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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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A very important and rare Louis XV gilt bronze cartel clock, with movement by Louis-David Carre and magnificent case by the celebrated bronzier Jacques Caffiéri, signed on the white enamel dial L D Carre and also on the base of the case Caffieri fecit. The dial with Roman and Arabic numerals with a beautiful pair of pierced gilt brass hands for the hours and minutes. The twin-barrel movement striking on the hour and half hour, with outside count wheel. The magnificent case of asymmetrical cartouche outline decorated overall with floral and foliate scrolls surmounted by Apollo who leans upon a cloud with a taut bow in the act of shooting an arrow at a dragon which emerges from a cave and crouches on rockwork beneath the dial, with laurel branches, oak leaves and roses either side of the dial Paris, date circa 1745 Height 77 cm, width 50.5 cm. Provenance: Very Possibly Monsieur Aquarone, by 1877 (as described by Jules Guiffrey). Literature: Jules Guiffrey, “Les Caffiéri: sculpteurs et fondeurs-ciseleurs. Etude sur la statuaire et sur l’art du bronze en France au XVIIe et XVIIIe siècle”, 1877, pp. 97-98, describing a cartel of the same description, with the same signatures on the dial and case though of slightly different measurements but very possibly the same clock as here. Many consider Jacques Caffiéri (1678-1755) to be the most important and prestigious bronzier of his day. As the scholar Pierre Verlet notes “His technique and the beauty of his gilding, the virtuosity of his rocaille and floral designs, the number of signed bronzes –often dated and nearly always of the highest quality – set him apart as one of the most and probably the most important of his time.” (P. Verlet, “Les Bronzes Dorés Français du XVIIIe siècle”, 1999, p. 193). Elsewhere Verlet noted that of those in the full Louis XV style “there is no residence of any importance where these bronzes could not fail to astonish all who view them.” (Verlet, p. 60). He was not alone in his praise; other scholars to place Caffiéri in the forefront of “the pantheon of French art” include Jules Guiffrey, whose well respected book on the Caffiéri family, published in 1877 described a cartel clock of the same description as here. The model seems to be very rare indeed, if not unique and thus because Guiffrey’s description corresponds so closely to the present clock, (except for the small variation in size) it is very likely that he was referring to this exact clock. In it he noted “A gilt bronze cartel belonging to Monsieur Aquarone. It measures 74 cm in height and 52 cm in width. The dial is placed in the centre of rockwork at the base of which is a monster or dragon emerging from a cave. Apollo sitting on the top of the rock is preparing to shoot the monster with his arrows; his bow is taut and he is about to release his arrow. To the right and left are laurel branches and oak leaves mingled with roses as an accompaniment to the dial which is signed by the clock maker L. D. Carre Paris. The same name is visible on the back of the clock. Finally at the base of the case one can decipher in small but clear engraved script the name of the ciseleur Caffieri fecit.” According to Guiffrey, Caffiéri designed and executed the bronzes himself; this seems to be the case because he held the title of chief designer to the maîtrise des fondeurs-ciseleurs. Guiffrey continued to mention the high quality of the sculpture especially the arms and legs of Apollo and the laurel branches which are characteristic of the style of the period: with a mixture of rocaille and scrolls and counter scrolls, sinuous lines both floral and inanimate. In this ornamentation Apollo takes his place as a vengeful spirit ready to let loose an arrow at the emerging dragon. Jacques Caffiéri inherited a rich practical knowledge from his father Philippe Caffiéri (1634-1716), a carver, sculptor and bronzier who had travelled from Naples at the request of Cardinal Mazarin and was later employed at the Gobelins with an appointment as sculpteur de Roi. Jacques was elected to the Académie de Saint-Luc as a sculptor and shortly before 1715 was accepted as a maître fondeur-ciseleur. From then until his death he resided at rue des Canettes. From 1736 onward he was constantly employed by the Crown, being appointed fondeur-ciseleur des Bâtiments du Roi and as such produced works for many of the royal palaces. His most important royal commissions included the creation of a large astronomical clock after designs by C.-S. Passement, now at Versailles as well as two monumental high Rococo chandeliers in gilt bronze, now in the Wallace Collection, London. Caffiéri was also commissioned by the Crown to execute two large gilt bronze mirror frames after designs by the architect A.-J. Gabriel, which Louis XV presented to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Amongst other important pieces was a Louis XV commode made in collaboration with Antoine Gaudreau for Louis XV’s bedchamber at Versailles in 1739 (now in the Wallace Collection) as well as the figures of Flora and Zephyr adorning a chimney piece in the Dauphin’s bedchamber at Versailles. In addition to prominent collections cited above, Jacques Caffiéri’s work can be admired in many other important world collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the Residenzmuseum in Munich as well as Cleveland Museum of Art. The movement was made by the well respected Parisian maître Louis-David Carre (1718-79), who came from a strong clockmaking background, counting his father Jean Carre as well as his maternal uncle by marriage Julien Le Roy, under whom he was apprenticed in 1743. Five years later Carre was received into the guild of horlogers by privilege of the Galeries du Louvre and a Council decree of February that year. As a sign of his standing he was appointed Garde-Visiteur (1768-70 and 1775) and then syndic of his guild, 1776. He not only became very successful but also wealthy and after being established at rue du Four from 1750, in 1755 he purchased the hôtel de Mouÿ in rue Dauphine for 100,000 livres. Carre produced a number of very fine clocks and watches, a few of which were made in association with his father-in-law Pierre II Le Roy (brother of Julien Le Roy), which were signed ‘Pierre Le Roy et Carre’. In addition to Caffiéri, Carre used cases by the Osmonds and Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain and counted among his clientele the ducs de la Rochefoucauld, de Bouillon and de Chaulnes as well as the marquis d’Espagnac and Saint-Simon. |