99th Auction
2019/5/11
Lot 371
Pierre-César Honoré Pons à Paris, "Medaille D'Or 1827", Height 420 mm, circa 1830
A very rare Chinoiserie style figural clock with half hour/hour strike "The Tea Drinker"
Case: ormolu, polychrome enamel. Dial: silver, sunray-brushed. Movm.: circular brass full plate movement, 2 barrels, 1 hammer / 1 bell, count wheel, anchor escapement, silk suspended short pendulum.
This sophisticated clock has a finely chased case with gold and enamel highlights: On a square footrest, a lady in Chinese robes carrying a fan leans against a table with a cushion. She carefully pours a cup of tea with her left hand.
The scene is supported by an elaborately finished and decorated base. The base is slightly curved and shows a stylized Chinese landscape with a river, some hills, exotic plants and a temple. A ferryman steers a boat carrying a Chinese beauty and her two companions. The pendulum clock is supported by a base reminiscent of an Ionian capital with finely fluted sides. The corners are decorated with volutes and the front is embellished with a border of bell-shaped ornaments and colourful enamel butterflies.
The Chinoiserie style in the 18th century was inspired by Chinese art and the ornamental elements were based on Chinese designs. Porcelain, silk and lacquered objects imported from China and Japan were immensely popular and prompted many designers and craftsmen to imitate the Asian designs and create their own, fanciful versions of Eastern beauty.
Pierre-César Honoré Pons (1773-1851) was one of the most renowned French clockmakers of his time; he worked in Saint Nicolas d'Aliermont from 1807 on. In 1819 Viscount Hericart de Thury wrote that a great number of eminent clockmakers "such as the Breguets, the Berthouds, the Janviers, the Robins, the Lepautes, the Bourdiers and the Pons…" were "known in the sciences of astronomy and physics…". Pons was an exceptionally resourceful maker of watches and clocks who designed and built the machinery for making his clocks himself. He invented his own type of movements and sold them to other watchmakers like Brocot; these movements are today known as Pons calibers. Pons frequently exhibited at fairs and was awarded numerous prizes and medals. When he died, he left a bequest of 1,000 francs to help watchmakers in need.
"Les Ouvriers du Temps", Jean-Dominique Augarde, Editions Antiquorum, Geneva, 1996. "Dictionnaire des Horlogers Français", Tardy, Paris, 1972.
A very rare Chinoiserie style figural clock with half hour/hour strike "The Tea Drinker"
Case: ormolu, polychrome enamel. Dial: silver, sunray-brushed. Movm.: circular brass full plate movement, 2 barrels, 1 hammer / 1 bell, count wheel, anchor escapement, silk suspended short pendulum.
This sophisticated clock has a finely chased case with gold and enamel highlights: On a square footrest, a lady in Chinese robes carrying a fan leans against a table with a cushion. She carefully pours a cup of tea with her left hand.
The scene is supported by an elaborately finished and decorated base. The base is slightly curved and shows a stylized Chinese landscape with a river, some hills, exotic plants and a temple. A ferryman steers a boat carrying a Chinese beauty and her two companions. The pendulum clock is supported by a base reminiscent of an Ionian capital with finely fluted sides. The corners are decorated with volutes and the front is embellished with a border of bell-shaped ornaments and colourful enamel butterflies.
The Chinoiserie style in the 18th century was inspired by Chinese art and the ornamental elements were based on Chinese designs. Porcelain, silk and lacquered objects imported from China and Japan were immensely popular and prompted many designers and craftsmen to imitate the Asian designs and create their own, fanciful versions of Eastern beauty.
Pierre-César Honoré Pons (1773-1851) was one of the most renowned French clockmakers of his time; he worked in Saint Nicolas d'Aliermont from 1807 on. In 1819 Viscount Hericart de Thury wrote that a great number of eminent clockmakers "such as the Breguets, the Berthouds, the Janviers, the Robins, the Lepautes, the Bourdiers and the Pons…" were "known in the sciences of astronomy and physics…". Pons was an exceptionally resourceful maker of watches and clocks who designed and built the machinery for making his clocks himself. He invented his own type of movements and sold them to other watchmakers like Brocot; these movements are today known as Pons calibers. Pons frequently exhibited at fairs and was awarded numerous prizes and medals. When he died, he left a bequest of 1,000 francs to help watchmakers in need.
"Les Ouvriers du Temps", Jean-Dominique Augarde, Editions Antiquorum, Geneva, 1996. "Dictionnaire des Horlogers Français", Tardy, Paris, 1972.
estimated
12.000—20.000 €
Price realized
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