Beschreibung:

A fine French Louis XV ormolu mantel clock Louis Jouard, Paris, mid 18 th century The five knopped pillar two train bell striking movement now with Brocot deadbeat escapement for regulation by pendulum with Brocot rating adjustment to suspension, the backplate with canted angles, crossed out countwheel annotated for the hours and signed Jouard AParis across the plate beneath, the 6.75 inch circular white enamel Roman numeral dial signed JOUARD, A PARIS to centre within dark cobalt blue numeral hour ring and Arabic five minutes to outer track, with fine scroll pierced and engraved gilt brass hands set behind hinged convex glazed cast gilt bezel, the heavy case cast in the full-blown Louis XV rococo manner with a figural surmount modelled as the juvenile Diana with quiver of arrows perched within a generous asymmetric scroll issuing a floral trail over pair of finely chased eagle wings flanking the dial at the rear, the front with bold sweeping foliate rocaille scroll enveloping the left hand side of the dial and continuing down and across to merge with the substantial right hand front support issuing generous stylised leafy sprays and a floral trail, the left hand side with bold sculpted S-scroll support beneath the dial continuing down to form the foot, the rear with further asymmetric pair of scroll supports and glazed hinged cover for the movement, 60cm (23.5ins) high. Louis Jouard is recorded in Tardy DICTIONNAIRES DES HORLOGERS FRANCAIS as becoming a Paris maître in 1724 and is noted as a Horloger de la ville de Paris in 1739. He was appointed Jure in 1741 and Garde 1742-69. His workshop was located at Rue de la Monnaie 1746-49 then Rue St-Germain I Auxerrois until 1772. He is believed to have trained or worked in the workshop of Jacques Cogniet (1661-1731) and his son Jean Baptiste Cogniet (d. 1726) who were at rue de la Monnaye (where Jouard was also listed in September 1724). When J-B Cogniet died Jouard married his widow Marie-Ursule Prévost and in so doing took over Cogniet s business. The current lot is essentially a perfectly formed example of Louis XV ormolu mantel clock. The finely cast, chased and burnished bronze doré case demonstrates a feeling of movement and tautness only achieved by the most confident of modellers through the combination of abstracted foliate scrollwork, floral sprays and in the case of the current lot, eagle wings.