THE CASE DESIGNED BY GILLES-PAUL CAUVET, CIRCA 1766, ATTRIBUTED TO NICOLAS PETIT, THE MOUNTS PROBABLY SUPPLIED BY ETIENNE MARTINCOURT, THE MOVEMENT BY LEPAUTE

Details

A LOUIS XVI ORMOLU-MOUNTED MAHOGANY REGULATEUR (REGULATEUR AU TOURNESOL)
THE CASE DESIGNED BY GILLES-PAUL CAUVET, CIRCA 1766, ATTRIBUTED TO NICOLAS PETIT, THE MOUNTS PROBABLY SUPPLIED BY ETIENNE MARTINCOURT, THE MOVEMENT BY LEPAUTE
The drum case with sunflower and foliate cresting and ribbon-tied laurel sprig above the lyre-shaped trunk, the backboard mirrored, the glazed apertures with beaded borders, the lower section with a gilt and blue vernis Martin panel with four figures facing a globe representing the four Continents (probably redecorated), the spreading plinth base with boldly cast acanthus leaves, the white enamel dial with Arabic hours and ten minute markers, inscribed 'Le Paute A Paris / HGER. du Roy', pierced gilt-brass hour and minute hands and blued steel seconds hand, the four pillar movement with three wheels and pin wheel escsapement, engraved to the backplate 'Lepaute a Paris', suspended from the backplate via a single hook and with four steady feet, the rope drive with brass cased weight and counterweight, compensated nine-bar brass and steel pendulum
80 in. (203.2 cm.) high; 24 1/2 (62.2 cm.) wide; 9 3/4 in. (24.7 cm.) deep

Provenance

The Collection of Dr. Alexandre Benchoufi; Sotheby's, New York, 9 November 2006, lot 96 ($72,000).

Literature

A. Droguet, Nicolas Petit, Paris, 2001, pp. 71 and 83-84.
P. Verlet, French Furniture of the 18th Century, 1991, fig. 128.

Special notice

Following the auction, this lot will be stored at Crozier Park Royal and will be available for collection from 12.00pm on the second business day after the sale. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Crozier Park Royal. All collections from Crozier Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 I Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Adrian Hume-Sayer Director, Specialist

Lot Essay

A case of the same design by Nicolas Petit (maître in 1761), but without the gilt and lacquer panel to the plinth, was formerly in the Fabre Collection, Paris, also with movement by the Lepaute workshop and with near identical mounts (Droguet, op. cit., p. 73). Lepaute's 'Description de plusieurs ouvrages d'horlogerie' mentions the mounts for these clocks were made by the sculptor and founder Etienne Martincourt (maître in 1762).

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