D'après JEAN-CHARLES DELAFOSSE (Paris, 1734 -... Lot n° 106

PARQUET CLOCK WITH DAUPHINS Paris, late 18th - first quarter of the 19th century Carved gilt wood and grey relacquered Dial signed " Charles Bernet Paris ". H. 220 cm, W.51 cm, D.51 cm Later movement Remarkable for its quality of execution, this sheathed regulator is a precious testimony of the inventiveness of the artists and craftsmen of the reign of Louis XVI. With its dazzling carved wooden dial, it resurrects the splendour of the century of Louis XIV while fully belonging to the most refined productions of the reign of Louis XVI. Indeed, it is in the work of the most famous cabinetmaker of the reign of Louis XIV, André-Charles Boulle, that we find the idea of the dial surrounded by carved palms. Supported by the Bâtiments du Roi, it is in a context of constant reference to the arts of the late 17th and early 18th centuries that the return to the Antique flourished from the middle of the reign of Louis XV. The sheath part can be precisely compared to the ornamental models engraved by the ornamentalist Jean-Charles Delafosse, whose influence was considerable in the diffusion of the Greek taste (fig. 1). Published as early as 1768, under the title Nouvelle Iconologie Historique, a first series of models of furniture, vases and other bronzes for use by architects, sculptors, cabinetmakers and goldsmiths drew on a powerful style that was resolutely oriented towards the antique repertoire.