Fire-Gilded Bronze, 19th Century Rouen Cathedral Clock with Music Box

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About the Item

Rouen cathedral clock Fire gilded bronze case - Bavozet Freres - 20" high Rosewood veneer base with music box - 6-1/2" high, 1835, Paris The entirely complete fire-gilded bronze case represents the south façade (called the Portail de la Calende) (see photo) of Rouen Cathedral, rather than the more familiar west front, which, due to its its proportions and asymmetries, may have been thought an unsuitable model. This case was made in Paris by Bavozet Frères et Soeur, and is an exacting miniature. Hans Ottomeyer and Peter Proschel’s 1986 Vergoldete Bronzen pictures Bavozet Frères’ gilt bronze clock case in the form of Rheims Cathedral, which it dates to 1835. The caption describes an 1837 issue of the Almanach du Commerce, which mentions the firm’s other clock cases, in the forms of the cathedrals of Notre Dame de Paris and Rouen. A leading Paris founder, Bavozet Frères et Soeur began business by 1823 and cast these architectural models until at least 1847. At the 1834 ‘Exposition des Produits de L’Industrie Francaise’, the firm exhibited gilded bronze miniatures of the facades of both Rheims Cathedral and Rouen Cathedral. Bavozet later made miniatures of Notre Dame de Paris, as well another of Rheims, at a larger scale The fire-gilding process, with which these models were finished, involved coating the finished bronze casting with an amalgam of mercury and gold, then applying a torch, which caused the mercury to vaporize, leaving behind a thin gilt layer. The Airborne mercury, of course, was terrifically toxic, sufficiently so that this method of gilding was banned in France beginning in the later 1830s. This clock is extremely unusual in that it includes a music box in the handsome inlaid wooden base. The original keys which operate the music box and the clock are included, though the music box and clock works have not been recently maintained. Minor restorations have been made.

Creator:
Bavozet Freres et Soeurs 1 (Maker)
Dimensions:
Height: 26.5 in (67.31 cm)Width: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)Depth: 10 in (25.4 cm)
Style:
Grand Tour (In the Style Of)
Materials and Techniques:
Bronze,Gilt
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
Early 19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1835
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. The dimensions below include the base. The clock itself is 20" high x 13.5" wide x 6.5" deep.
Seller Location:
Lafayette, CA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1143210488511

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