A monumental French Régence gilt-bronze bracket clock, circa 1720

Christie’s, Paris, 21 June 2006, lot 246;

Collection of an important French aristocratic family

This bracket clock is exceptional not only because it is made entirely of bronze but it also features extremely fine chiselling, which is a real tour de force by a leading bronze craftsman.

The shapes, which are still very baroque, and the ram's heads are reminiscent of certain creations by André-Charles Boulle. The animal motifs can for example be found as ornamentation on a guéridon dated around 1680, now at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles (inv. 87.DA.5), and on a pair of cabinets known as the Dukes of Feltre cabinets, made around 1695-1700 (Groupe Axa, André Charles Boulle. A New Style for Europe, exhibition catalogue, 30 October 2009 – 31 January 2010, p. 198).

The lead of Charles Cressent (1685-1768)

On the other hand, the espagnolettes at the bottom of the bracket-clock seem to be more reminiscent of Charles Cressent's style. This motif, which is obviously not unique to him, appears on a commode at the Bossuet Museum in Meaux, as well as on several desks, such as the one at the Palace of Versailles (VMB 14254), the one at the National Gallery of Art in Washington (inv. C-268), the one at the John Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles (67. DA.10), and the one at the Louvre Museum (OA 5521).

Following the statements made by the bronziers in the dispute between Cressent and the bronzier-fondeur's guild, the 1723 official report includes a detailed inventory of the bronzes seized from the cabinetmaker's workshop. Various bronze elements can be linked to his clocks, including the present designs for espagnolettes (A. Pradère, Charles Cressent, Dijon, 2003, p. 190):

« 4] plus trois autres testes de femmes servantes à pied de pendules, coiffées de palmettes et ornées de feuilles en consoles, lesquelles testes sont finies ; »

A clock of identical shape, but made of tortoiseshell and brass marquetry, resting on a wall bracket and equipped with a movement signed by Etienne Roquelon, master in 1718, was sold by Christie's Paris, The Collector, on 24 November 2021, lot 547. This clock is illustrated in J.D. Augarde, Les Ouvriers du Temps, Geneva, 1996, p. 61, fig. 38, as well as in P. Kjellberg, Encyclopédie de la pendule française du Moyen-âge au XXe siècle, Paris, 1997, p. 71, fig. C.

This model of bracket clock was reinterpreted many times during the 19th century, suggesting that it was well known and appreciated by collectors. Alfred Beurdeley (1847-1919) notably copied this model around 1880, and an identical style bracket clock, dated around 1870, was offered for sale at Dorotheum, Vienna, 22 October 2014, lot 770. ‘The King of Pop’ Michael Jackson owned a clock of identical style to the one presented here in his final home in Los Angeles, which was presented by Julien's Auction in Beverly Hills in the sale of the star's personal effects.

Jean Martinot (1698-1780)

Born into a dynasty of clockmakers, he took over his father's position as Valet de chambre horloger ordinaire du Roi (clockmaker to the King) and Gouverneur du Grand Horloge (keeper of the Grand Horloge clock) in 1718, then officially upon his father's death in 1724. He remained at the Gros Horloge until 1750, then moved to Rue des Gravilliers (1751), Place Baudoyer (1753) and Rue des Deux-Ponts at La Roche d'Argent (1779). He supplied various clock movements and complete pieces for the King. He used cases by Jacques Caffieri, Jean-Joseph de Saint Germain and Edme Jean Gallien.

His signature also appears on a clock with a woman's mask and on two clocks with Apollo's head (one formerly in the Cassel van Doorn collection, then sold at Galerie Charpentier, Paris, 30 May 1956, lot 86, and the other kept in a private collection in Turin). This valuable information suggests, at the very least, that there was indeed a collaboration between the clockmaker and Charles Cressent.