Getty Museum

Mantel Clock

Date

about 1772

Medium

Gilt bronze; enameled metal; glass

Culture

French

Department

Decorative Arts

Institution

Getty Museum

In 1790, this clock stood on the mantel of the *salle du conseil* (Council Room) of King of France Louis XVI (reigned 1774–1792) at the Tuileries Palace in Paris. With its allegorical figures of two scientific topics, it was an appropriate decoration for this setting. To the left, a female figure representing Astronomy sits with a celestial globe, while on the right, Geography holds a loosely rolled map. Though, as is often the case with bronze objects, the clock is not signed, a drawing of this work still survives, signed by the bronze caster Étienne Martincourt. Charles Le Roy, whose name appears on the dial and the movement of the clock, died in 1771, but two springs are dated 1772. Le Roy's son Étienne-Augustin must have finished the movement and signed his father's name, following an accepted practice of the time.

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