A gilt-bronze-mounted and Meissen/Vincennes porcelain mantel clock the dial signed Guiot, Paris the bronzes Louis XV, circa 1750, the porcelain circa 1740-45 modelled by J.J. Kändler

the gentleman wearing a blue jacket, a red cape and yellow breeches, his companion in a black and turquoise bodice, a flowered skirt with puce underskirt, the 4-inch enamel dial signed Guiot A Paris, the two train movement with later conversion to anchor escapement and silk suspension, outside count wheel striking on a bell, the drum case with rococo scroll mounts and surrounded by polychrome porcelain flowers rising from the rococo ormolu base incorporating a rustic arch and brickwork.



 



 



 



 



 

Dial in generally good condition with minor hair crack above XII, minute hand repaired. Movement has a later conversion to anchor escapement, silk suspension re-constructed, it looks as though it would run but the pendulum is missing and it may benefit from a clean, bell stand repaired and bell replaced, grill to rear door detached but we have it. The case is in generally good condition with some minor chips to flowers, gilding in good condition. No winder or pendulum. Porcelain: Restoration to fingers of her right hand, some flowers with typical minor chips, otherwise in very good condition
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. All dimensions in catalogue descriptions are approximate. Condition reports may not specify mechanical replacements or imperfections to the movement, case, dial, pendulum, separate base(s) or dome. Watches in water-resistant cases have been opened to examine movements but no warranties are made that the watches are currently water-resistant. Please note that we do not guarantee the authenticity of any individual component parts, such as wheels, hands, crowns, crystals, screws, bracelets and leather bands, since subsequent repairs and restoration work may have resulted in the replacement of original parts. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue. In particular, please note it is the purchaser's responsibility to comply with any applicable import and export matters, particularly in relation to lots incorporating materials from endangered species.NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

**Please be advised that bands made of materials derived from endangered or otherwise protected species (i.e. alligator and crocodile) are not sold with the watches and are for display purposes only. We reserve the right to remove these bands prior to shipping.

Important Notice regarding importation into the United States of Rolex watches
Sotheby's cannot arrange for the delivery of Rolex watches to the United States because U.S. laws restricts the import of Rolex watches. The buyer or a designated agent may collect the property in the country of sale."

Comparative Literature:
Meredith Chilton, `Harlequin Unmasked, The Commedia dell'Arte and Porcelain Sculpture', 2001, pp. 300-301, for a similar porcelain example in the Gardiner Museum, Toronto, and a list of other known examples.
Sir Geoffrey de Bellaigue, The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor, Furniture Clocks and Gilt Bronzes, Vol. I, Fribourg, 1974, page 98.
P.Kjellberg, Encyclopédie de la pendule française du Moyen Age au XX ème siècle, Paris, 1997, pp. 135-139. 
Tardy, French Clocks the World Over, Paris, 1981, Vol. I, pp. 194-195.
R. Jansen, Commedia dell'Arte, Keramische Kostbarkeiten aus den Museen der Welt,  Stuttgart, 2001, p.50, nb.27.

It is interesting to note Sir Geoffrey de Bellaigue's comment on the porcelain mounted clock at Waddesdon Manor, op. cit., page 98:

"The marchands-merciers promoted if they did not create this fashion. Lazare-Duvaux, in particular, seems to have specialized in flower-decorated clocks The price of 600 livres was about the average for such clocks mounted with Vincennes flowers and Meissen figures which were sold by the marchand-mercier Lazare-Duvaux during the years 1748 to 1758. Sometimes he supplied additional garlands or whole branches of flowers to existing clocks. On other occasions he thickened the clusters on branches regarded as too bare, charging 1 1ivre 10 sols per flower ".

An entry in the Daybook of Lazare-Duvaux dated 15th February 1755 reads as follows:
`Mme. Sophie: (Louis XV's daughter) Livré à Mme la Maréchale de Duras une pendule à sonnerie & huit jours sur un berceau de treillage peint & doré d'or moulu, avec des figures de Saxe & fleurs de Vincennes 600 l. (Lazare Duvaux No. 2074). 

The marchands-merciers in the mid 18th century used porcelain flowers to decorate candelabra, chandeliers, candlesticks aswell as clocks. Soft-paste porcelain flowers began to be made at the Vincennes manufactory in about 1745 and these brighlty coloured flowers were intended to be used as table ornaments, partly during the winter months when fresh flowers were not available. Exceptionally they were scented and placed in flower beds, as on the occasion in 1750, when Madame de Pompadour received Louis XV for the first time at her recently completed Château de Bellevue. By 1750, flowers accounted for five-sixths of the manufactory's output and this success was assisted by the royal privilège which prevented any other manufactory from making or painting them.Their popularity decreased after 1755 but then revived in 1770.
Kjellberg, op. cit., pp. 135-139, illustrates various examples of these porcelain mounted mantel clocks and in particular it is worthwhile noting p. 139, fig. F, for a Meissen clock with figures by Kändler on a similar base. 

A related porcelain mounted clock was sold from the Estate of the late Giuseppe Rossi, in these Rooms, 11th March 1999, lot 677.

The porcelain group:

This group was first recorded as 'Spanish' in a specification of activities for the white body section of the Meissen factory in 1740, when it's called the 'Spanish group', it is also sometimes known as Beltrame and Columbine, but it most likely depicts either the lovers in the comedia dell'arte or a couple dressed in masquerade costume. This model is not recorded in Kändler's surving work records. A similar example among others porcelain group modelled by Johann Joachim Kändler is recorded in the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Berlin, Inv. Nr. HF 223, reproduced in fig.1 op. cit. p. 50. A similar clock with a crinoline group of the 'Spanish lovers' on an ormolu base chiselled with ducks swimming below a bridge, from the Erich von Goldschmidt-Rothschild Collection, was sold in these Rooms, 30^th June 1953, lot 32.
The model was perhaps inspired by the engraving after Jean Baptist Pater, 'Le baiser donné' or by François Boucher 'L'Ecole de Maris'.