Henri Picard, Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze Clock Garniture, Napoleon III Period

An important Louis XV style chased and gilt bronze clock garniture by Henri Picard, made in Paris during the Second Empire. It comprises a large mantel clock and a pair of seven-light candelabra, each piece stamped by the bronze maker.
The clock, with a white enamel dial with Roman numerals signed Raingo Frères à Paris, is set in a shaped rocaille case surmounted by two winged cherubs playing with a garland of roses. On one side stands a basket overflowing with flowers; on the other, a trophy of Music and Love with a musette, an open music score, a quiver of arrows, roses and a laurel branch. At the base, two birds with outspread wings alight on a mound above a garland of roses; the scrolled plinth, decorated with foliate scrolls in relief, rests on C-scroll feet. The back is finished with equal care: a medallion chased with a bowl of flowers takes the place of the dial, so the garniture can stand on a mantelpiece as well as on a piece of furniture in the middle of a room.
Each candelabrum shows a seated cherub holding a flower garland beside a bird, on a rocaille base decorated with scales and shells. Above rises a baluster stem with twisted gadroons, carrying six foliate branches and a central light. The finely chased details and rich gilding reflect the skill of one of the finest Parisian bronze makers of his time.
Style: Louis XV
Period: Napoleon III, Second Empire
Materials: chased and gilt bronze, enamel dial
Decoration: cherubs, rose garlands, flower basket, trophy of Music and Love, birds, rocaille
Signature: stamped Picard on the clock and on each candelabrum; dial signed Raingo Frères, Paris
Dimensions: clock H. 60 cm × W. 70 cm × D. 31 cm; candelabra H. 79 cm × W. 32 cm × D. 32 cm
Henri Picard, Parisian bronze maker (active 1831–1863)
A founder, chaser and gilder, Henri Picard was active in Paris from 1831 to 1863. His workshop was renowned for the very high quality of its furnishing bronzes: clocks, candelabra, garnitures and furniture mounts. He was among the suppliers to the Second Empire court, and several bronzes delivered for Emperor Napoleon III are now preserved at the Louvre Museum, in the Napoleon III Apartments.