A Large and Exceptional Napoleon III Period Gilt-Bronze and Sèvres Style Porcelain Three-Piece Clock Garniture

Description

A Large and Exceptional Napoleon III Period Gilt-Bronze and Sèvres Style Porcelain Three-Piece Clock Garniture. By Denière, Paris.

Comprising a mantle clock and pair of eight-light candelabra. The clock modelled as a vase atop a pedestal base with seated cherubs. The baluster-shaped vase of cobalt-blue ground porcelain with gilt-embossed decoration framing a finely painted reserve to the neck depicting a harbour scene. The lid is modelled with a cherub emblematic of dawn and the neck is flanked by rose-entwined handles. The whole is lavishly enriched with superb gilt-bronze detailing of floral garlands. The porcelain dial is exquisitely painted in enamels with foliate swags and Arabic numerals. The dial has pierced and engraved gilt hands and is signed ‘Denière FT de Bronzes A Paris’. The clock movement with twin going barrels and strike on bell. The clock movement is stamped ‘DENIÈRE A PARIS 3048’. The candelabra are modelled en suite as vases issuing eight-light candelabrums. Each vase is decorated in enamels of white, gold and cobalt blue and is fronted by a reserve finely painted with harbour scenes. The candelabra stand on gilt-bronze pedestal bases.

The dial signed ‘Denière FT de Bronzes A Paris’.
The clock movement is stamped ‘DENIÈRE A PARIS 3048’.
The porcelain with interlaced ‘L’ marks.

France, Circa 1870.

Sèvres perfected impossibly refined porcelain under the patronage of Louis XV whose eight daughters, known as Les Mesdames, liked to make gifts of Sèvres porcelain amongst their friends at court. The manufactory had been established in 1740 at the château de Vincennes, to the east of Paris, and then from 1756 at Sèvres, to the south-west of the city. It had been formed to rival Chinese porcelain and porcelain from the Meissen manufactory belonging to the King of Saxony. From the beginning, Louis XV provided financial backing and by 1759 the manufactory was entirely owned by the monarch.

The manufactory at Sèvres experienced a tremendous period of innovation and expansion under the patronage of the royal family, especially Madame de Pompadour, the official mistress of Louis XV. Designers and decorators such as Jean-Jacques Bachelier (1724–1806) and Jean-Claude Duplessis (c.1690–1774) competed to present ever more opulent creations. Their greatest achievements were ornamental vases with richly coloured grounds of blue, pink and green, with finely painted figural scenes after famous painters of the day, and opulent gilded decoration.

The few such vases from this period have survived in museum collections. The legacy of this golden age of Sèvres porcelain was that, in the nineteenth century, manufacturers in France and abroad sought to emulate and outshine period designs. This clock garniture is a superb example of this ambition and dates to the Second Empire period. The finest Sèvres style porcelain dates to this time when it was especially appreciated by Empress Eugénie.

This clock garniture is unusually large in scale and the porcelain is superbly enamelled and painted. It is the work of the esteemed bronze maker Denière who would have been responsible for designing the gilt-bronze mounts to fit around the porcelain. The practice of mounting porcelain in gilt-bronze also dates to the late 18th century when bronze makers such as Pierre Gouthière sought to further enrich Sèvres porcelain by wrapping it in gilt-bronze mounts.

The vases to the present garniture are decorated with gilt-tooled reserves finely painted with Marine scenes which recall the work of Jean-Baptiste-Etienne Genest (active 1752-88) who was a painter at Sèvres who specialised in the genre. Specifically, the scenes to this garniture show courting couples in quayside vistas. The newly married coupe can be imagined embarking on their honeymoon or setting off for a new life together. The theme of love is reflected by the bronze mounts which are modelled with emblems of romantic love, such as flowers and figures of cupid. This indicates the intention of the marker that this remarkable clock set was designed as a celebration of marriage, perhaps as a wedding gift to grace the palatial home of a newly betrothed couple.

Dimensions

Clock:
Height 86 cm / 34 inches
Width 50cm / 20 inches
Depth 28 cm / 11 inches

Candelabra:
Height 82 cm / 32 inches
Width 36 cm / 14 inches