French Empire Ormolu Mantel Clock “Lettre d’Amour”, Att. François-Louis Savart
Located in New York, NY
An Important French Empire Ormolu Mantel Clock “Lettre d’Amour,” Attributed to François-Louis Savart, Paris The clock is formed with a rectangular case rising from a shaped plinth base set on four flattened bun feet. The base displays a continuous frieze cast in relief with two sheep flanking a central urn, framed by scrolling foliage at each end. Above, the main case supports a circular white enamel dial with Roman numerals and two winding apertures, enclosed within a beaded ormolu bezel. Beneath the dial, a rectangular panel is cast with a reclining male figure in a landscape setting, accompanied by trees. To the left, a female figure is seated on a cushion supported by an X form empire stool, her body turned toward the dial. She raises one hand toward her face while a bird rests on her knee, and she holds a circular medallion bearing a profile portrait. To the right, a tripod table stands on three supports formed as winged griffins with lion heads and clawed feet. The table surface holds a writing box with an open lid, a quill, and a candlestick. The surfaces throughout are finished in gilt, with visible chasing across the figures, drapery, and ornamental borders. The clock is attributed to François Louis Savart, a bronzier active in Paris. Savart produced objects in gilt bronze including clocks, candelabra, and decorative mounts. He maintained a workshop in Paris where he developed figural clock models incorporating classical motifs and narrative subjects. Comparable models associated with Savart include figural compositions with seated female figures, auxiliary furniture elements, and narrative relief panels, reflecting established design types within Parisian bronze production. Savart’s workshop operated within the Paris bronze industry, where cast ormolu objects were produced using sand casting followed by chasing and gilding. The construction of this clock case reflects the use of multiple cast components assembled into a unified structure, including separately cast figures, furniture elements, and applied relief panels. The inclusion of tripod tables, X form seating, and winged supports corresponds to design sources drawn from Greco Roman models that were adapted in Empire period decorative arts. The precise casting, crisp chasing, and consistent gilt surface across the figures, mounts, and relief panels indicate a high level of production quality, with the complexity of the assembled components supporting its desirability among Paris ormolu figural clocks...
1810s French Antique Empire Furniture
Gold Plate, Bronze
