95th Auction
2017/5/6
Lot 366
Janvier, Movement No. 342 5/1802, Height 440 mm, circa 1802
An important astronomical table clock with half hour/hour strike and moon phase with an unusual pin wheel escapement with a short lever
Case: mahogany, glazed on all sides. Dial: silvered chapter rings on gilt-brass plate. Movm.: rectangular-shaped brass movement, 1 hammer / 1 bell, 2 barrels, verge escapement, pendulum spring suspension, steel pendulum rod and brass bob.
The signature 5 / 1802 stands for May 1802 and shows the dislike Janvier had for the French Republican Calendar - which is not surprising, considering how he had suffered during the time of the Republic.
The escapement wheel has pins on both sides, the lever is short and fitted with crescent-shaped pallets. The intention was to release "idle" and "impulse" in equal increments from the centre of the lever. However, Janvier later admitted that the construction did not have the desired effect after all.
We would like to thank Mr. Michel Hayard for his friendly support.
Antide Janvier was born in Briva on July 1, 1751. He learned his craft from his father Claude Étienne Janvier, who recognized his son’s talent early and encouraged him. Antide studied Latin, Greek, Maths and Astronomy with a local abbot and in 1766, at the age of 15, designed and constructed an armillary sphere (a solar system model), which he presented at the Academy of Sciences in Besançon. The model won him much recognition and on May 24, 1768 he received a letter of appreciation from the academy.
Janvier quickly gained an excellent reputation as a maker of complicated and difficult clocks of superior quality, including many pendulum clocks, globes, astronomical clocks, spheres and planetaria.
In 1783 he created two spheres for King Louis XVI and was also clockmaker to his brother, later King Louis XVIII. During the time of the French Revolution Janvier spend quite some time in prison because of these royal connections; afterwards he had severe financial problems because lot of his work had not been paid for. Between 1789 and 1801 Janvier produced one of his best pieces - a clock that operated an armillary sphere.
Janvier also produced clocks for Abraham-Louis Breguet, which Breguet sold under his own name. In 1802, during the time of the Consulate, Janvier opened a clockmaking school. He was appointed clockmaker to King Louis XVIII and won a goldmedal at the exhibition in 1823. In 1825 he was invested into the Legion of Honour or at least nominated as a knight. Antide Janvier died in Paris in the Hôspital Cochin on September 23, 1835 at the age of 84, destitute and forgotten by his peers. His death certificate said "Antide Janvier, stateless" and "cause of death: old age". Today we know just how exceptional a clockmaker Antide Janvier was; the towns of Besançon and Saint-Claude have named streets after him in his honour. The largest collection of his masterpieces that can be viewed by the public is in the Musée Paul-Dupuy in Toulouse.
An important astronomical table clock with half hour/hour strike and moon phase with an unusual pin wheel escapement with a short lever
Case: mahogany, glazed on all sides. Dial: silvered chapter rings on gilt-brass plate. Movm.: rectangular-shaped brass movement, 1 hammer / 1 bell, 2 barrels, verge escapement, pendulum spring suspension, steel pendulum rod and brass bob.
The signature 5 / 1802 stands for May 1802 and shows the dislike Janvier had for the French Republican Calendar - which is not surprising, considering how he had suffered during the time of the Republic.
The escapement wheel has pins on both sides, the lever is short and fitted with crescent-shaped pallets. The intention was to release "idle" and "impulse" in equal increments from the centre of the lever. However, Janvier later admitted that the construction did not have the desired effect after all.
We would like to thank Mr. Michel Hayard for his friendly support.
Antide Janvier was born in Briva on July 1, 1751. He learned his craft from his father Claude Étienne Janvier, who recognized his son’s talent early and encouraged him. Antide studied Latin, Greek, Maths and Astronomy with a local abbot and in 1766, at the age of 15, designed and constructed an armillary sphere (a solar system model), which he presented at the Academy of Sciences in Besançon. The model won him much recognition and on May 24, 1768 he received a letter of appreciation from the academy.
Janvier quickly gained an excellent reputation as a maker of complicated and difficult clocks of superior quality, including many pendulum clocks, globes, astronomical clocks, spheres and planetaria.
In 1783 he created two spheres for King Louis XVI and was also clockmaker to his brother, later King Louis XVIII. During the time of the French Revolution Janvier spend quite some time in prison because of these royal connections; afterwards he had severe financial problems because lot of his work had not been paid for. Between 1789 and 1801 Janvier produced one of his best pieces - a clock that operated an armillary sphere.
Janvier also produced clocks for Abraham-Louis Breguet, which Breguet sold under his own name. In 1802, during the time of the Consulate, Janvier opened a clockmaking school. He was appointed clockmaker to King Louis XVIII and won a goldmedal at the exhibition in 1823. In 1825 he was invested into the Legion of Honour or at least nominated as a knight. Antide Janvier died in Paris in the Hôspital Cochin on September 23, 1835 at the age of 84, destitute and forgotten by his peers. His death certificate said "Antide Janvier, stateless" and "cause of death: old age". Today we know just how exceptional a clockmaker Antide Janvier was; the towns of Besançon and Saint-Claude have named streets after him in his honour. The largest collection of his masterpieces that can be viewed by the public is in the Musée Paul-Dupuy in Toulouse.
Sold
estimated
44.000—60.000 €
Price realized
54.600 €