“venus And Love” Louis XVI-period Clock In Gilded Bronze And Marble—late 18th Century

Yes, we need to keep the history but condense it significantly. For a sales listing, the customer needs to understand within a few seconds: authentic Louis XVI, museum-quality piece, refined subject matter, beautiful bronze work—a model that was reproduced in the 19th century but dates here to the 18th century.

Rare Louis XVI clock “Venus, Anteros, and Cupid” – Model housed at the Musée Carnavalet

A rare and very beautiful Louis XVI-era clock, crafted in Paris during the last quarter of the 18th century, in finely chiseled and gilded bronze, white marble, and black marble.

The composition depicts Venus kissing Anteros under the gaze of Cupid, a particularly refined mythological subject centered on Love and its reciprocity.

On the left, Venus, dressed in a flowing, antique-style drape, leans tenderly toward Anteros, a young winged god seated on a flower-adorned cloud above the clock mechanism. On the right, Cupid, also winged, observes the scene.

In ancient mythology, Anteros personifies shared and reciprocal love, as opposed to the desiring love embodied by Eros/Cupid. The gathering of Venus and the two Gods of Love thus lends this clock a truly allegorical dimension, particularly characteristic of the refined and gallant taste of the late reign of Louis XVI.

The movement is set within an elegant black marble case, adorned at the corners with rich foliage and floral motifs in gilded bronze. It rests on a wide white marble base, the front of which is embellished with a large bas-relief depicting several Cupids amid clouds and attributes of love.

The combination of white marble, black marble, and gilded bronze lends this piece a particularly captivating richness and presence.

The quality of the bronze work is remarkable: the delicacy of the Cupids’ faces, hair, and wings; the suppleness of Venus’s drapery; and the rendering of the flowers and ornaments all attest to a superb 18th-century Parisian craftsmanship.

A particularly sought-after museum-quality piece

An example of the same model is housed at the Musée Carnavalet – Histoire de Paris, under inventory number MB580. Signed “Gaudet à Paris” and dated between 1774 and 1793, it features the same composition of Venus accompanied by two Cupids and the same bas-relief design populated by putti.

Another clock from the late Louis XVI period was also exhibited at Rouillac under the title *Venus Kissing Anteros, Observed by Cupid*, confirming this iconographic interpretation of the subject.

The success of this composition was enduring: the model was widely reproduced in the 19th century, particularly during the revival of the Louis XVI style. This clock is all the more interesting because it belongs, in contrast, to the original 18th-century versions, whose bronze castings display a quality and finesse significantly superior to those of later reproductions.

Condition

The clock is in good overall condition considering its age.

Several historical losses are worth noting: part of one of Venus’s legs, the torch, as well as the bow and quiver that originally completed the composition. The protective glass covering the dial is also missing. There are a few small chips on the marble pieces.

It currently rests on four feet and remains perfectly stable and balanced.

Despite these missing parts, this clock retains its full collectible value due to its authentic Louis XVI style, the remarkable quality of its bronzes, the richness of its marbles, and above all its connection to a model now preserved in the collections of the Musée Carnavalet and famous enough to have been replicated throughout the 19th century.

Period: Louis XVI, last quarter of the 18th century
Origin: Paris
Subject: Venus kissing Anteros under the gaze of Cupid
Materials: chiseled and gilded bronze, white and black marble, enamel
Reference: Musée Carnavalet, inv. MB580 – Venus and Love, 1774–1793

Delivery in France and internationally. Professional shipping available upon request.