Empire clock, in the manner of André-Antoine Ravrio. France, c. 1810

Empire clock, in the manner of André-Antoine Ravrio. France, c. 1810
Gilt broze and patinated bronze. Hand-painted porcelain dial, enameled.
With silk thread pendulum suspension.
Preserves key and pendulum
Measurements: 43 x 45 x 13 cm.

Louis XVI table clock of sculptural conception and that the dial of the clock simulates to be the wheel of the Chariot of Ceres. The whole clock is made of gilded and patinated bronze, with enamel on the dial. On a base supported by several legs stands the figure of Ceres, goddess of agriculture, driving a chariot and showing a plow pulled by a pair of weathered oxen, There is a very similar model in the "Encyclopedia of the French Clock, Pierre Kjellberg. dad. dad. 419."

The quality of the piece and the craftsman's skill indicate that it follows the models of André-Antoine Ravrio (Paris, 1759-1814) sculptor, bronze artist and gilder. André-Antoine Ravrio's father, a skilled foundryman, was generally esteemed for his rectitude and talent, and his mother belonged to the Riesener family, well known for engaging in the industrial and liberal arts. In 1777 he qualified as a master caster and in 1790 founded his own firm. He became famous for supplying furniture bronzes to a prestigious clientele, including Emperor Napoleon. He founded a prize of 3,000 francs for the discovery of a means of preventing the dangers of the use of mercury in the metal gilding profession. The scholar Jean-Pierre-Joseph d'Arcet, winner of the prize, extended the benefits of his research to other professions as dangerous for those who practiced them as that of bronze gilding had been until then.