102nd Auction
2020/6/29
Lot 406
Auguste Wolff à Paris, Height 470 mm, circa 1790
An important early gilt and patinated bronze "Pendule Au Bon Sauvage" with half hour/hour strike
Case: white marble, firegilt and patinated bronze, partly polished. Dial: enamel. Movm.: circular brass full plate movement, 1 hammer / 1 bell, anchor escapement, count wheel, short pendulum with silk string suspension.
The large, round enamel dial with Roman hours and Arabic minutes is housed in a drum-shaped case supported by a concave base. It has a wide bead and reel bezel and is flanked by two patinated bronze putti, gesturing animatedly. Each of them wears a loincloth of gold-coloured feathers, the figure on the left also wears a gold feather headdress. The putti are seated on a naturalistic, gold-patinated ground with roots and tree stumps. On top of the clock sits another, feather-clad putto, resting nonchalantly on a tree stump with a gold spear in his left hand and looking far into the distance.
The composition rests on a gold base on a white marble plinth supported by six gilt toupie feet with leaf decoration; it is shaped as a horizontal, stepped oval with rounded corners and a gently protruding centre part, with elaborate applied relief ornamentation – flowers, acanthus, laurel scrolls and garlands.
The black patinated figures against the gold framing of the case and the white marble create a striking effect - the bronze artists at the time regularly made use of such strong, contrasting colours to lend the scene a more powerful and compelling impact.
This piece is a very early example of a "Pendule Au Bon Sauvage" with a figural scene fully in the tradition of the fine arts. The depiction of the spirited putti is inspired by the ideals of European sculpting and were a popular motif that went far back in time. The black patinated skin tone and the accents set by the gold-coloured attributes such as feather headdress, loincloth and spear alone are enough to evoke an exotic ambiance and portray the charming, nude boys as "noble savages".
An important early gilt and patinated bronze "Pendule Au Bon Sauvage" with half hour/hour strike
Case: white marble, firegilt and patinated bronze, partly polished. Dial: enamel. Movm.: circular brass full plate movement, 1 hammer / 1 bell, anchor escapement, count wheel, short pendulum with silk string suspension.
The large, round enamel dial with Roman hours and Arabic minutes is housed in a drum-shaped case supported by a concave base. It has a wide bead and reel bezel and is flanked by two patinated bronze putti, gesturing animatedly. Each of them wears a loincloth of gold-coloured feathers, the figure on the left also wears a gold feather headdress. The putti are seated on a naturalistic, gold-patinated ground with roots and tree stumps. On top of the clock sits another, feather-clad putto, resting nonchalantly on a tree stump with a gold spear in his left hand and looking far into the distance.
The composition rests on a gold base on a white marble plinth supported by six gilt toupie feet with leaf decoration; it is shaped as a horizontal, stepped oval with rounded corners and a gently protruding centre part, with elaborate applied relief ornamentation – flowers, acanthus, laurel scrolls and garlands.
The black patinated figures against the gold framing of the case and the white marble create a striking effect - the bronze artists at the time regularly made use of such strong, contrasting colours to lend the scene a more powerful and compelling impact.
This piece is a very early example of a "Pendule Au Bon Sauvage" with a figural scene fully in the tradition of the fine arts. The depiction of the spirited putti is inspired by the ideals of European sculpting and were a popular motif that went far back in time. The black patinated skin tone and the accents set by the gold-coloured attributes such as feather headdress, loincloth and spear alone are enough to evoke an exotic ambiance and portray the charming, nude boys as "noble savages".
estimated
45.000—55.000 €
Price realized
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