A Louis XV ormolu and corne verte musical table clock, Saint Germain and Dauthiau, Paris, circa 1760

4¼-inch enamel dial signed L Dauthiau, Hger Du Roy, A Paris, finely pierced and engraved gilt hands, bell striking movement with star-cut outsdie count wheel and flat-bottomed plates, the waisted case cast with rococo scrolls, on a rocaille plinth signed St Germain, the bombé base containing the fusee musical movement playing one of ten tunes played on a carrillon of ten bells with nineteen hammers, the whole with folaite mounts, musical trophy fret to the front and trellis frets to the sides and rear stamped to the base St Germain JME

Kunsthandel Albrecht Neuhaus, Würzburg

Pierre Kjellberg, Encylopédie de La Pendule Francaise, Paris 1997, pp.118-119

Dial and hands in very good condition. Clock movement is complete and looks as though it would run. Musical movement is complete but but not running as the fusee gut needs re-attaching. Case in generally good condition, some rubbing to the gilding and some old cracks to the horn. With pendulum and winder.
"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.

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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."

This attractive clock is one of a series of similar cases by St Germain supplied to different clockmakers. Jean-Joseph de St Germain (1719-1791) was the son of cabinet-maker Joseph de St. Germain. In 1749 he married Anne Legrand, widow of a cabinet maker named Jean-Paul Matthieu and their son, Jean de St. Germain also became a bronze worker. St. Germain is first recorded as an ouvrier libre in the Faubourg St. Antoine where he had a workshop in the rue de Charenton. Among his apprentices was Jean Gayer, who later became a cabinet and clock-case maker. On 15th July 1748, St. Germain was registered as a maître fondeur en terre et sable. In 1765, he was elected Juré of the Bronze Founders Guild for two years and in this capacity actively campaigned for the bronze founders copyright resolution which was finally ratified on 21st April 1766. In this same year St. Germain' s son was made Maître -while the father was Juré.

Louis Dauthiau (1713-after 1769) took the title of Horologer du Roi in 1751 and was chosen by Passement to create the movement of the famous astronomical clock  supplied to Louis XV in 1753. He was responsible for the maintainance of clocks at Versailles and is known to have used cases by Saint Germain.