Louis XVI Clock with Dolphins, Movement by Noël Leroy

Louis XVI clock with dolphins.
Marble, gilded bronze and silver-plated bronze
Circa 1780
Based on a design by the bronze-smith Brécourt
Movement signed Noël Leroy, Paris
Dimensions: H: 45.5 x W: 24 x D: 19 cm

This clock was designed based on a model created in 1775 by the bronze caster Brécourt. It rests on a square white marble base, decorated on each side with foliage sprouting from either side of a gilt-bronze caduceus, whilst the corners are adorned with plant motifs.
Rising from the top of this plinth is a clock whose overall silhouette resembles that of a vase. The gilded bronze pedestal is also embellished with plant motifs. The enamelled dial, encircled by a beaded frieze and featuring a dual index of Arabic and Roman numerals, sits at the centre of an elongated marble oval. This is flanked by two gilded bronze dolphins.
The dial is surrounded by acanthus leaves, joined at the bottom by a knot. The whole is crowned by a gilded bronze fountain motif, which surmounts the composition.

P. Kjellberg, Encyclopédie de la Pendule Française, p. 214, afb. A, Parijs 1997.
H. Ottomeyer, P. Proschel e.a., Vergoldete Bronzen, München 1986, deel I, p. 196, afb. 3.13.3