Clock “chronos The Boat Of Time” Pickard 1830
Artist: Pickard
An important allegorical clock from the Charles X period, circa 1830,in finely chased and mercury-gilded bronze, developing a poetic andsymbolic iconography around Time, Love, and human destiny.
The clock rests on an architecturally designed rectangular base,supported by scrolled feet adorned with rosettes. The front of the basefeatures a remarkable bas-relief treated in the style of an antiquefrieze. This animated scene depicts Chronos, identifiable by his wingedsilhouette, in a boat gliding on the waves. The god of Time holds hisscythe, while cupids flutter about, one guiding the boat with a longoar, the other carrying garlands of flowers and the attributes ofearthly pleasures. This composition evokes the inexorable journey ofexistence driven by Time, while Love attempts to soften its course. Thetreatment of the drapery, wings, and flowing water demonstratesexceptionally fine chiseling, further enhanced by the matte and subtlesheen of the mercury gilding.
Above this base rises the main body of the clock in the form of asimply architectural, quadrangular pedestal, supporting a circular dialset within a rich wreath of flowers and ribbons. The dial, with itsRoman numerals delicately engraved with foliate scrolls, is surmountedby the inscription “À MOI” (MINE), a central elementof the work's symbolism. This motto can be interpreted as theirresistible pull of Time upon humankind, but also as a romanticallegory in which Love claims souls and hearts.
Below the dial, a ribboned bundle of arrows and torches reinforces thissymbolic interpretation, uniting the traditional attributes of Cupidand those of Destiny. The piece is dominated by a large winged figureof Cupid, sculpted in the round with a gentle and elegant form. Theyoung genius, partially draped in classical style and nude, leanstowards the dial, which he points to, seemingly reminding the viewer ofthe fleeting nature of time and the power of emotions. His other raisedhand holds a delicate flower, a symbol of fragility and ephemeralbeauty. Beside him appears an inverted torch, its sculpted flamerepresenting life, passion, and its inevitable extinction by thepassage of time. The curly hair, the meticulously veined wings, and theflowing drapery exemplify the elegance of Charles X's taste, stillimbued with neoclassical influences but already attuned to a certainromantic sensibility.
The movement is stamped with the name of the watchmaker Pickard, listedin Tardy's dictionary of French watchmakers, attesting to the qualityand renown of this 19th-century watchmaking firm. This clock combinesthe virtuosity of French ornamental sculpture, the richness of mercurygilding, and a sophisticated iconographic program where Chronos andCupid unite their symbols in a refined meditation on the passage oftime.
Original mechanism intact, unaltered, with a wire suspension. The hourand half-hour strikes are played on an antique bell with a clear andauthentic sound.
ORDERING AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM OUR WEBSITE
The clock rests on an architecturally designed rectangular base,supported by scrolled feet adorned with rosettes. The front of the basefeatures a remarkable bas-relief treated in the style of an antiquefrieze. This animated scene depicts Chronos, identifiable by his wingedsilhouette, in a boat gliding on the waves. The god of Time holds hisscythe, while cupids flutter about, one guiding the boat with a longoar, the other carrying garlands of flowers and the attributes ofearthly pleasures. This composition evokes the inexorable journey ofexistence driven by Time, while Love attempts to soften its course. Thetreatment of the drapery, wings, and flowing water demonstratesexceptionally fine chiseling, further enhanced by the matte and subtlesheen of the mercury gilding.
Above this base rises the main body of the clock in the form of asimply architectural, quadrangular pedestal, supporting a circular dialset within a rich wreath of flowers and ribbons. The dial, with itsRoman numerals delicately engraved with foliate scrolls, is surmountedby the inscription “À MOI” (MINE), a central elementof the work's symbolism. This motto can be interpreted as theirresistible pull of Time upon humankind, but also as a romanticallegory in which Love claims souls and hearts.
Below the dial, a ribboned bundle of arrows and torches reinforces thissymbolic interpretation, uniting the traditional attributes of Cupidand those of Destiny. The piece is dominated by a large winged figureof Cupid, sculpted in the round with a gentle and elegant form. Theyoung genius, partially draped in classical style and nude, leanstowards the dial, which he points to, seemingly reminding the viewer ofthe fleeting nature of time and the power of emotions. His other raisedhand holds a delicate flower, a symbol of fragility and ephemeralbeauty. Beside him appears an inverted torch, its sculpted flamerepresenting life, passion, and its inevitable extinction by thepassage of time. The curly hair, the meticulously veined wings, and theflowing drapery exemplify the elegance of Charles X's taste, stillimbued with neoclassical influences but already attuned to a certainromantic sensibility.
The movement is stamped with the name of the watchmaker Pickard, listedin Tardy's dictionary of French watchmakers, attesting to the qualityand renown of this 19th-century watchmaking firm. This clock combinesthe virtuosity of French ornamental sculpture, the richness of mercurygilding, and a sophisticated iconographic program where Chronos andCupid unite their symbols in a refined meditation on the passage oftime.
Original mechanism intact, unaltered, with a wire suspension. The hourand half-hour strikes are played on an antique bell with a clear andauthentic sound.
ORDERING AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM OUR WEBSITE
1 800 €
Period: 19th century
Style: Louis Philippe, Charles 10th
Condition: Fully restored in our whorkshop
Material: Bronze
Width: 32 cm
Height: 44 cm
Depth: 12 cm
Reference (ID): 1769809
Availability: In stock
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