Offered by Jean-François Regis
Jacques Caffiéri, attributed to (1678-1755), Cartel from the Louis XV period in gilded and finely chiseled bronze, circa 1750. Exceptional and unique cartel in finely chiseled gilt bronze, decorated with garlands of flowers and large acanthus leaves in scrolls which frame the opus and the dial. On the upper part, a young cupid who symbolizes Asia, he holds in his right hand a quiver filled with arrows and wears a "pagdi", a traditional Indian hat. On the lower part, a shirtless Native American woman wearing feathers representing America. The dial is in white enamel, the dark blue numerals are Roman for the hours and Arabic for the seconds. it is made up of two crowns, one for the movement and the other for the chime. Signed "LEROY A PARIS" on the back of the movement (to be revised). Our cartel, of a remarkable quality of execution, was made by a craftsman endowed with a great mastery of his art, like Jacques Caffiéri (1678-1755) bronzier, founder and chiseler of King Louis XV. Designer and ornamentalist, son of sculptor Philippe Caffiéri. Jacques became Master Founder and Engraver in 1715, as well as a member of the King's Buildings in 1936. Many of his brilliant achievements as a designer and engraver in bronze and other metals were executed for the crown at Versailles, Fontainebleau and Marly between other. Our cartel comes from the George and Lydia Grégory collection in New York. Lithuanian-born George fled with his wife to the United States in 1941 when the Nazis invaded Europe. The couple invests in a 17-room apartment on Park Avenue on the 10th floor of a building built by developer Bing&Bing. George, who had a successful career in finance, asked Francis Chaillou, then decorator of the Jensen house in Manhattan, to completely decorate his home for him. The cartel was integrated into this project. It was applied in the center of a mirrored wall in the dining room. Dimensions: Height: 91.5 cm. Width: 52cm. Depth: 21cm. Provenance: Former George and Lydia Grégory collection.
