Doll's Head signed by DUCHESNE marquetry attributed to Boulle

Boulle marquetry clock in pewter and brass on a tortoiseshell background.

Called a "Doll's Head" due to its distinctive rounded sides, it is composed of curves and counter-curves ending in volutes and rests on a rectangular ogee base supported by four lion paws called "claw feet." This tall base is punctuated by friezes in pearled gilt bronze, decorated with alternating pearled flowers, and a frieze of pearled interlacing. The clock is topped with a rounded pediment in red tortoiseshell, framed by brass fillets on the top and a terraced damping system in each front corner decorated with a gilt bronze oil lamp. The entablature is molded with cavettos, and on either side beneath this entablature are depicted pearled rosettes.

Although straighter forms excel in the Louis XIV style clock, the end of his reign is also characterized by these violin-shaped forms. They would become established in the Regency and under Louis XV. This clock is therefore a precursor of the style to come and through the meticulousness of the Boulle marquetry, the decorations, as well as the finesse of the chiseling, we can see the great mastery of this work.

The dial is signed in a cartouche by Pierre Duchesne Paris and chiseled with arabesques and acanthus leaves surrounded by a beaded glass panel. It features alternating star-shaped Roman numerals marking the hours and chiseled Arabic numerals on the border marking the minutes.



A counterpart clock to ours is listed in the Encyclopedia of French Clocks "from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century" by Pierre Kjellberg, Editions de l'Amateur, 1997, page 55, under the reference "C – Red tortoiseshell and pewter marquetry clock on a copper background, circa 1680, H 52.5 cm, Movement signed Pierre Duchesne in Paris. Doc. Sotheby's Monte Carlo." This is the exact counterpart to our clock, which dates the latter to 1680.



Pierre Duchesne, who became a master in 1675 and settled at "Alexandre's Oak," used several cases made by André Charles Boulle. Part of his production is therefore associated with the work carried out directly by the great master of Boulle.
Our case is also attributed to André Charles Boulle, as is that of a marquetry grandfather clock, whose manufacturing attribution is given to André Charles Boulle and whose clockwork is signed by the same Pierre Duchesne. It sold for €34,000 on June 26, 2011, in Cheverny.
Since doll's head clocks were finely crafted and richly ornamented, they were produced in particular for high society, in small quantities, and several have been lost over the centuries. This model is therefore rare, in very good condition, and in perfect working order.

Dimensions: H 52.5 cm x W 29.5 cm x D 12 cm