GARNITURE. GILT BRONZE. HENRI PICARD, VICTOR PAILLARD. PARIS, FRANCE, 1831-1864.

Garnish, clock and two candlesticks. Gilt bronze. Henri Picard and Victor Paillard. Paris, France, 1831-1864. With markings (base, on the back). The gilt bronze garniture consists of a clock and two candelabra, each with four lights, adorned with flowers. The candelabra have plain bases and vase-shaped feet, strongly inspired by classical motifs and decorated with reliefs (fauns, children, garlands, grotesque heads, etc.). The clock features two female figures (allegories of Geography and Astronomy, as indicated by the objects they carry) flanking a vase containing the dial. The dial displays Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals every five minutes, along with the signature. The Parisian-type movement bears an engraved number and a hallmark (Vr Paillard / A Paris). On the base, on the back of the clock, the inscription H. Picard is engraved, referring to the goldsmith and gilder Henri Picard (France, active 1831–1864), who worked for Defreveille and also collaborated with Charles Perrault and Grault. He produced numerous works for Napoleon III, many of which are now in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The sphere is inscribed with “Victor Paillard / Ft de Bronzes / A Paris”. Victor Paillard (1805-1886) was a French sculptor who perfected his skills in Paris with Jean-François Denière, also collaborating with Ferdinand Barbedienne. In 1830, he founded a firm specializing in movable art objects, which proved successful and received state commissions (particularly for the Palau d'Afers Exteriors at the Quai d'Orsay). There is evidence of the existence of other clocks like this one: one by the bronze caster Étienne Martincourt with the dial signed “Lepaute à Paris”; another identical to this one and now in the Paul Getty Museum in Malibu (California, USA) from the Tuileries; and yet another with the dial signed by Victor Paillard. Regarding the design of the vases, it appears they were inspired by some very popular and highly regarded ones by Claude Michel (signed Clodion), who created an original in terracotta in 1763. Numerous pieces in bronze and other materials were based on this original (the Art Institute of Chicago holds a pair of marble versions dated 1766; the Goncourt Collection has one dated 1761 or 1762; a pair of candlesticks with these bases are known to be attributed to Barbedienne, etc.). In turn, it seems that Clodion was inspired by vases by François Boucher. Weight: 57 kg.

· Size: Reloj 60x27x72 cms Candelabros 32x25x83ácms