The Triumph of Love over Time

Augustin Pajou|Jean-Baptiste Lepaute|Etienne Martincourt

ca. 1780–90 · Gilt bronze, marble, enamel · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This clock illustrates the triumph of love over time. The young god of love points to the minutes with his arrow while holding a blazing torch to the celestial globe that contains two revolving rings between its hemispheres, one with the minutes (5–10) and the other with the hours (I-XII). Chronos, or Father Time, sits dejectedly at the right. The figures, modeled by Augustin Pajou (1730–1809), were taken from a more complex design for a clock made by the royal sculptor in 1775 for the prince de Condé and were probably cast by Étienne Martincourt (active 1762–1800). The subject of the relief on the pedestal is a sacrifice to Eros. At this time, the workshop of the Lepaute family consisted of Jean-Baptiste (1727–1802), named horologer du roi in 1775; Pierre, called Henry Lepaute (1749–1806); and Pierre-Bazile, called Sully-Lepaute (1750–1843). The gilt bronze is beautifully finished and the contrast between the burnished and matte areas is particularly striking.

Artist

Augustin Pajou|Jean-Baptiste Lepaute|Etienne Martincourt

Date

ca. 1780–90

Medium

Gilt bronze, marble, enamel

Culture

French, Paris

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917