyclopédie de la Pendule Française du Moyen Age au XXe Siècle”, 1997, p. 266, illustrating the example in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris and p. 267, illustrating a very similar clock signed on the dial Manière à Paris. Sixteen examples of this model are known including examples cited above as well as one in the Minneapolis Institute of Art (supported on leopards instead of lions) as well as two others in the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Five of the known examples are decorated with Sèvres plaques, one of which was included in the 1793 inventory of clocks belonging to Marie-Antoinette; it was delivered to the Queen for her boudoir at Château de Saint-Cloud in 1788 by the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre and is now in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. Another with a movement by Robin is in the Corcoran Museum while another with movement by Pierre-Claude Raguet-Lépine was recorded in New York with the Dalva Brothers. There are two examples with an imitation Wedgewood frieze on the base and movement by F. L. Godon, clockmaker to the King of Spain, one of which was delivered to the Queen’s sister the duchesse de Saxe-Teschen while the other is in El Museo Nacional des Artes Decorativas, Madrid. The assumption that the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre owned the model is confirmed by a corresponding description in the inventory drawn up after his death which notes: ‘X une autre pendule dite les porteuses mouvement ajusté dans une espece de brancart surmonté d’un petit autel le tout en bronze doré au mat et porté par deux figures de femmes en bronze de couleur antique avec socle de marbre blanc à bas relief porté par quatre roues en bronze noir et sur double socle en marbre bleu turquin’. The attribution to the pre-eminent bronzier Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843) is confirmed in an article by Alvar González-Palacios in “Connaissance des Arts”, September 1976, pp. 11-13, in which he cites Pierre Verlet, who discovered documents from the Sèvres porcelain factory 1788 which note that all the aforementioned mounts for Marie-Antoinette’s clock were provided by Thomire. Furthermore González-Palacios cites other very similar models that are signed by Thomire such as one formerly owned by Pauline Bonaparte-Borghese (now in the British Embassy, Paris). It is believed that all other models of this clock were executed by Thomire. The model itself was derived from an engraving after Hubert Robert, published by the Abbé de Saint-Non in “Recueil des Griffonis”, 1771-73. Jean Démosthène Dugourc (1749-1825), one of the most famous French draughtsmen working in ornamental design during the second half of the eighteenth century is known to have completed a design in 1790 for Madame Adélaïde’s bedroom, featuring a clock of identical design at centre stage (reproduced in Dumonthier, see above). The clock itself was made by the royal clockmaker Pierre-Claude Raguet-Lépine (1753-1810), who was in many respects just as successful and as illustrious as his father-in-law Jean-Antoine I Lépine (1720-1814) with whom he worked in close association and whose business he succeeded in 1784. Born in Dôle, Pierre-Claude married Jean-Antoine’s daughter Pauline in 1782, having already invested 16,000 livres in his future father-in law’s business, he then purchased a third share in 1783 and finally took over the business in June 1784 under the name of Lépine à Paris, Horloger du Roi [or Roy]. Prior to this he had worked as a compagnon to Jean-Antoine I Lépine, then in 1785 he was received as a maître and by the following year was established at place des Victoires (the address on the present dial). Raguet-Lépine not only became prosperous from his clock productions but also dealt in diamonds and precious stones. His clocks and watches were of the highest quality and as such were supplied to the cream of society, including the comte de Provence and Louis XV’s daughters at Château de Bellevue. He was also a member of the jury responsible for deciding upon a new Republican time system (1793); during the Empire he was appointed Horloger breveté de Sa Majesté l’Impératrice-Reine, 1805 and four years later was titled Horloger d’Impératrice Joséphine while his other clientele included Napoleon I, Jérôme King of Westphalia, Charles IV King of Spain, the princes Talleyrand, Kourakine (the Russian Ambassador) and Schwarzenberg (the Austrian Ambassador). Such was his success that he needed a large workforce which included a number of his relatives including Jean-Antoine II Lépine, who managed the workshop as well as Jean-Louis Lépine in Geneva and Jacques Lépine in Kassel, Germany. As here his cases were supplied by Pierre-Philippe Thomire and by other leading bronziers such as F. Rémond, F. Vion, E. Martincourt, the Feuchères and Duports while his dials were supplied by such fine enamellists as Coteau, Dubuisson, Cave, Merlet and as here by Barbichon. Today Raguet-Lépine’s work can be admired in such collections as the Musée du Louvre, Château de Compiègne, the British Royal Collection, Musée International d’Horlogerie at La Chaux-des-Fonds, Deutsches Uhrenmuseum Furtwangen, Schloss Wilhemshöhe Kassel, the Patrimonio Nacional in Spain, the Hermitage Saint Petersburg as well as the Detroit Institute of Arts and Minneapolis Institute of Arts. As noted above the dial was painted by Edme-Portail Barbichon, who was among a number of fine enamellists during the latter half of the eighteenth century. Although little is known about him, his name is always associated with the finest clocks and makers, counting among them the great horologist Ferdinand Berthoud (1727-1807) who was appointed Horloger Mécanicien de Sa Majesté et de la Marine ayant l’inspection de la Construction des Horloges Marines and also Charles Bertrand (1746-89) Horloger de l’Académie Royle des Sciences. The dial numerals are of particular interest since the hour chapter combines both Arabic and Roman numerals which was a feature specific to the House of Lépine but was abandoned by them in about 1789. Another unique feature is the circle around the number one, presumably to create an aesthetic balance with the XI; it was Raguet-Lépine’s father-in-law Jean-Antoine who particularly favoured this latter decoration which suggests that although he handed over the running of the business to his son in law in 1784 he still played a role. The importance of the clock not only rests upon its beauty and quality as well as its design and makers but also its history especially as unlike so many other eighteenth century luxury pieces it has remained in the same family until very recently. It was originally owned by Jean Grillon des Chapelles (1732-1813). Born in Chateauroux 1732 and baptised in December that year, he came from a family of wealthy silk merchants and was the son of Rene Grillon (1685-1747) and Marie née Rabier. Having studied law in Paris he was then appointed an avocet au parlement in Paris 1764. The following year he married Amador-Thérèse Delarue (1741-77), daughter of Pierre Delarue, one of the King’s Secretaries. As a payee of rents to the Hotel de Ville in Paris, during the Revolution he then renounced all former associations with the royal family and made his fortune by overseeing supplies to the army. At about this time he purchased the ancient Hôtel de Charollais and then the Hôtel belonging to the heirs of Lebas de Courmont in la rue d’Anjou Saint-Honoré. In 1803 he gave the furnishings from the latter home to his children. An inventory drawn up in 1814, the year after Jean Grillon des Chapelle’s death, lists this clock which valued at 500 francs was the most expensive piece within the collection and appears to have been placed on the mantelpiece in the grand salon. As the most valued work, the clock was kept by his eldest son Amador-Jean-Pierre Grillon des Chapelles (1768-1853), who moved it to Château des Chapelles where it remained until very recent years, having been passed down through the various generations of the family. In 1943 an inventory was made of the castle in which this clock was listed as “une pendule bronze patiné et doré socle marbre blanc de LEPINE 12000 francs”. Among other very fine pieces from the same important collection was a Louis XVI commode en secrétaire by Jean-Henri Riesener which was sold in Paris, 15th December 1923, lot 5.