A fine French Empire patinated and gilt bronze Egyptian Revival wall clock with calendar, circa 1800, the bronze by Antoine-André Ravrio, based on the designs of Giovanni Battista Piranesi, the movement by Jean-François DeBelle
26in. [66cm] H
6 in. [15.2 cm] W
5 ½ in. [14 cm] D
Depicting Isis, the Egyptian goddess who personified the notion of immortality and the timelessness of the universe. The scarabs on either side of the dial symbolize the god Khepera who was believed to push the Sun on its daily path through the sky.
The design source for this clock is the series of etchings published in Rome in 1769 by Giovanni Battista Piranesi as Diverse Maniere d'adornari i cammini ed ogni altra parte degli edifizie. All the elements of the several extant versions of this clock appear in Plate 36, a design for a chimneypiece in the Egyptian style.
The bronze is also a well documented example of the early 19th century decorative style championed by the British designer Thomas Hope (1769-1831). A version of this clock appears in Hope’s influential book, Household Furniture and Interior Decoration (1807) which illustrates his collection as it was arranged in the rooms of his Duchess Street townhouse.
The clock has a round two train Paris movement with anchor escapement and thread suspended pendulum, striking the hour and half hour on a bell by means of a count wheel. Simple calendar under the dial with date indications outside the chapter ring. The mainspring is signed and dated, but illegibly.
Antoine-André Ravrio (1759-1814 , maître 1777) was an prolific Parisian bronzier of the first rank, best known for his work in the Neo Classical style of the Empire. In 1786 he took over the firm of a marchand–mercier for whom he had worked, making and selling a wide range of decorative objects as well as furniture mounts. Among his specialities were clock cases which he often sold under his own name. The attribution of this bronze to Ravrio is based on examples bearing his name on the clock face.
Jean-François DeBelle (maître 1781, d. circa 1804) a respected maker in the rue Saint-Honoré, Paris, served on the commission that considered the adoption of Revolutionary time in 1793.
Literature:
Kjellberg, Pierre. Encyclopédie de la Pendule français du Moyen Age au XX siècle. Paris: les Éditions des Amateurs (1997) pp380 - 381
Lawrence, Sarah E. Piranesi: The aesthetic of eclecticism and his Egyptian style. The Magazine Antiques, v. clxxii, no. 4, (October, 2007) pp. 122 - 129. |
