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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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A superb late Louis XVI gilt bronze mounted enamel and marble skeleton clock of eight day duration signed Ridel Paris on the case just below the main dial. The main dial with a white enamel chapter ring with black Arabic numerals for the hours and minutes and inner red Arabic numerals 1-31 for the days of the month, with a very fine pair of pierced gilt brass hands for the hours and minutes and a pair of blued steel pointers for the seconds and for the calendar indications, the cut-out dial centre to reveal the skeletonised movement with anchor escapement, silk thread suspension, striking on the hour and half hour on a single bell, with outside count wheel, with a free swinging Apollo head pendulum hanging between the arched frame. The main dial surmounted by a subsidiary calendar dial showing the days of the month and their corresponding signs of the zodiac indicated by a blued steel pointer, with two further subsidiary dials below the main dial, the one to the left with a finely painted moon and outer Arabic numerals for the 29 ½ days of the lunar month, the other subsidiary dial to the right showing the days of the week and their corresponding symbols, both subsidiary dials with a central blue painted star and blued steel pointers. The gold star-studded dark blue enamel arched frame on white marble Doric columns on a rectangular white marble base centred by a flower head and flanked by a quatrefeuille centred entrelac frieze on toupie feet Paris, date circa 1790 Height 50 cm, width 28 cm, depth 15 cm. Literature: Pierre Kjellberg, “Encyclopédie de la Pendule Française du Moyen Age au XXe Siècle”, 1997, p. 319, pl. A, illustrating a Directoire skeleton clock by Laurent Ridel, signed Ridel à Paris below the main dial within a cartouche, with a very similar star-studded dark blue arched enamel frame as well as the same white marble Doric columns and base but with a differing frieze portraying putti in the style of Clodion, a different arrangement of the subsidiary dials and indicating the 30 day Republican calendar, in the Musée François-Duesberg, Mons, Belgium. An expert in his field, Laurent Ridel’s name is only associated with cases of the very highest quality. He used those made by the fondeurs Jean-Simon Deverberie, for example an Egyptian monumental clock as well as a Pendule ‘L’Afrique’ and also those by Antoine-André Ravrio, notably a chariot clock with Cupid pulled by a pair of spaniels. Other bronze cases were supplied by Pierre-François Feuchères, Jean-François Denière, Mathelin and Lemoyne. Ridel also had dials and enamel decoration executed by the finest artists, notably Joseph Coteau and Georges-Adrien Merlet. He is also noted to have used springs made by Monginot l’Aîné. Although little is known of his early life, Ridel appears to have made his name before the Revolution since Jean-Dominique Augarde notes that he supplied a cartel clock to Mesdames Victoire and Adelaïde at Bellevue before 1789. Ridel continued his success during the Directoire period and by 1800 was established at rue aux Ours, Paris. In addition to the skeleton clock and a Pendule ‘L’Afrique’ by Ridel in the Musée François-Duesberg, the Metropolitan Museum, New York owns another of his clocks. Skeleton clocks such as this that showed all parts of their movements, were greatly in vogue toward the end of Louis XVI’s reign. This period was noted firstly for several technical advances, which encouraged clockmakers to exhibit their own innovations and secondly for the evident desire on the part of the clock and case makers to recreate a more delicate and lighter appearance in contrast to the more solid earlier case models. This effect was enhanced by the replacement of pure gilt bronze by enamel work, as evident in this example. |