Page 159 - Pierre Durand Collection Including Chinese Art and Porcelain Sothebys Jan 27 2022

Raised on a richly-mounted marble plinth, cast with distinctive volutes to by Robin for the Comte de Provence, Louis XVI's brother, at the Palais de
its sides, and surmounted by a variety of decorative elements, this model Luxembourg, circa 1782-83, was sold Christie's New York, 24 November
of clock is based on a design traditionally attributed to Vion and composed 1998, lot 14.
by Duplessis, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Variations
of this model were particularly popular within royal circles; a clock basically François Vion is recorded in Paris, rue Quincampoix as a ciseleur in 1786. He
identical to the present lot but with the trophies of war slightly modified was best known for his clock-cases, particularly for lyre-form clocks and a
into trophies of love and with movement and dial by Sicot Girardin and distinguished model depicting Sorrow, or "The Weeping Woman", see J.D.
Caranda, respectively, is believed to hail from the château de Versailles, see Augarde, Les Ouvriers du Temps, Geneva, 1996, p. 243. Vion produced cases
P. Kjellberg, La Pendule Française, Paris, 1997, p. 176, fig. A. Another clock for the foremost clock-makers of the period, including the Lepaute workshop,
of this model surmounted by an urn and raised on bleu turquin marble base the partnership of the brothers Jean-Andr (maître in 1759) and Jean-Baptiste
by the fondeur Jean-Jacques Lemoyne and with a movement by Robert was (maître in 1776), and for Nicolas-Alexandre Folin, called Folin l'an (maître in
confiscated from the Marquis de Sérent, governor to the Comte d'Artois' 1789).
children, while Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette and Mesdames Victoire and
Spelled both Le Paute and Lepaute, this celebrated dynasty of horlogers
Adélaîde also owned similar clocks. Yet another similar clock, thought to have
was founded by Jean-André in 1740. He settled in Paris and was appointed
come from the French Royal Collections in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs,
horloger du Roi with lodgings in the Luxembourg Palace. His innovative ideas,
Paris, with movement by Robin, see H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel et al.,
such as the échappement repos of 1753, as well as his writings, including an
Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich 1986, Vol I., p. 226, fig 4.1.2. A clock also with
impressive Traité d'Horlogerie, published in 1755, earned him the title maître
a white marble base and movement by Montjoye, is in the Swedish Royal
and lodgings at the Louvre by 1759. His brother, Jean-Baptiste (1727-1802),
Collection at Drottningholm, see B. von Malmborg, Slott Voch Herresäten i
also became horloger du Roi and succeeded him in the Galeries du Louvre
Sverige, De Kungliga Slotten, Malmö, 1971, pp. 160 and 213. It is interesting
lodgings in 1775 after taking over the business in 1774. Jean-Baptiste retired
to note that all of the above clocks have a royal or semi-royal provenance.
in 1789, giving way to his two nephews.
Indeed, a very similar clock, decorated with cooing doves and delivered
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