100th Auction
2019/11/15
Lot 61
Georges Causard, Horloger du Roy / attributed to Hubert Martinet, Paris und London, Height 590 mm, circa 1770
An extremely rare, highly important Louis XV bronze splendour clock with half hour / hour strike and four automatons, signed Causard H Ger. Du Roy, S. La Cour
Case: cast bronze, firegilt and patinated, red leather, enamel. Dial: white enamel, radial Roman hours, radial Arabic minutes, outer five minute divisions, signed, firegilt pierced hands. Movm.: brass clock movement, 1 hammer / 1 bell, 2 large barrels, drum escapement, count wheel, silk string suspension. Automaton: brass/steel, 1 barrel, brass regulation discs, baluster movement pillars, rack and pinion system.
A great number of various types of automaton animals created in the late Renaissance period attest to a long tradition of highly skilled automaton making in Europe. The Rococo period brought along a taste for all things outlandish; the figural representation of exotic animals as automatons in combination with timepieces came back into fashion and was particularly popular in France and England. This popularity gained momentum when the trade relations between Europe and China grew stronger quickly and began to include highly complex and lavishly ornamented clocks, many of which found their way into the collection of the Chinese imperial court.
This elephant is one of the most sophisticated and complex automaton animals ever, the quality of the mechanism and the craftsmanship are phenomenal: The nuances of colour in the different gilded and patinated materials create an exciting vibrancy - the imposing body of the elephant is made of dark, patinated cast bronze, the base, the clock resting on a large fleece and the two sitting figures are gilt. The drum-shaped clock has a white enamel dial; its sides are covered with grained red leather and decorated with tassels.
A man in traditional Chinese garb sits on a tasseled cushion on top of the clock with a parasol in his hand. On the elephant’s head sits a monkey wearing a cocked hat and holding a grappling hook. The monkey’s posture and its piercing glance imply curiosity and energy. Most impressive, however, is the incredibly lifelike elephant with integrated automaton – the animal’s enamel eyes move to and fro, the ears flap back and forth and the articulated tail and trunk move from side to side, with the trunk also expanding and contracting. The composition sits on a base with rococo ornamentation that simulates a leaf-strewn, rocky ground – a typical motif of the Louis XV period.
The anatomical details of the large pachyderm are extremely true-to-life – the animal moves his ears, eyes, tail and trunk in a very lifelike manner. Only a mechanism of supreme quality is capable of delivering such service. For the lifelike movement of the trunk a construction was devised which connected the elements to each other inside the trunk.
Hubert Martinet created a small series of automaton elephants that were very similar to this one. One nearly identical elephant by Martinot is part of the Collection Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. That magnificent automaton features a musical movement in the base and has moving figures and flowers; it was created in London circa 1768-1772. The ears, eyeballs, tail and trunk of the elephant move synchronously. Rumour has it that it was commissioned as a gift for an Indian official. The elephant was exhibited several times in London, The Netherlands and Paris before it became part of the Rothschild collection.
Another automaton elephant signed by Hubert Martinet with a nearly identical mechanism is illustrated and described on page 190 (Fig. 15-31 A, B) of "Mystery, Novelty and Fantasy Clocks", 1999, by Derek Roberts. Two more are part of the Nathan-Rupp collection in the historical museum Basel and in the inventory of the Royal Palace in Warsaw.
Even though little is known about Hubert Martinet, it has been established that he was active as a watchmaker and retailer in the 1770s and 1780s in London and Paris.
That he worked in Paris is confirmed by his signature on a French cartel clock which is illustrated in Tardy’s "La Pendule Française", Vol. 1, p. 86. The Duke of Orleans also kept two of Martinet’s clocks at the Palais Royal; they were confiscated by the revolutionary government in 1793.
Tardy writes in his "Dictionnaire des Horlogers Francais" that Georges Causard was born in Audeloncourt. He became a master in 1770 and was appointed "Horloger du Roi suivant la Cour". The date of Causard’s death is not known but we know that he was still alive after 1789.
An extremely rare, highly important Louis XV bronze splendour clock with half hour / hour strike and four automatons, signed Causard H Ger. Du Roy, S. La Cour
Case: cast bronze, firegilt and patinated, red leather, enamel. Dial: white enamel, radial Roman hours, radial Arabic minutes, outer five minute divisions, signed, firegilt pierced hands. Movm.: brass clock movement, 1 hammer / 1 bell, 2 large barrels, drum escapement, count wheel, silk string suspension. Automaton: brass/steel, 1 barrel, brass regulation discs, baluster movement pillars, rack and pinion system.
A great number of various types of automaton animals created in the late Renaissance period attest to a long tradition of highly skilled automaton making in Europe. The Rococo period brought along a taste for all things outlandish; the figural representation of exotic animals as automatons in combination with timepieces came back into fashion and was particularly popular in France and England. This popularity gained momentum when the trade relations between Europe and China grew stronger quickly and began to include highly complex and lavishly ornamented clocks, many of which found their way into the collection of the Chinese imperial court.
This elephant is one of the most sophisticated and complex automaton animals ever, the quality of the mechanism and the craftsmanship are phenomenal: The nuances of colour in the different gilded and patinated materials create an exciting vibrancy - the imposing body of the elephant is made of dark, patinated cast bronze, the base, the clock resting on a large fleece and the two sitting figures are gilt. The drum-shaped clock has a white enamel dial; its sides are covered with grained red leather and decorated with tassels.
A man in traditional Chinese garb sits on a tasseled cushion on top of the clock with a parasol in his hand. On the elephant’s head sits a monkey wearing a cocked hat and holding a grappling hook. The monkey’s posture and its piercing glance imply curiosity and energy. Most impressive, however, is the incredibly lifelike elephant with integrated automaton – the animal’s enamel eyes move to and fro, the ears flap back and forth and the articulated tail and trunk move from side to side, with the trunk also expanding and contracting. The composition sits on a base with rococo ornamentation that simulates a leaf-strewn, rocky ground – a typical motif of the Louis XV period.
The anatomical details of the large pachyderm are extremely true-to-life – the animal moves his ears, eyes, tail and trunk in a very lifelike manner. Only a mechanism of supreme quality is capable of delivering such service. For the lifelike movement of the trunk a construction was devised which connected the elements to each other inside the trunk.
Hubert Martinet created a small series of automaton elephants that were very similar to this one. One nearly identical elephant by Martinot is part of the Collection Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. That magnificent automaton features a musical movement in the base and has moving figures and flowers; it was created in London circa 1768-1772. The ears, eyeballs, tail and trunk of the elephant move synchronously. Rumour has it that it was commissioned as a gift for an Indian official. The elephant was exhibited several times in London, The Netherlands and Paris before it became part of the Rothschild collection.
Another automaton elephant signed by Hubert Martinet with a nearly identical mechanism is illustrated and described on page 190 (Fig. 15-31 A, B) of "Mystery, Novelty and Fantasy Clocks", 1999, by Derek Roberts. Two more are part of the Nathan-Rupp collection in the historical museum Basel and in the inventory of the Royal Palace in Warsaw.
Even though little is known about Hubert Martinet, it has been established that he was active as a watchmaker and retailer in the 1770s and 1780s in London and Paris.
That he worked in Paris is confirmed by his signature on a French cartel clock which is illustrated in Tardy’s "La Pendule Française", Vol. 1, p. 86. The Duke of Orleans also kept two of Martinet’s clocks at the Palais Royal; they were confiscated by the revolutionary government in 1793.
Tardy writes in his "Dictionnaire des Horlogers Francais" that Georges Causard was born in Audeloncourt. He became a master in 1770 and was appointed "Horloger du Roi suivant la Cour". The date of Causard’s death is not known but we know that he was still alive after 1789.
estimated
160.000—200.000 €
Price realized
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