JEAN ROMILLY (GENÈVE, 1714 - PARIS, 1796) Lot n° 32

ROCAILLE" CHIMNEY CLOCK Paris, Louis XV period, circa 1755 Gilded bronze, enamel and glass Inscriptions: ROMILLY A PARIS on the dial H. 36 cm, W. 25 cm, D. 19 cm Small lack of enamel The mantelpiece clock is an innovation from the Louis XV period. Indeed, replacing the monumental mantel of the 17th century, the mantelpiece at support height is now adorned with a clock flanked by candleholders or candelabra. The mantel clocks (which also find their place on a chest of drawers or a secretary) adapt to different situations and exist in all sizes. Louis XV pendulums usually adopt a violin silhouette reminiscent of those of wall light cartels. Most of them are made entirely in bronze, but their decorative repertoire is also similar: rocaille motifs reign supreme, sometimes alone, sometimes decorated with foliage and flowers, love and allegorical or mythological figures, not to mention a few gallant scenes. It is in this purely "rocaille" style that our mantelpiece clock is set. Entirely made of chased and gilded bronze, it rests on an animated base with scrolls, floral scrolls and a bouquet. The dial is encircled by a tangle of volutes and flowery branches, it indicates the time in Arabic and Roman numerals. An elegant, finely chiselled bouquet of flowers is set above a reserve above the dial. Jean Romilly moved to Paris in 1734 and distinguished himself by numerous advances in the field of watchmaking. He perfected the double-point escapement developed by Caron de Beaumarchais, an invention presented to the Académie des Sciences in 1755. He was also one of the first to produce watches with an eight-day power reserve, even going so far as to present a model to the Academy with a 378-day power reserve without having to be wound, even though he faced problems of accuracy. The bulk of Romilly's watch production is made up of watches. In fact, he made only a few clocks, using cases designed by Balthazar Lieutaud, Charles Cressent