Rare Gilt Bronze, Wood Marquetry, and Tinted Horn Wall Cartel with Repeating and Striking on Demand
Dial signed “Fierville à Caen” for clockmaker Michel Fierville
The Counter-Enamel signed by the enameller Jouve
Caen (France), Louis XV period, circa 1735-1745
The white enamel dial, signed “Fierville à Caen”, indicates the Roman numeral hours and Arabic five-minute intervals by means of two pierced and gilt bronze hands. The counter enamel bears the signature of the enameller Jouve. The movement, with repeating and striking on demand, is housed in a shaped case made of veneered wood marquetry embellished with flowers of tinted horn, and gilt bronze. The round bezel is adorned with molding and features a polylobed handle; it surmounts a shaped aperture with a molded frame that encloses a bordeaux-colored material against which there appear cutout motifs of stylized leaves and flowers.
This cartel is extremely rare. The cartels of the time were generally made of gilt bronze or a veneer of tortoiseshell, brass, and horn; sometimes, though more rarely, of precious wood; and occasionally adorned with decorative motifs. The present clock is remarkable for its marquetery, the veneer being placed either horizontally or longitudinally to form panels and frames, as well as the upper and lower portions, made of molded wood; these features make the present cartel a fine piece of woodworking in its own right. The clockmaker Michel Fierville must have ordered this unusual case from a Parisian cabinetmaker such as Jean-Pierre Latz or Pierre Migeon. The movement, with striking on demand, allows its owner to activate the repeating by means of a pull string. These cartels, known as cartels d’alcove, were meant to be used in a private setting, being placed in bedrooms above their owners’ beds.
The typically rocaille composition of this clock was inspired by similar contemporary models that were made entirely of gilt bronze. Among these, one example, whose dial is signed “Etienne Lenoir”, was illustrated in the exhibition catalogue Le temps des dieux et le temps de hommes, Société générale de banque, 1984, Brussels, p. 267, catalogue n° 399. A second clock, whose case is signed by the bronze caster Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain, is illustrated in P. Kjellberg, Encyclopédie de la pendule française du Moyen Age au XXe siècle, Les éditions de l’Amateur, Paris, 1997, p. 95, fig. E. Another interesting cartel from the same period, made of faience from Strasbourg, also embodies the remarkable rocaille style; its summit is adorned with a putto holding an hourglass (see Tardy, La pendule française, Ier Partie: De l’horloge gothique à la pendule Louis XV, Paris, 1974, p. 185).
The signature “Fierville à Caen” is that of French clockmaker Michel Fierville, who was active in Caen during the reign of Louis XV, around 1720 – 1760. He collaborated on cartels with the great bronze caster Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain and the enameller Jouve. Certain of his clocks are in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
The signature “Jouve” is that of a French enamel painter who was active during the 18the century, during the Louis XV period. He worked on cartels with the great bronze caster Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain, and the clockmakers Michel Fierville and Josué Panier. Some of his clocks are in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
