A LOUIS XVI ORMOLU AND BARDIGLIO MARBLE STRIKING MANTEL CLOCK WITH CALENDAR

The design for this clock, traditionally attributed to Vion and composed by Duplessis, is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Interestingly, this ormolu case is attributed to the fondeur Lemoyne by J-D. Augarde in Les Ouvriers du Temps, Geneva, 1996, p. 262. Jean-Jacques Lemoyne was elected maître-fondeur-ciseleur on 28th March 1772. He lived in the rue Princesse and worked most notably for the comte de Montmorency-Laval. Augarde (op. cit, p.262, fig. 205) illustrates an identical clock, but with bleu turquin marble base and movement by Robin which was confiscated from the Marquis de Sérent, governor to the Comte d'Artois' children and states that Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette and Mesdames Victoire and Adélaîde owned similar clocks.