Beautiful late 18th century a la bacchante and sphinxes ormolu and marble clock, circa 1790.
Our piece is a variant of a beautiful clocks presented at the Petit Palais Museum and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. In these two Louis XVI models, the face is supported by two goats carrying putti. Ours is a late-Louis XVI or Directoire production with 2 sphinxes and Egyptian masks. The enamel face signed Tofset in Rennes.
The first decoration in the Egyptian taste with sphinxes were created for Queen Marie Antoinette in the golden cabinet at Versailles in 1784. Fashion was then widely spread during next years.
Bacchante and goats are regularly associated in mythology. Indeed, Zeus transforms his illegitimate son Dionysus / Bacchus into a kid, to protect him from Hera's jealousy. The goats are among the animals most often sacrificed to this god, or associated with its processions of bacchantes.
Beautiful model gilt with fine gold (ormolu). Large size, quite rare, our piece is a museum quality clock.
It is in excellent condition, no accident or lack. Mercury gilt well preserved and cleaned piece by piece. Original mechanism that works (completely revised by our watchmaker).
Height: 47 cm
Width: 34.5 cm
