18th-century Boulle Console Clock, Pierre Philippe Barat, Circa 1740, Louis XV Period

18th-century Boulle console clock, Pierre Philippe Barat, circa 1740, Louis XV period. One of the most sought-after clocks on the antiques market. Pierre-Philippe Barat, Clockmaker (1715–1779). Pierre-Philippe Barat is considered one of the most important Parisian clockmakers of the reign of Louis XV. Recorded as an apprentice to Nicolas Brodon in 1730, he became a master clockmaker on May 5, 1742, and established his workshop in the Marché Neuf. Later, around the mid-18th century, he is recorded as having a workshop in the Place Dauphine. Married to the daughter of a Parisian master watchmaker, he quickly acquired a great reputation and held the position of guild overseer from 1757 to 1759 and from 1764 to 1766. In 1770, he retired from business and sold his workshop to the watchmaker Jean Michel for 8,943 pounds. In the second half of the 18th century and the beginning of the following century, several of his clocks were inventoried by the leading collectors of the time, notably those briefly described at the home of the lawyer Guy Agier in 1773, at the home of Rosalie Nettine, widow of the banker Jean-Joseph de Laborde, and in the collection of François-Camille, Duke of Lorraine, in 1788. The clock rests on four ear-shaped feet and has a sumptuous wooden case, shaped like a cello, glazed on three sides and covered with marquetry of tortoiseshell and brass plaques carved with floral motifs. The edges and corners are adorned with gilt bronzes depicting a flowering branch, rocaille, and female herms. On the glass door, an openwork design depicts the figure of Andromeda. In Greek mythology, Andromeda was an Ethiopian princess, daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia. Her mother boasted of being more beautiful than the Nereids, which angered the gods, particularly Poseidon, who unleashed a sea monster upon the kingdom. To save the country, Andromeda was chained to a rock as a sacrifice to the monster, but she was rescued by the hero Perseus, who took her as his wife. The clock's finial is adorned with the figure of Perseus carrying the head of Medusa. Behind the glass door, a bronze dial is visible, with cobalt Roman numerals on enamel plaques. In the center of the dial is an enamel plaque bearing the inscription "Regnault à Paris". The wooden back door is adorned with an openwork brass plate, carved with floral motifs and scrolls on the inside. The back of the cabinet is decorated with a checkerboard pattern. The movement strikes the hours and half-hours and bears the inscription "Barat à Paris" engraved on the dial. Origin: French console clock. Condition: Very good, after inspection by a clockmaker; the case has been professionally restored. Materials: Gilt bronze, tortoiseshell. Dimensions: Height 63 cm, Depth 14 cm, Length 31 cm + console height 31 cm, Width 34 cm. The price of this type of clock exceeds 60,000 PLN.