A Louis XV period cartel
Dial and movement signed Julien Le Roy by the Société des Arts for the clockmaker Julien Le Roy (1686–1759)
An ornate chest in chiselled and gilded bronze, attributed to the bronze-smith Jacques Caffieri (1678–1755)
Circa 1740-1745
Inventory number 16519
H 68 cm L 35 cm P 11 cm
This Louis XV-period wall clock exemplifies the excellence of 18th-century French decorative arts, combining the technical genius of the clockmaker Julien Le Roy (1686–1759) with the exceptional craftsmanship of the bronze worker Jacques Caffieri (1678–1755).
The Rocaille-style bronze box features the sinuous, dynamic and asymmetrical lines characteristic of the Louis XV style. The metal is sculpted with motifs of clasps, jagged acanthus leaves and foliage volutes that appear organic and in motion.
On the left, a bust of a woman – undoubtedly the goddess Diana – emerges from the foliage motifs, her gaze directed towards the centre. On the right, a winged dog, sculpted in dynamic relief, appears to be climbing or clinging to the rocaille structure. At the base, a chimeric creature supports the underside of the dial. The top of the cartel is masterfully crowned by a stylised, radiant plume in the form of sunbeams or beams of light bursting from a shell, lending the whole piece a sense of grandeur and theatrical flair. A very similar model is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (Inv. 35.18). The case bears Caffieri’s signature and its movement is signed by the clockmaker Ferdinand Berthoud. It differs, however, in the addition of floral scrolls on the side
