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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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A rare Louis XVI patinated and gilt bronze mantle clock of eight day duration, signed on the white enamel dial Lacan à Paris and likewise on the movement, the dial with Roman and Arabic numerals and an inner calendar ring for the 31 days of the month, with a fine pair of gilt brass hands for the hours and minutes and a blued steel pointer for the calendar indications, with a free swinging pendulum with a pierced star centred bob showing through the glazed pendulum aperture set beneath the dial within the main plinth. The high quality movement with anchor escapement, silk thread suspension, striking on the hour and half hour with outside count wheel. The magnificent case with a wreath wrapped bezel upon a shaped pedestal surmounted by ribbon-tied musical instruments including a flute, horn, violin, tambourine and sheets of music, while to the left stands a semi-draped patinated figure of a putti playing a flute, standing on further sheets of music and facing another putti who plays a lyre seated on the other side of the clock drum, the whole upon a stepped breakfronted rectangular base with running guilloche border on turned feet Paris, date circa 1770-75 Height 38 cm, width 34 cm, depth 14 cm. The case, of a very rare and possibly unique design, is conceived in the goût Grec of the 1770’s and like other clocks from this era features pairs of putti or genies. In some instances such genies either hold or are accompanied by scientific or astronomical instruments but in this case the subject clearly revolves around a musical theme. As such the clock case can loosely be compared with one made by Robert Osmond of circa 1770 housing a movement by Bourgeois à Paris which shows a pair of musical genies seated either side of the clock mounted upon a short column (illustrated in Hans Ottomeyer and Peter Pröschel, “Vergoldete Bronzen”, 1986, p. 195, pl. 3.12.7). The clock’s movement was made by the Parisian maker Henri Lacan (also referred to by Tardy as Lacau), almost certainly assisted by his son Henri-Charles-Jean Lacan. Henri, the father was received as a maître-horloger in 1756 and ten years later was elected a juré of his guild. By 1770 he had a workshop in the rue du Bourg-l’Abbé, where from 1772 he worked in conjunction with his son Henri-Charles-Jean. The latter, who married the daughter of the horloger Dutour, was received as a maître in 1771 and by 1773 was also a juré. By 1881 he had moved to rue Saint-Martin and then by 1783 to rue Saint-Denis but unfortunately in 1788 was in prison, possibly due to financial troubles. Over the years Lacan created a number of fine clocks, from Louis XV to Louis XVI cartels as well as a range of mantle clocks. Amongst others Lacan worked with fondeurs Leligois, Gérard and Luc-Philippe Thomire, father of Pierre-Philippe Thomire. |