Art in time: Boolean, Rococo, Chinese style... just ask you if it is beautiful or not

There are so many clocks in the Louis XV era in France that people are overwhelmed. There is no doubt that the clocks made in Paris lead the fashion trend of the European watch industry: Bourgeois, Rococo, Chinoiserie... and there are also astronomical clocks that cost a huge amount of money to make and can run accurately to 9999 years. Let's experience the art of time together.

Written by | Zhang Yi

The great nation has written its autobiography in three books: the book of deeds, the book of language, and the book of art. We cannot understand any one of them unless we read the other two. But of the three, the only one that can be trusted is the last.

—John Ruskin

1

Overview of the Louis XV era and its clocks

Louis XV (1710-1774) was the great-grandson of Louis XIV. His grandfather was Louis XIV's eldest son, the Grand Dauphin (1661-1711), and his father was Louis, Duke of Burgundy (1682-1712). As his grandfather died in 1711, and his parents and brother died of smallpox in 1712, Louis XV became the only legitimate heir to the French throne. He ascended the throne when Louis XIV died in 1715 at the age of five. French history once called Louis XV "Louis the Beloved (Louis le bien aimé)". Under his rule, France's European territory was effectively expanded; the Encyclopedia School of the Enlightenment was all the rage, and French thinkers influenced the whole of Europe; however, the most famous words of Louis XV that history remembers is "After I die, there will be a flood." Was this Louis XV's warning of future disasters? Or, as later generations explained, he only cared about enjoying a life of luxury and debauchery and ignored the future of France? It is worth noting that most of the French history we read now was written after the French Revolution, with the purpose of justifying this cruel revolution.

Although there are mixed opinions about Louis XV's achievements, those who are familiar with the history of French art will admit that during his reign, French art reached an unprecedented prosperity, presenting a situation of flourishing. This is also reflected in the shape of clocks as part of decorative art. Compared with the majestic and visually impactful Baroque clocks in the Louis XIV era, the clocks in the Louis XV era have made great progress in the use of different materials, the lively and diverse overall shapes, and the richness of artistic content and expression. As shown in Figures 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 and 1-4, the clocks made in Paris undoubtedly lead the fashion trend of the European watch industry.

Figure 1-1: Gilt bronze and porcelain model clock, made around 1750, 52cm high, 50cm wide, 12cm deep, now on display at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Figure 1-2: A precise time regulator with a time formula. The clock case was designed by Crescent around 1730 and made around 1750. It is 236.2 cm high, 70.5 cm wide and 35 cm deep. It is now on display at Buckingham Palace in London.

Figure 1-3: Green horn veneer with gilded bronze wall clock, made around 1730, 121 cm high, 44.5 cm wide, 24 cm deep, the clockmaker is signed as Louis Jouard | Image source: Paris Pendulum Clock Gallery

Figure 1-4: Gilded bronze mantel clock, a symbol of art, with a clock case by Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain and a movement by Jean-Baptiste Dutertre, made around 1750, 68 cm high, 33 cm wide, and 20 cm deep | Image source: Paris Pendulum Clock Gallery

2

Thirty Years of Peace

In 1715, France entered the Louis XV era. In the first half of his reign, France adjusted its foreign policy and entered a relatively peaceful era, known as the "Thirty Years of Peace". Peace brought prosperity to people's lives. Figure 2-1 shows a real-life scene painted by the famous French painter François Boucher. It depicts the painter's wife and sister drinking coffee in the morning. From the painting, we can see the life of a middle-class family in the early Louis XV era. There is a Rococo bronze gilt wall clock in the upper left corner of the painting, and a luxurious Rococo table in the lower left corner, on which is placed a blue and white porcelain jar decorated with bronze gilt sculptures; we can also see that the cabinets next to the fireplace are decorated with oriental porcelain sculptures, silverware, and children's toys, etc., which are all symbols of wealth, taste and fashion. We can also see through the glass windows and mirrors that the room in the painting is quite tall, and the ladies' beautiful clothes are also eye-catching.

Figure 2-1: Boucher, Morning Coffee, oil on canvas, painted in 1739, 81.5 cm high, 61.5 cm wide, now on display at the Louvre Museum | Image source: Wikipedia

2.1 Regency Era

When Louis XV became king in 1715, he was only five years old. The power of the country was basically in the hands of the regent, Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who was also the nephew of Louis XIV, until Louis XV took power in 1723. This period of time is known as the Regency Era in French history.

The design concept and lifestyle of the Palace of Versailles were designed to demonstrate the absolute authority of the monarch, but the regent, the Duke of Orleans, did not have the power of Louis XIV, nor did he have the demeanor of a great monarch like Louis XIV. More importantly, he had no ambition. He moved the court from Versailles back to Paris and lived in a private residence next to the Louvre to handle official business. He also moved the French nobles who had to live in the Palace of Versailles to Paris and returned to their own territories, which objectively stimulated their enthusiasm for architecture and decoration. Although some political rights were deprived by Louis XIV, the nobles still had strong economic strength. After experiencing the baptism of civilized court life in Versailles, many of them also moved the life of the Palace of Versailles, including the art part, to their own residences and made adjustments according to the actual situation to suit their tastes. It was under such circumstances that the decorative art style of the Louis XIV era was not only continued to a considerable extent, but also a new situation of flourishing flowers emerged.

2.2 Early rule

In 1722, Louis XV (Figure 2-2) was crowned and officially became the king. He asked the regent to continue to manage the government until his death in 1723. Under the manipulation of the royal family members and important officials in the court, Louis XV married Maria Leszczyńska (1703-1768), who was six years older than him, in 1725. She was the daughter of the overthrown Polish King Stanisław I (1677-1766). At this time, she was at the right age for childbearing. This marriage was arranged entirely for the continuation of the dynasty. In 1729, the queen gave birth to Prince Louis. This was the first time that France had an heir to the throne since 1715. The whole of France was sincerely happy about this, because in the European political context at that time, the existence of a legitimate heir to the dynasty was an important guarantee of peace and rejection of foreign interference. Louis XV therefore won the love of the people.

Figure 2-2: Maurice Quentin de La Tour, Portrait of Louis XV, gouache, painted in 1748, 60 cm high and 54 cm wide, now on display at the Louvre Museum | Image source: Wikipedia

In the early days of Louis XV's reign, he followed the foreign policy of the Regency era and reformed France's finances under the premise of peace. In the 1730s, the country's finances basically achieved a balance between revenue and expenditure. On the basis of relatively sound finances, France under the leadership of Louis XV built the best road and canal network in the world at that time. The high-quality roads from Paris connected to the most remote villages and towns in France. Many parts of these roads are still in use today, which has played a huge role in promoting the economic development of France.

In 1738, through diplomatic negotiations, Louis XV agreed to his father-in-law, the former King of Poland, to give up his claim to the Polish throne. As compensation, the European powers agreed to give the Duchy of Lorraine to the latter for rule. After his death in 1766, the Duchy of Lorraine was incorporated into France. Louis XV basically obtained the Duchy of Lorraine, which France had long coveted, by peaceful means. It is worth pointing out that Louis XIV had annexed the region by means of war, but was unable to defend it in 1648 and had to withdraw; a hundred years later, Louis XV did not wholeheartedly support his father-in-law in his fight for the Polish throne, but finally incorporated it into the territory and established France's rule over it.

In 1744, Louis XV fell seriously ill and his death seemed inevitable. His condition attracted the attention of the French people, and the whole country prayed for him to get better. Louis XV defeated the disease this time and escaped death. He was nicknamed "Louis the Beloved". If he died at this time, he would have become a good king in French history.

3

Early Louis XV clock

Art development has its own laws. Although different styles of art works will be produced in different eras due to changes in taste, the art style may not end with the death of the king who promoted it, and the new art form may not be born with the accession of a new king. The Boulle clock created by the great French cabinetmaker André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732) is a model of clocks in the Louis XIV dynasty, but it was still popular in the Louis XV era. Not only did Boulle himself and his children continue to make new works, but others also followed and created a batch of new works. Here is just one example, Figure 3-1, its clock case and gilded bronze sculpture were made by cabinetmaker Jean-Pierre Latz (about 1691-1754), and the movement was made by clockmaker De Lorme, which was completed around 1725. The traditional Boulle-style inlaid clock case surface composed of tortoise shell, gilded copper sheet and bronze sculpture developed a new form in the early Louis XV era, such as the clock with a surface composed of green-dyed horn pieces and gilded bronze decorative sculptures (Figure 1-3). Let us introduce another type of clock called "second-type Boulle-style inlaid (marqueterie Boulle deuxième partie)", which is mainly made of gilded copper sheets and then decorated with colorful patterns, such as branches, leaves, flowers and flower baskets made of tortoise shell or colored horns, shells, etc. (Figure 3-2). The clock case of this clock was made by the famous furniture master Balthazar Lieutaud (1720-1780) around 1750.

Figure 3-1: Boolean Catot wall clock, time reveals the truth, the movement was made by watchmaker de Lorme, the case was made by Jean-Pierre Raz, it was made in 1725, 172 cm high, 71 cm wide, 42 cm deep, now on display in the Paris Pendulum Clock Gallery.

Fig. 3-1a.: Jean-Pierre Laz, Time Reveals Truth, gilt bronze relief.

Figure 3-2: The second type of Bourges-inlaid Chinese-style Carto wall clock, the clock case was made by Balthazar Lautode, made around 1750, 84 cm high, 30 cm wide, and 16.5 cm deep | Image source: Paris Pendulum Clock Gallery

3.2. Elegant Regency Style

In the British royal collection, there is a documentary work by Johan Zoffany, which depicts the life scenes of Queen Charlotte and her two princes in Buckingham Palace (Figure 3-3). In the picture, you can see the floor clock shown in Figure 1-2, which is an extremely accurate time regulator and is still in Buckingham Palace. Its clock case was made by the French furniture master and sculptor Charles Cressent (1685-1768). The latter was named furniture master by the Regent Duke of Orleans, and his works were later called Regency style decorative art. He was another great decorative artist born in France after Bourges. Because his works are elegant, gorgeous, warm and restrained in appearance, they have been very popular in the 18th century and are still favored by collectors from all over the world. There is a whole hall in the Louvre named after Cressent and displays his works. We would like to show the readers a precise time regulator with a clock case made by Crescent (Figure 3-4). Below the clock face is a sculpture of a woman’s face wrapped in a shell (Figure 3-4a). According to ancient Greek and Roman legends, the goddess of love Venus was born in the sea, and the shell carried her to the shore.

Figure 3-3: Sofani, "Queen Charlotte and Two Princes", oil painting, 1765, height 112.2 cm, width 128.3 cm, British Royal Collection | Image source: Wikipedia

Figure 3-4: Floor-standing wooden case with bronze gilt sculpture precision timekeeper, The Birth of Venus, case made by Charles Corissant, movement made by Julien Le Roy, made around 1740, height 205 cm, width 57.5 cm, depth 23 cm | Image source: Paris Pendulum Clock Gallery

Figure 3-4a: Part of the floor-standing precision time regulator, The Birth of Venus

In 1658, Dutch scientist Huygens invented the pendulum, which improved the accuracy of the clock to 10 seconds per day. In 1670, French watchmaker Isaac II Thuret created the first precise pendulum clock with a countdown function, which was regarded as the symbol of the birth of precise timekeepers. As early precise timekeepers required a very long pendulum, they appeared in the form of floor clocks until the late 18th century. During the Regency period, due to the passion of the nobles for precise timing, it entered daily life. Every mansion has a precise timekeeper, which is the time standard of the house. People have to calibrate the time of all clocks in each room of the house according to the time of the precise timekeeper every day.

In the mid-1730s, Charles Crescent created a particularly beautiful bracket wall clock (Figure 3-5) and achieved great success. The core idea of ​​the design is that there is a female head with a shell hair ornament between the two legs below the clock dial, and the surrounding area is equipped with a hollow grid. The front of the thin-waisted clock case is made of finely carved gilded bronze. There is a little angel in the clouds on the top of the clock, who sits on an arched flower stand with a shell shape. There is an eye-catching lion head in the middle of the bracket under the clock body. There are many Rococo patterns on the clock body and the bracket, such as shells, conchs, curled bouquets and C-shaped curled patterns. Since Crescent was a master of the furniture maker's guild, according to the guild regulations at the time, a considerable part of his works must be made of wood, so the outer frames on both sides of the movement case he made were oak frames, and the surface was decorated with the Boer mosaic art made of tortoise shell, black wood and brass sheets (Figure 3-5a). It is also worth pointing out that the clock designed by Collison was extremely popular. Some people redesigned the lower legs of the main part of the clock case and turned it into a table clock to decorate the room (see the upper left of Figure 3-5b). This type of table clock can still be seen today.

Figure 3-5: Wooden frame with female facial makeup, bronze gilt sculpture and Bourgeois inlaid wall clock, the clock case is by Charles Collison, the movement is by André-Georges Guyot, made around 1730, height 129 cm; width 47 cm; depth 19 cm | Image source: Paris Pendulum Clock Gallery

Figure 3-5a: Side view of a wooden frame with female facial makeup, bronze gilt sculpture and Bourgeois inlaid wall clock

Figure 3-5b: Maurice-Quentin de Latour, "Portrait of Gabriel Bernard de Léouch"; pastel; made around 1740, 200.7 cm high and 149.9 cm wide; now in the Getty Museum in California, USA.

Between 1740 and 1745, Crescent designed and produced a famous theme sculpture wall clock, Love Conquers Time (Figure 3-6). This theme originated from the murals of the Renaissance. Boole used it in the creation of French sculpture clocks during the Louis XIV era, and Crescent gave his own interpretation here. Cupid, the god of love, sits on the shell at the top of the clock, with his left arm resting on the hourglass, showing his control over the flow of time; on the bracket below the clock, Kronos, the father of time (Figure 3-6a), although holding a sickle that can take a person's life in his right hand, lies hopelessly on the weed-covered ground, with his left hand barely supporting his fallen body. Crescent fully demonstrated his talent as a sculptor here.

Figure 3-6: Gilded bronze sculpture with wooden case and bracket watch, Love Conquers Time, case by Charles Corison; movement by Jean Godde l'aîné the Elder; made 1740–45; height 133.3 cm, width 62.2 cm, depth 39.4 cm; now on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Figure 3-6a: Charles Collison, Kronos, Father of Time, Wall Love Defeats Time Local.

3.3. Rococo Art Clock

Rococo art was the mainstream art style in the Louis XV era. Its modeling used a lot of C-shaped and S-shaped curves. Most of the works were asymmetrical. Compared with the solemnity of Baroque works, Rococo art was charming and light. The bronze gilt and porcelain model clock shown in Figure 1-1 can be regarded as a representative work of Rococo table clocks. In this section, we briefly introduce several famous Rococo clocks.

Let us first introduce a wall clock (Figure 3-7) created by the most outstanding bronze sculptor of the time, Jacques Caffiéri (1678-1755), and the famous watchmaker Julien Le Roy (1686-1759). It is a typical Rococo wall clock with a simple and warm shape and extremely delicate sculptures. This work has been included in many French clock history documents, which shows people's love for it. The clock case is decorated with flowers and curling leaves. At the top of the clock is a little angel holding a compass, who is a symbol of geometry (Figure 3-7a). In front of the glass frame where the pendulum can be seen, there is a bird with its wings spread out, ready to fly.

Figure 3-7: Gilded bronze wall clock, Geometry Symbol, movement by Julien Le Roy, case by Jack Caffieri, made around 1745-49, 95 cm high, photo courtesy of the Paris Pendulum Clock Gallery.

Figure 3-7a: Detail of the Gilded Bronze Wall Clock "Symbolism of Geometry"

The 18th century was a particularly active century in visual plastic arts creation. Many people with different artistic creative talents had the opportunity to show their talents in plastic arts and incorporate their ideas into their works of art. Artists, craftsmen, art patrons, influential collectors, and of course the princes and nobles among the ruling elite, all entered the field of decorative plastic arts, using their influence to promote the development of art, so that the works can perfectly display their unique and elegant style. The clock we see, which combines porcelain sculptures with gilded bronze sculptures (Figure 3-8), is a typical work of this trend. Its colorful Meissen porcelain sculpture group is based on the design of Friedrich Elias Meyer. It expresses the story of Zeus, the king of the gods, turning into a bull to seduce Europa. The movement case of this clock is placed on a tree trunk, which is surrounded by lush branches and decorated with colored porcelain flowers. The base is asymmetrical and decorated with plant leaves of gilded bronze sculptures. It should be placed in front of the mirror on the fireplace so that the viewer can appreciate the exquisite elegance of its back through the mirror (Figure 3-8a).

Figure 3-8: Gilded bronze clock with Meissen porcelain carvings and Vincent porcelain flowers, Europa and the Bull, circa 1750, height 48.5 cm; width 31 cm; depth 26.5 cm, movement by Benoît Gérard (1684-1758) | Image provided by the Paris Pendulum Clock Gallery

Figure 3-8a: Gilt bronze clock with Meissen porcelain carvings and Vincent porcelain flowers, Europa and the Bull, back.

The porcelain flowers on the clock were made by the French Vincennes Porcelain Factory, which was completed in 1740 and was the predecessor of the royal Sèvres Porcelain Factory. The exquisite and expensive porcelain flowers it produced were used on various decorative artworks and were a symbol of the wealth of the European court and aristocracy.

Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain (1719-1791) was probably the most famous master of decorative art in Paris in the mid-18th century. Here we introduce several of his works.

The work in Figure 3-9 was made around 1750. The top of the clock has a typical Rococo curled wave pattern sculpture; under the clock dial is a cobalt-oxide-plated lion, which is derived from the famous Medici lion shape. The gilded base of the clock is made into the shape of rocks and flowers, and the middle of the front is decorated with a Rococo shell sculpture. The outer ring of the clock has bronze branches and leaves and is decorated with a large number of extremely exquisite white porcelain roses produced by the French Vincennes porcelain factory. It is elegant and exquisite, and it is breathtaking.

Figure 3-9: Louis XV era cobalt oxide-plated lion and bronze gilt decoration porcelain flower table clock, made around 1750, 66 cm high, 44.5 cm wide, movement made by Anaiom, clock case designed and made by Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain | Picture provided by Paris Pendulum Clock Gallery

Figure 3-9a: Part of a Louis XV-era cobalt oxide-plated lion and bronze gilt ornament porcelain flower table clock

Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain produced a number of animal-themed table clocks in the mid-to-late 18th century, including lions, elephants, rhinos, wild boars, etc., which are still loved and sought after by people today. We will introduce two more elephant table clocks (Figures 3-10 and 3-11) without further explanation, and readers can appreciate and compare them.

Figure 3-10: Gilded bronze and cobalt oxide-plated mantel clock, Taiping Jixiang; made in Paris in the 1750s; 50 cm high, 30 cm wide, 17 cm thick; movement made by Pierre-Philippe Barat, clock case designed and made by Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain | Image from the Paris Pendulum Clock Gallery

Figure 3-11: Chinese-style porcelain flower elephant clock, made around 1750, 67 cm high, the clock case was made by Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain, and the movement was created by André Furet.

3.3.A. Chinese style clock

France began to import porcelain, furniture with painted surfaces and other decorations and luxury goods from the East in the mid-17th century, and processed and transformed these imported products into works of art that suited French tastes. This trend of pursuing oriental style continued for quite a long time. In the 18th century, Parisian artists began to make their own decorative artworks with oriental style, which were considered part of Rococo art. Based on imported products and the imported prints of various decorations in the Chinese imperial palace, French artists created Chinese-style decorative artworks with unique exotic styles. These works, which seemed to come from a dreamland, were welcomed by the court of Louis XV. In Western art history literature, works with oriental style are usually indiscriminately referred to as Chinoiserie artworks. The work in Figure 3-11 is an example. It was once the collection of Russian Empress Catherine the Great. Its porcelain statue was imitated by the German Meissen Porcelain Factory according to Chinese works. The porcelain drum of the movement shell was transformed from Chinese porcelain from the Qianlong period, and the porcelain flower was made by the Vincent Porcelain Factory.

Figure 3-12: Chantilly porcelain wall clock, 1735-1740, 49.5 cm high, 24.1 cm wide, 12.1 cm deep. The movement was made by Etienne II Lenoir (1699-1778). The porcelain came from the Chantilly porcelain factory in France. It is now on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Figure 3-12 shows a Japanese-style wall clock made by the Chantilly Porcelain Factory in France. It is an early work after Louis XV began to rule. The Chantilly Porcelain Factory was famous for imitating Japanese porcelain in the first half of the 18th century. The figures on the clock shell we see also have Japanese style. The porcelain figures on the clock all have slender phoenix eyes. This depiction of Asian facial features reflects the stereotyped impression of Asians by Europeans at that time. The gorgeous patterns on the porcelain figures' clothes correspond to the colors of the porcelain flowers. This style with red, blue, yellow and green as the main colors and flowers and leaves as the main elements is often seen on Japanese Kakiemon porcelain (Kakiemon). We can also see soft-bodied porcelain flowers, green leaves and vines dotted on the brass gilded clock shell, which are French inventions.

Figure 3-13: Gilded bronze and bronze sculptures with colorful lacquer paintings of oriental figures mantel clock, the movement was created by Pierre II Le Roy, and the lacquer sculptures were created by Martin Freres, made around 1750, 27.5 cm high, 33 cm wide, and 17 cm deep | Image source: Paris Pendulum Clock Gallery

On the clock case, there is an imaginary Chinese fairy-tale figure leaning against a tree trunk, holding a drum on his right thigh with his left arm and a wine gourd in his right hand; and on his right side stands a Chinese-style child, stretching out his hands as if to help support the drum on the adult's right leg. The Rococo base of the clock is exquisitely crafted in gilded bronze, and the branches growing on the rocks are natural and vivid, with delicate porcelain peonies and other flowers on the branches, which are produced by the Vincent porcelain factory.

3.4. Parsmont Astronomical Clock and the Establishment of French Standard Time

The Passemant Astronomical Clock shown in Figure 3-14 combines a precise timekeeper with a celestial model. It is the pinnacle of French clockmaking in the Louis XV era and a perfect combination of science, technology and artistic creation. Its name comes from its designer, French inventor and engineer Claude-Siméon Passemant (1702-1769); its movement was made by watchmaker Louis Dauthiau (1731-after 1769); and the clock case sculpture was made by bronze sculptors Jack Caffiéri and Philippe II Caffiéri (1725-1772).

Figure 3-14: Pasmont Astronomical Clock, made between 1749 and 1753, 226 cm high, designed by Claude-Simon Pasmont, movement made by Louis Dausio, clock case made by Jack Caffieri and Philip II Caffieri, now on display in the Palace of Versailles Museum in France.

The accuracy of the movement was certified by the Academy of Sciences on August 23, 1749, and Louis XV subsequently ordered the work, which was finally completed in 1753. The cost of making this astronomical clock reached 51,150 livres, equivalent to $660,000 in 2000, so much that Machault d'Arnouville, the French Finance Director at the time, thought such a cost was simply crazy. In January 1754, it was placed in the astronomical clock exhibition hall of the Palace of Versailles. From then on, the time it indicated became the official standard time of France. This was the first time that France established a unified national standard time.

The Pasmont astronomical clock can display the year, month, date, day of the week, hour, minute and second, and can also indicate the local solar time and the exact time of the sun rising and setting every day; there is a moon phase disc under the main clock plate, which can display the time of the moon rising and setting, the moon phase and the lunar calendar date; there is a transparent ball on the top of the clock that can move, which is a celestial movement model established based on Copernicus' theory. According to its design and production, this clock can run accurately until 9999. The shell of the clock is made of gilded bronze, and its surface is decorated with finely carved roses, leaves and branches of various plants, and Rococo decorative sculptures evolved from shell shapes; the rolling vortex curve creates a strong visual impact effect, so that people cannot help but notice its luxurious and elegant decorative art beauty while watching the time information on the clock.

Figure 3-14a: The lobby of the King's Apartments at the Palace of Versailles showing the Paschal astronomical clock

About the Author

Zhang Yi is an art historian, consultant to the Clock and Ancient Musical Instruments Department of the Hermitage Museum in Russia, consultant to the French Pendulum Clock Gallery, consultant to the Guangdong Clock Collection Research Professional Committee, and also a mathematician and logician.