Large Louis XVI style clock, after Falconet. France, late 19th century

Large Louis XVI style clock, after Falconet. France, late XIX century
Biscuit porcelain and gilt bronze mounts. Hand-painted porcelain dial, enameled.
Preserves pendulum and key.
Presents incised marks
It has restorations
Measurements: 70 x 34 x 21 cm.

Table clock made of biscuit porcelain representing the three graces holding a cup. There is a very similar model in the collection of the Museum of Decorative Arts of Madrid, in fact it was named piece of the month and in the study made by the museum the following words are quoted "The process of creation of these porcelain pieces started from a model, generally in marble, like those made by the sculptor Étienne-Maurice Falconet. This involved the creation of a large number of very similar objects, sometimes identical, as is the case with the Three Graces clock. There are several examples that follow this model scattered in collections around the world, but undoubtedly the best known is the one kept in the Louvre Museum. It previously belonged to the private collection of Isaac de Camondo and, although it is made of white marble and not bisque porcelain, the decorative scheme is practically identical to that of the specimen in this study. Almagro Gorbea, who has extensively studied the clock of the National Museum of Decorative Arts and its parallels, considers that three differentiated series can be identified that follow the same scheme (2016: 89). At first these pieces would be made in white marble (as in the case of the clock in the Camondo collection) and, later or contemporaneously, some examples would be created in Sèvres porcelain (where we would include the clock in the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas). In a third group, already later, pieces would be made that combined gilded bronze with some applications in white marble or porcelain."

The bronze table clocks of the 19th century were key pieces in decoration and interior design, as well as symbols of social status and refinement. Elaborately crafted and often adorned with artistic motifs, these clocks not only served to measure time, but also reflected the technical advances and taste for fine craftsmanship of the era. Bronze, a durable and aesthetically appreciated material, allowed the creation of complex and elegant forms, integrating styles such as neoclassical or rococo.