IN THE MUSEUMS
Pendule Louis XVI
A clock (which used to feature a musical mechanism) made of chiselled, gilded openwork bronze.
Signed by Jean-Joseph Saint-Germain (1719 – 1791)
Donated by the Kraemer family,
Musée du Louvre, Paris.
This clock was named “Studying”; it was made by Jean-Joseph Saint-Germain circa 1765. Numerous craftsmen worked on the design; among them was clockmaker Bailly l’Ainé, who signed the mechanism.
Saint-Germain was inspired by allegorical figures and tried to personify the act of studying. He crafted the figure of a young woman in a sitting position with a book in her hands. Around her are a rooster, which symbolises intelligence and strength, and numerous flags. At the centre, the clock’s face is supported by a fluted column. At the top of the face, there are laurel leaves with a knotted ribbon tied around them.
This work of art features typically neoclassical ornaments, which are very detailed.
