Empire Clock "the Wheel Of Fortune" Or Lottery In Gilded Bronze

''The Wheel of Fortune''. Paris, circa 1810.
Rare and elegant Empire period clock, representing a Cupid, standing on a base, brandishing a phylactery bearing the number ''90''.
So-called "skeleton" movement inscribed in the center of a wheel of fortune, whose spokes are formed by a torch, a quiver and two crossed arches, gilded bronze hands of the "Fleur de lys" type.
On the right, a cornucopia pours out gold Louis. Chiseled facade with a decoration representing a fortune-telling scene.
Base with rounded sides decorated with applied friezes, supported by small acorn feet.
The whole thing is made entirely of finely chiseled and gilded bronze, superb quality of execution of the character and the decorations.
Magnificent brilliance of the original mercury gilding with the subtle play of matte and gloss.
Enamelled annular dial with Roman numerals, signed GROGNOT in Paris. (slight cracks)
GROGNOT. Paris. Rue des Fontaines du Temple, 1810. Place du Palais-Royal, 1812. Pendulum clock. (Tardy, Dictionary of French Watchmakers, Paris, 1971, p.74)
Movement with silk thread suspension, in perfect working order. Chimes the hours and half-hours.
Pendulum, stamp and key provided.
Height: 40 cm x L: 31 x D: 13 cm I

n the particular field of French watchmaking, the first years of the 19th century were a period of exceptional creativity with the invention and interpretation of numerous models, sometimes excessively rare. This is the case of the clock that we are offering, the theme of which is a particularly free interpretation of fortune and the chances of existence. Indeed, a young winged love proudly brandishes the winning ticket numbered 90; while on the other side of the dial, which symbolizes a lottery wheel, a horn pours out a stream of coins, a variation of the watch models decorated with cornucopias made in the second half of the 18th century.

Another clock of the same model is illustrated in P. Kjellberg, Encyclopedia of the French clock from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, Paris, 1997, p.445, fig. F; purchased in a Parisian auction, it now belongs to the collections of the François Duesberg museum in Mons (reproduced in François Duesberg Museum, Decorative Arts 1775-1825, Brussels, 2004, p.39).