Orrery clock

Louis Thouverez

1790 · Cast and gilded bronze, Carrara marble, copper, brass, steel, enamel · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Made by gifted Parisian clockmaker Louis Thouverez, this mechanical model of the solar system, widely known as “orreries,” was likely made for an aristocrat. Orreries were much admired because, as three-dimensional models, they made possible the observation of the universe without the use of special lenses and independent of variable weather conditions. Thouverez was clockmaker to the duke of Orleans, who despite voting for the execution of his cousin King Louis XVI, subsequently followed him to the guillotine in 1793.

Artist

Louis Thouverez

Date

1790

Medium

Cast and gilded bronze, Carrara marble, copper, brass, steel, enamel

Culture

French, Paris

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Bequest of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2019