Details
The drum case with sunflower and foliate cresting and ribbon-tied laurel sprig above the lyre-shaped trunk, the backboard mirrored, the glazed apertures with beaded borders, the lower section with a gilt and blue vernis Martin panel with four figures facing a globe representing the four Continents (probably redecorated), the spreading plinth base with boldly cast acanthus leaves, the white enamel dial with Arabic hours and ten minute markers, inscribed 'Le Paute A Paris / HGER. du Roy', pierced gilt-brass hour and minute hands and blued steel seconds hand, the four pillar movement with three wheels and pin wheel escapement, engraved to the backplate 'Lepaute a Paris', suspended from the backplate via a single hook and with four steady feet, the rope drive with brass cased weight and counterweight, compensated nine-bar brass and steel pendulum
80 in. (203.2 cm.) high; 2412 (62.2 cm.) wide; 934 in. (24.7 cm.) deep
Provenance
The Collection of Dr. Alexandre Benchoufi; Sotheby's, New York, 9 November 2006, lot 96 ($72,000).
Literature
A. Droguet, Nicolas Petit, Paris, 2001, pp. 71 and 83-84.
P. Verlet, French Furniture of the 18th Century, 1991, fig. 128.
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Lot Essay


A case of the same design by Nicolas Petit (maître in 1761), but without the gilt and lacquer panel to the plinth, was formerly in the Fabre Collection, Paris, also with movement by the Lepaute workshop and with near identical mounts (Droguet, op. cit., p. 73). Lepaute's 'Description de plusieurs ouvrages d'horlogerie' mentions the mounts for these clocks were made by the sculptor and founder Etienne Martincourt (maître in 1762).

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