A Patinated Bronze Monumental Cercles Tournants Clock Garniture, By Deniere, Paris

A Rare and Exceptional Gilt and Patinated Bronze Monumental Cercles Tournants Clock Garniture, by Deniere, Paris.

The backplate signed 'DENIERE A PARIS 3088'.

This large and imposing clock garniture comprises a finely chased cercles tournants clock in the form of a terrestrial globe supported by three paintated bronze putti, accompanied by a pair of eight-light candelabra en-suite, modelled after a design by Jean-Louis Prieur (1732-1795).

The eight-day twin-barrelled clock movement striking on a bell is contained within a terrestrial globe with two rotating enamelled dials with Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for the minutes, a gilt bronze snake wrapping around the base of the globe indicating the time.  The globe is supported by three finely cast patinated bronze putti on a rockwork base with an overturned vase issuing water, emblematic of the Oceans and raised on a gilt-bronze acanthus cast re-entrant plinth base.  

The candelabra en-suite are each modelled as a pair of patinated bronze putti on naturalistic bases with a conforming acanthus cast gilt-bronze plinth, holding aloft a foliate stem issuing eight candle arms terminating in circular drip-trays cast with ‘C’-scrolls, and octagonal candle nozzles cast with guilloche and shell decoration.

This exceptional clock is after an eighteenth century model, one example of which is in the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum, London. (Illustrated, Tardy, French Clocks the World Over, Paris, 1981, p. 101).

A further eighteenth century example, with a movement by Jean Romilly was owned by the celebrated collector, the 4th marquess of Hertford and kept at the château de Bagatelle, the former home of the Comte d’Artois. (Photographed in the salon at Bagatelle by Charles Marville, reproduced, B. Pons, French Period Rooms 1650-1800, Dijon, 1995, p. 60).  Inherited by Sir Richard Wallace, and later Sir John Murray Scott, the clock was eventually sold by Christie’s, London, June 24-26, 1913, lot 258, for £241.10s to the dealer Wertheimer.  

French, Circa 1860.

Dimensions

The clock
Height :   80 cm / 31 inches
Diameter :   35 cm / 14 inches

The candelabra
Height:  88 cm / 35 inches
Width:  42 cm / 17 inches
Depth:  30 cm / 12 inches

Dimensions

Price on application

This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

Stock number