Important Cartel Louis XIV-régence – Attribué Aux Ateliers Boulle Fils – Vers 1710-1720

This monumental cartel clock in Boulle marquetry — combining brass and tortoiseshell — is a masterwork of early 18th-century French horology. The movement is signed by Louis Mynuel, an elite clockmaker granted the “Privilège du Roy” and established in the Galleries of the Louvre. His collaboration with the workshops of the sons of André-Charles Boulle places this piece among the finest artistic productions of the transitional period between the reign of Louis XIV and the Régence.

Built upon a solid oak structure, the case displays a sumptuous and highly refined decorative program.

The crest is surmounted by a gilt-bronze figure representing Chronos (Time) seated upon a sphere. This powerful allegory emphasizes the philosophical dimension of the object and its meditation on the passage of time.

The central mask is identified as Ceres, goddess of agriculture and allegory of Summer, an essential figure within the decorative vocabulary of French clockmaking. Although the sheaves of wheat are rendered here as stylized floral drops, the overall composition remains entirely faithful to the period canon. The mascaron, adorned with a necklace of rounded and oval pearls, is crowned by a large radiating shell with deeply carved ribs.

The background of the case reveals an exceptionally rich décor of scrolling foliage, volutes, and arabesques. The composition, remarkable for its balanced symmetry, combines engraved and cut brass with a ground of brown tortoiseshell.

The ornamentation unfolds around a dynamic central cartouche framed by stylized foliage, scrolling forms, and delicately pierced fleurons. The supple and animated lines perfectly embody the aesthetic transition between the end of the Louis XIV period and the emergence of the Régence style, when ornament became freer, lighter, and more expressive.

The mounts and feet are adorned with acanthus leaves transforming into chimeras, while laughing masks crowned with foliage enliven the sides with remarkable sculptural vigor.

• Dial: Circular gilt dial with labyrinth decoration. Hours displayed on twelve enamel cartouches; engraved minute track around the perimeter. Blued steel hands.
• Movement: Signed Mynuel. Incomplete yet operational mechanism (a standard overhaul is recommended; striking hammer missing). Retains its original silver-alloy bell.
• Dimensions: Monumental height: 104 cm | Width: 46 cm | Depth: 22 cm.

Restoration required: losses to the brass and tortoiseshell marquetry; door elements to be reassembled.

Reported losses: blade of Chronos’s scythe and striking hammer.

This model may be closely compared with examples preserved in some of the most prestigious international collections, notably those of Château du Champ de Bataille.

Combining the grandeur and rigor of the Grand Siècle with the emerging elegance of the Régence, this cartel clock represents a rare opportunity for a discerning collector or institution seeking to acquire a major example of French decorative arts.