Clock — The Michelangelo Clock, Paris, 1849
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1849
Clock in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number M.15-2019), made in Paris, dated 1849, attributed to Feuchère, Jean-Jacques, Vittoz, Gaspard-Joseph, Mudesse, d'Aliermont, Victor Cailly.
The museum's brief description reads: Monumental pendulum clock of patinated bronze, gilt bronze, marble, steel and enamel, Paris, 1849, by the bronze founder, Gaspar-Joseph Vittoz, in collaboration with the sculptor, Jean-Jacques Feuchère, formed of a hexagonal wooden base veneered in black marble with gilt metal mounts and bronze…. Museum description: Monumental clock. The upper section is in the form of a toned bronze ('Florentine' patina) sculpture of the artist, Michelangelo, who has downed his tools and is seated and leaning to his left on a sculpture of a slave on which he has been working.
The slave figure is partly hidden under Michelangelo's cloak. The base is of wood veneered in black marble and is decorated with gilt copper-alloy mounts and at the sides by two bronze figues of adolescent males ('epehebes') supporting the gilt-metal and enamelled clock face. Inside the base is the movement, visible through a circular window at the back (although the glass is now missing). The clock has a detachable pendulum and key.
The museum records it as Bronze ('Florentine' patina), gilt copper alloy, wood, marble, steel and enamel, cast in sections and assembled., measuring Height 79 cm; Width 50 cm; Depth 31 cm. These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
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.
Historical context
This clock is an exhibition piece designed to have maximum visual impact. It combines the artistic and technical skills of four French makers each celebrated in their own right. The sculptor, Jean-Jacques Feuchère, a great connoisseur of the Renaissance period, modelled the Michelangelo figure showing him seated, half concealing under his cloak a statue of an enslaved figure on which he has been working. Feuchère worked with the bronze founder Gaspard-Joseph Vittoz to make the sculpture the centrepiece of this large clock which was once accompanied by two candelabra. Vittoz exhibited the clock in Paris in 1849 where he won a silver medal and again at the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park in 1851 where he won gold.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- bronze, copper alloy, gold, wood, marble, steel, enamel
- Dimensions
- Height 79 cm; Width 50 cm; Depth 31 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Bronze ('Florentine' patina), gilt copper alloy, wood, marble, steel and enamel, cast in sections and assembled.
- Maker recorded
- Feuchère, Jean-Jacques, Vittoz, Gaspard-Joseph, Mudesse, d'Aliermont, Victor Cailly
- Place recorded
- Paris
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- Michel Ange Buonaroti Pittore Scuttore e Architetto Fiorentino; Feuchère scpt.; Vittoz Bronzier; Mudesse, marbrier breveté; VTOR CAILLY À ST. NICOLAS; FABRIQUE VITTOZ À PARIS; 435 7 2
Identification
- Museum object name
- Clock
- Museum object number
- M.15-2019
- Museum system number
- O1511135
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: confirm the wider type, maker and catalogue references against a specialist reference.