Directoire gilt-bronze, enamel and white marble skeleton clock
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
circa 1795
This Directoire skeleton clock, attributed to Bisson in Paris circa 1795, features painted and jewelled enamels documented as being by Joseph Coteau. Resting on a painted white marble plinth raised on gilt toupie feet, the openwork frame is topped by a ribbon crest above a lunar arch.
The upper five-inch enamel dial displays concentric calendar dates, standard hours, minutes, and Revolutionary weekdays around a skeletonised centre. Below, a subsidiary enamel dial indicates Revolutionary decimal time alongside Gregorian and Revolutionary months. A signed plaque inscribed 'Bisson A Paris' sits directly over a horizontal three-arm balance wheel.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Type
- Skeleton clock
- Enameller
- Joseph Coteau
- Escapement
- Pin wheel escapement
- Clock Height
- 44cm (17¼in.)
- Place recorded
- France
- Maker and Origin
- Bisson, Paris
- Striking Mechanism
- Outside count wheel striking on a bell
- Maker / attribution
- Bisson
Design
- Visible features
- • Semicircular lunar dial beneath a gilded ribbon surmount with blue enamel and gold stars • Painted foliage and geometric motifs across the white marble plinth • Gilt toupie feet supporting the rectangular marble base • Horizontal three-arm balance visible above the base beneath the Bisson plaque
- Movement and Framework
- The open gilt-bronze framework rests on a white marble plinth painted with foliage, supported by toupie feet. Directly beneath the signature plaque and above the marble base, a horizontal three-arm balance is visible. According to the catalogue description, the movement features a pin wheel escapement mounted on the backplate, while the striking train utilises a conventional outside count wheel striking on a bell. These rear-mounted movement components, along with the rear signature inscription, are not visible in the direct frontal view.
- Dimensions, Provenance, and Literature
- The clock is catalogued to circa 1795 with enamels by Joseph Coteau. The clock measures 44 cm (17¼ in.) high on its own, with a total height of 51 cm (20 in.) when measured with its accompanying giltwood stand and glazed cover; neither the stand nor the glass cover is visible in the primary auction photograph. Documented provenance records that the piece was acquired from the collection of Pascal Izarn in Paris. The lot is also recorded in literature references, including Pierre Kjellberg's 'Encyclopédie de la Pendule Française du moyen age au XXe siècle' (1997, p. 324) and Wannenes' 'Les plus belles pendules françaises' (2013, p. 299 and cover).
- Dial Arrangement and Calendrical Display
- The skeletonised frame incorporates multiple enamel elements for displaying standard and French Revolutionary time and calendrical cycles. The primary 5-inch enamel chapter ring indicates concentric dates, conventional minutes and hours, and Revolutionary days of the week, displaying finely pierced and engraved gilt time hands alongside blued steel centre seconds. Positioned directly above is a ribbon-tied surmount containing a lunar dial. Below the upper dial sits a subsidiary enamel chapter ring indicating Revolutionary decimal hours and minutes together with both Revolutionary and Gregorian months. The frame is further mounted with painted and jewelled enamel panels, including a signature panel inscribed 'Bisson A Paris' that the source states is also marked 'Coteau' to the reverse.
Identification
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: Rear movement plate, escapement, and bell are obscured from front view
- Research required: The accompanying giltwood stand and glazed cover mentioned in the listing are not shown in this photo