Clock (pendule)

Benjamin Gray|Justin Vulliamy|Chantilly Porcelain Manufactory

ca. 1745 · Case: soft-paste porcelain and gilded bronze; Dial: painted enamel; Movement: brass and steel · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

French rococo clocks were often decorated with porcelain figures. Porcelain cases made specifically for clocks are less common, and they were prized in England as well as in France. There is evidence that this case originally contained another movement, probably by a French clockmaker, but the case is not much older than the present movement, and the movement may, indeed, have been made as a substitute for the original one. Gray was appointed clockmaker to George II (1683–1760) in 1742. The following year he went into partnership with his future son-in-law, Justin Vulliamy, and together they produced a number of clocks for their first royal patron and, later, for his successor.

Artist

Benjamin Gray|Justin Vulliamy|Chantilly Porcelain Manufactory

Date

ca. 1745

Medium

Case: soft-paste porcelain and gilded bronze; Dial: painted enamel; Movement: brass and steel

Culture

British, London with French, Chantilly case

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Bequest of Irwin Untermyer, 1973