Louis XVI clock depicting Venus with lovebirds. France, ca. 1790

Louis XVI clock depicting Venus with lovebirds. France, ca. 1790.
Gilt bronze and marble.
Dial signed Prolaine.
Paris movement with half-hour and hour chimes.
Needs to be reworked. It has broken the thread to hang the pendulum.
With pendulum. It does not keep the key.
Measurements: 35 x 34 x 11 cm.

Table clock made of gilded bronze and marble in the late eighteenth century, in Louis XVI period. The piece has been conceived through a sculptural concept characteristic of this time. It consists of a base of sharp edges embellished with a frieze in bas-relief presenting a procession of putti, flanked by scrolls, acanthus and floral motifs. Four lentil legs elevate the whole clock. The piece is topped by a round sculpture of great quality representing Venus with lovebirds with soft and warm finishes, endowed with grace and naturalism in gestures and movements.

During the Louis XVI period in France, the decorative arts and especially interior design experienced a period of boom. This type of scenes were very common in the decoration of table clocks, often depicting mythical or religious characters, linked to a historicist sense and aesthetics.