Wall clock (cartel)

Etienne LeNoir|Chantilly

ca. 1735–40 · Case: soft-paste porcelain and partly gilded brass; Dial: white enamel; Movement: brass and steel · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Étienne Le Noir was the patriarch of a dynasty of French clockmakers who specialized in movements for clocks with lavishly decorated cases for royal and aristocratic patrons. This clock is unique in having its case made of porcelain rather than more typical gilded bronze, and there are only two other surviving examples of wall clocks with Chantilly porcelain cases. The figures imitate Japanese porcelain, as was quite usual at the Chantilly porcelain factory.

Artist

Etienne LeNoir|Chantilly

Date

ca. 1735–40

Medium

Case: soft-paste porcelain and partly gilded brass; Dial: white enamel; Movement: brass and steel

Culture

French, Paris with French, Chantilly case

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection, 1982