This clock, entitled L'Etude et la Philosophie, was an enormously successful and popular model in the late 18th century. It derives from a drawing in a catalogue produced by François Rémond, circa 1785, which incorporates figures designed and supplied to the Sèvres factory for reproduction in biscuit porcelain by the sculptor Simon-Louis Boizot. Rémond was one of the most celebrated ciseleurs-doreurs during the reign of Louis XVI and counted among his distinguished clientele the comte d'Artois and the princesse Kinsky. Between February 1784 and October 1787, Rémond sold at least thirty-two versions of this model to Dominique Daguerre (see J.D. Augarde, Les Ouvriers du Temps, 1997, p. 175). In 1788 Daguerre delivered three of these clocks, with movements by Sotiau, to Louis XVI at the château de Saint-Cloud. Three clocks of this model are in the Royal Collection, with additional examples conserved each at Versailles and the Quirinale, Rome.

Other examples of this popular model sold at auction include the following. In white marble: the Wildenstein collection, Christie's, London, 14 December 2005, lot 18 (£28,800); the Partridge collection, Christie's, New York, 17 May 2006, lot 27 ($38,400). In red marble: Christie's, London, 14 December 2000, lot 198 (£28,200). In black marble, Sotheby's, London, 12 June 2002, lot 395 (£19,120). A smaller version with white marble sold Christie's, London, 29 April 2010, lot 134 (£27,500).