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A very fine small Louis XVI gilt and patinated bronze and onyx figural clock of eight day duration, signed on the white enamel dial Charles Du Tertre à Paris, with an exceptionally fine gilt bronze case attributed to the reputed Parisian bronzier François Vion. The white enamel dial with Arabic and Roman numerals and a very fine pair of gilt brass hands for the hours and minutes. The movement with anchor escapement and silk thread suspension, striking on the hour and half hour with outside countwheel. The finely cast case symbolizing War and Peace featuring an infant warrior wearing a helmet and carrying a spear and shield and a winged Cupid with bow and arrow, both standing either side of the dial, which is surmounted by cooing doves upon a billowing cloud, on a rectangular stepped gilt bronze plinth on a rectangular onyx base
Paris, date circa 1770
Height 29.5 cm, width 23.5 cm, depth 12.5 cm.
Literature: Hans Ottomeyer and Peter Pröschel, “Vergoldete Bronzen”, 1986, p. 180, pl. 3.7.6, illustrating an almost identical clock case by Vion in pure gilt bronze with ribbon-hung lion paw feet and pl. 3.7.8, showing a red chalk sketch for this case from the Vion workshop; the design, now housed in the Bibliothèque Doucet, Paris appears as no. 18 in the “Livre de desseins” and is described as a ‘Piece de Bureau’. Pierre Kjellberg, “Encyclopédie de la Pendule Française du Moyen Age au XXe Siècle”, 1997, p. 238, pl. B, illustrating a clock with movement by Folin à Paris housed in a very similar small sized case by Vion in pure gilt bronze with variations to the base.
The case can be attributed to François Vion (maître 1764, fl. 1764-c.1800), one of the leading Parisian bronziers of his day who became a maître in 1764. Apart from a few decorative gilt bronze accessories such as plinths for statuettes he appears to have specialized in making clock cases. He executed a number with classical figures as well those with animals such as a Pendule ‘au Lion’ housing a movement by Gudin à Paris made for the Ministère d’Etat, now at the Ministry of Finance, Paris. Vion is known to have worked with the clockmaker Furet during the 1780’s and also supplied quality cases to makers such as Charles and Jean-Baptiste Dutertre, Lepaute, Manière and Cronier. Among his finest sculptural cases is one housing a movement by Lepaute à Paris, representing ‘The Three Graces’, made for the comtesse du Barry at Château de Fontainebleau, now in the Musée du Louvre, Paris. The Musée Municipal, Besançon owns a clock with case by Vion surmounted by Venus and a putti after a design by E-M Falconet, while the Wrightsman Collection in the Metropolitan Museum, New York houses a biscuit porcelain figure of Cupid by Falconet placed on a gilt bronze base by Vion.
The movement was made by Charles Dutertre (d. before 1778), who came from an important dynasty of clockmakers. He was the son of Nicolas-Charles (1715-93), grandson of Jean-Baptiste I Dutertre (1684-1734) and nephew of the maître-horlogers, Jean-Baptiste II (d. 1773) and Jean Abraham (d. 1778). Charles was received as a maître in 1758 and worked with his father at Quai de l’Ecole. In addition to Vion, he used cases by the best makers including Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain as well as Robert and Jean-Baptiste Osmond, Michel Poisson, Jean-Baptiste Gaulier and Etienne Portellette. In turn he supplied movements to the marchand-mercier, Dominique Daguerre and was also patronised by royalty and aristocracy. The comte d’Artois, Prince Charles de Lorraine, the marquise de Langeac, Monsieur Grimod de la Reynière, Lalive de Bellegarde and Sollier all owned his work. His clocks are now housed in a number of important collections such as the Musée de Château de Versailles, the Musée Nissim-de-Camondo and Mobilier National in Paris, as well as the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
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