Pendulum Au Rhinoceros De Style Louis XV Xixeme Siecle

About the Item

Louis xv style rhinoceros clock of the 19th century The rhinoceros is surmounted by a box containing the clock, the movement engraved "Martin/ AParis" is surmounted by a Chinese character holding a parasol and flanked by garlands of flowers, on a rock base. Dimensions: Height: 65cm. (25½in.); Width: 41cm. (16 in.); Depth: 19cm. (7 ½ in.) Clocks adorned with animals, often exotic such as rhinos, elephants and lions, were very fashionable in the 18th century. The ornamentalists employed all their genius to create an incredible variety of details on these clocks, thus following the versatility of tastes and contemporary events. The arrival of a living rhinoceros in Rotterdam in 1741, its trip to Versailles at the beginning of January 1749 and finally to Paris on February 3, 1749, created a real stir among the population but also among artists who rushed to broadcast his image and incorporate it on various supports including clocks. Mercer merchants were of course quick to seize this event to create a real craze around this animal which touched the whole of Europe as evidenced by the representation of a clock of our model on the portrait of Princess Marie-Louise de Bourbon-Parme by Laurent Pécheux dated 1765 and preserved at Palazzo Pitti in Florence. Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain was undoubtedly the bronzier who determined the archetype of the rhinoceros clock. He created three variants. The first is inspired by Dürer's famous engraving of a stocky-legged rhinoceros. A copy was in the Alexander collection (Christie's New York sale, April 30, 1999). The second version is inspired by Joachim Kändler's rhinoceros, modeled in Meissen in 1747 after his visit to Dresden. He is shown with his head raised. The last version was created in 1749 during the stay of the rhinoceros in Paris. A copy is kept at the Louvre Museum in the Grog-Carven collection. None of the known rhinoceros clocks is signed by the same watchmaker, again underlining the popularity of this model. But a copy quite close to the present clock, signed by François Vigier and coming from the Djahanguir Riahi collection, was sold at Christie's, London, on December 6, 2012. Let us also mention a clock signed by Jean-Baptiste Baillon sold on November 2, 2000 at Christie's in New York. The copy closest to our clock corresponds to the one from the art market and reproduced in H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel, Vergoldete bronzen, Munich, 1986, volume 2, p. 525, fig. 2, which can be found on the aforementioned portrait of the Princess of Bourbon-Parme. The watch has a signature.

Dimensions:

Height: 25.6 in (65 cm)Width: 16.15 in (41 cm)Depth: 7.49 in (19 cm)

Style:

Louis XV (In the Style Of)

Materials and Techniques:

Bronze

Period:

19th Century

Date of Manufacture:

Unknown

Condition:

Repaired: - A delicate restoration was carried out - The bronze was polished and restored. Wear consistent with age and use.