Pendule à cercles tournants
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1768
This rotating dial clock is housed in a gilt-bronze vase, featuring an integrated serpent whose tongue acts as the hour and minute indicator for the rotating porcelain-accented dial.
The movement is signed by Lepaute. The clock rests upon a pedestal decorated with Sèvres porcelain plaques dated 1768. The primary central plaque, featuring a scene after Boucher, is attributed to painter Charles-Nicolas Dodin. Side plaques, depicting floral and decorative motifs, are attributed to painter Jean-Baptiste Tandart. The bronze casing includes lion-mask side handles and a pinecone finial. The object measures 47 cm in height and 24 cm in width.
According to family tradition, it was gifted by wallpaper manufacturer Jean-Baptiste Réveillon to his lawyer, Guillaume Alexandre Tronson du Coudray, and subsequently passed through direct descent to the current owners.
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
- Rotating dial clock
- Maker
- Lepaute
- Materials
- Gilt bronze and Sèvres porcelain
- Dimensions
- 47 cm H x 24 cm W
- Provenance
- Gifted by Jean-Baptiste Réveillon to Guillaume Alexandre Tronson du Coudray
- Place recorded
- France
- Date of porcelain
- 1768
- Maker / attribution
- Lepaute
- Painter (side plaques)
- Jean-Baptiste Tandart
- Painter (central plaque)
- Charles-Nicolas Dodin
Design
- Visible features
- • Rotating dial with Roman numerals for hours and Arabic numerals for minutes • Gilt-bronze snake figure coiled around the vase body • Sèvres porcelain panels with green and gold framing • Lion-mask handles holding suspended rings
- Porcelain Decoration
- The pedestal is ornamented with Sèvres porcelain plaques, which are dated to 1768. The primary plaque on the front depicts a scene of a flute lesson, executed by painter Charles-Nicolas Dodin. This image is based on the work of François Boucher. The lateral sides of the pedestal are fitted with smaller plaques featuring polychrome decorations of floral wreaths, torches, and quivers. These panels are credited to Jean-Baptiste Tandart. All porcelain elements are set within framing decorated with green and gold.
- Case and Dial Construction
- The clock is constructed as a gilt-bronze vase featuring a rotating dial mechanism. The dial is composed of concentric rings inscribed with hour and minute markers. A decorative serpent is coiled around the body of the vase; its extended tongue serves as the fixed pointer for reading the time as the dial rotates behind it. The vase is capped with a lid surmounted by a pinecone motif. The body of the clock is flanked by decorative handles featuring lion masks that hold rings. The entire assembly sits upon a rectangular plinth.
- Provenance and Historical Context
- According to family tradition, the clock was gifted to the lawyer Guillaume Alexandre Tronson du Coudray by Jean-Baptiste Réveillon as payment for legal services during the late 18th century. Following Tronson du Coudray's death, the object was passed to his daughter, Euphrasie Tronson du Coudray, and subsequently inherited by members of the Michelin and Lefebvre de Laboulaye families. The clock remains within the lineage of these families to the current owners.
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: Provenance is based on family tradition
- Research required: The attribution of the gift from Réveillon to Tronson du Coudray is unverified