ORMOLU MANTEL ELEPHANT CLOCK
by Jacques CAFFIERI
PERIOD : XVIIIth century, Louis XV period, circa 1752
DIMENSIONS : height 35 ½ in width 19 in depth 13 ½ in
PROVENANCE :
- Collection of the Duc de Vivonne ;
- Collection of the Comtes de Mortemart, thence by descent.
MARKS :
- Base signed on the left side Caffieri fecit
- Dial signed Pierre Le Roy / à Paris
- The springs of the movement engraved twice 1752
DESCRIPTION :
A chiselled and gilt-bronze drum-shaped clock, cast with flowers and rocaille motifs, the enameled dial signed Pierre Le Roy à Paris. It is surmounted by a monkey dressed up as an oriental and holding an umbrella. It is standing on a polychrome painted bronze elephant standing on a rocaille base signed on the left side Caffieri fecit.
The pedestal, bordered by a frieze of stylized leaves and a rais-de-cœur frieze, is set with floral latticed grilles, flanked with pilasters cast with ribbon-tied chutes. It is ended by a plinth in blackened wood. It contains a 19th century musical movement with a comb mechanism with three melodies.
SIMILAR EXEMPLES :
This elephant clock, of a larger and very different model than the clocks executed by Saint-Germain at the same period, is very rare. Three other exemples are known on which the elephant is in patinated bronze :
- A clock in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, Jones’ collection, signed by Caffieri, in gilt and patinated bronze (reproduction in Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, vol. I, p. 124, fig. 286) ;
- A clock, Guy de Rothschild’s collection in his hôtel Lambert, in gilt and patinated bronze, movement signed by Lenoir (reproduction in Belles demeures de Paris, Hachette, 1977, p. 74) ;
- A clock reproduced in Connaissance des Arts (April 1958, p. 99).
This model was created before 1747 because it is described in the inventory of Caffieri’s stock, made for his entering into partnership with his son in 1747 :
« Plus the models of an elephant clock, the four feet of which are standing on a terrace. He is bearing on its back, by the means of a covering, a clock case, the shell of which serves as models for the front and the back, on the case mentioned before is placed a monkey, the whole is in copper, but for the elephant which is in wax ».
A finished clock of this model is mentioned in the inventory made after Caffieri’s death in 1755, priced for the considerable sum of 400 L : « n°0145. A clock case, elephant gilt with ormolu, worth 400 L ».
PIERRE II LEROY (1687-1762), clockmaker : He is received in the clockmakers’ guild in 1721.
JACQUES CAFFIERI (1678-1755), sculptor, caster and engraver of the King :
Jacques Caffieri is the most important bronze-caster of the reign of Louis XV.
He certainly created his own models. In his works, the fullness of the forms and the firmness of the curves, even the most extravagant, are especially admired. His technique and the beauty of his gilts, the virtuosity of his rocailles and of his flowers, distinguished him as one of the best bronze-makers of his time. The decorative motifs he used are varied : beasts, flowers, children, genre or mythological themes and abstract motifs.
His name is mentioned in the account book of the Bâtiments du Roi (from 1736 to his death in 1755), sometimes as a sculptor and a bronze-caster, sometimes as a gilder and a chiseler. The payments he received for his works are also mentioned, as well as the residences for which they were made : Fontainebleau, Versailles, Marly, Choisy. Even if the details of his works are not known, the amount seems important because Caffieri was paid 26 000 livres for the single year 1746.
In addition to the different royal institutions (the Bâtiments du Roi, the Garde-Meuble and the Menus Plaisirs), he had among his clients Queen Marie Leczinska, the king’s mistress Madame de Pompadour and the Duchess of Parma Madame Louise-Elizabeth.
THE DUKES OF MORTEMART AND OF VIVONNE :
These clock comes from a very important collection, the Dukes of Mortemart’s. This family is descended from a prestigious lineage which often rendered himself illustrious in french history. They are descended from the vicounts of Mortemart, a branch of the House of Rochechouart.
The title of Duke and Peer of France was granted by Louis XIV in 1663 to Gabriel de Rochechouart de Mortemart, father of Madame de Montespan (mistress of the king).
In 1668, the king granted the title of Duke of Vivonne to Louis Victor de Rochechouart de Mortemart (1636-1688) by letters patent. This gentelman was highly appreciated by the roi for his courage in battles : he was General of the Galleys and Marechal of France. He is also known for his witticisms and plays on words.
BIBLIOGRAPHY :
- P. Verlet, Les Bronzes dorés français du XVIIIème siècle, Paris, 1999 |
