A beautiful and very rare Louis XVI gilt bronze and marble Pendule Temple cercles tournants clock known as ‘Temple de l’Amour’ attributed to Joseph-Léonard Roque of eight day duration. The clock shaped as a circular temple with the hours and minutes indicated on individual white enamel plaques set on two revolving horizontal bands, the top band marked with Arabic numerals and indications for the five minute intervals, the lower band with Roman hour numerals, with a downward projecting gilt brass arrow-head pointer to show the time. The revolving bands above the visible spring barrel movement with anchor escapement, striking on the hour and half hour on a single bell above a free swinging Apollo mask head pendulum. The upper gallery with movement and dial bands ornamented with palm frond columns and drapery beneath a domed marble roof surmounted by a gilt bronze Chinaman seated beneath a bell-hung parasol, the gallery supported by four gilt foliate wrapped marble columns centred by a biscuit porcelain putto holding a dove, on a circular galleried base Height 54.5 cm, diameter 21.5 cm. Paris, date circa 1775-85 Literature: Tardy, “Les Plus Belles Pendules Françaises”, 1994, p. 88, illustrating four comparable pendules temple; one of them, which is in the Kunstindustrimuseet, Copenhagen, has a movement by Joseph-Léonard Roque and likewise is surmounted by seated a Chinaman and has a biscuit figurine below as well as a sunburst pendulum. Pierre Kjellberg, “Encyclopédie de la Pendule Française du Moyen Age au XXe Siècle”, 1997, p. 293, pl. E., illustrating an almost identical clock. During the eighteenth century revolving-band clocks, known as cercles tournants became very popular, particularly in France, allowing ample scope for elaborate casework. The idea was first used in 16th century globe clocks, possibly developed from early Gothic moving dial clocks, which likewise had a fixed pointer. The concept was more fully exploited when a number of later Parisian makers, such as Jean Léonard Roque (d. after 1789), introduced separate hour and minute bands. Although the present example does not appear to be signed it was almost certainly made by Jean Léonard Roque. A brilliant mechanic, Roque specialised in the production of similarly complex luxury pieces and in particular made a number of cercles tournants. Among them is the example in the Kunstindustrimuseet, Copenhagen as well as another in the Musée de Bâle. Roque’s ingenuity owed much to his early training under the mechanical expert Alexis Magny (1712- d. after 1793) as it did to his subsequently experience as assistant to Claude-Siméon Passemant (1702-69). During that period Roque made the mechanisms for Passemant’s pair of moving globes (1759, supplied to the marquis de Marigny who offered them to the King); He also made the mechanisms for Passemant’s extraordinary ‘Creation of the World’ clock, with case by F-T Germain (1754, Musée du Château de Versailles). Roque worked for Passemant until the latter’s death in 1769. A few months later he was received as a maître, having already obtained lodgings in the Vieux Louvre within the Colonnades building. He was later in the Passage du Saumon, 1772-89. After Passemant’s death Roque tended to specialise in the production of complex luxury clocks. As here some incorporated revolving bands including one showing full calendar indications and signs of the zodiac within a clock representing ‘Great Britain and Mars Reposing’ (illus. D. Augarde, “Les Ouvriers du Temps”, 1996, p. 237). He also made the movements for a remarkable pair of matching gilt bronze and marble clock and calendar vases, (made for the marquis de Brunoy 1774, now Rothschild Collection Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire). One can also admire his work in the Musée du Louvre and National des Techniques in Paris, Musée Paul Dupuy in Toulouse, the Hermitage Museum at Saint Petersburg, the Huntingdon Collection, San Marino, California and in the Swedish Royal Collections. As Horloger du Roi, Roque supplied clocks to Louis XV and his daughters Mesdames Victoire and Adelaïde as well as Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. He was also patronised by the comte de Provence, the duc de Polignac, the marquis de Brunoy, MM. Beaujon and de Boulogne. All would have delighted in his ingenious mechanisms as well as his fine cases, which were supplied by such brilliant masters as Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain, François Vion, Jean-Louis Prieur, Nicolas Bonnet, François Rémond and Beaucourt. Despite his illustrious patronage Roque appears to have gone bankrupt c. 1785-6, but probably through the intervention of the Châtelet and his appointment as pensionnaire du Roi in 1786 he continued working up until the beginning of the Revolution.