A 19th century French gilt bronze, white marble and porcelain figural mantel clock allegorical of love and friendship after the model ordered by Dominique Daguerre

in the Louis XV style, the dial signed Merra A Paris, the movement indisctinctly signed Vincenti

in the Louis XV style, the dial signed Merra A Paris, the movement indisctinctly signed Vincenti
the 'bleu celeste' fluted half column flanked by a classical maiden and seated putto with dog and surmounted by a pair of love birds, on plinth base and toupie feet, the 2.75" enamel dial with Arabic numerals, the brass twin train movement with Brocot type escapement striking on a bell, 36cm high

There are at least three comparable example of this clock dating from the 18th century.
One with its dial signed by the maker Charles Dutertre (fl. after 1758) is in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Another example of this clock with its movement signed by Francois Ageron (master 1741?, died after 1783) is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
A further example of this clock with its movement signed by Jean-Louis Montjoye (French, a. 1772-1 781) is in the pertinent collection of The Museum of Philadelphia

A pen and ink and wash design for this clock by an anonymous artist dating from circa 1781-1785 is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Approximately ten allegorical clocks of this model personifying love and friendship, probably created by the marchand mercier Dominique Daguerre (d. 1796), are known. Records of the Sèvres porcelain manufactory indicate that twenty-three columns suitable for clock cases were supplied to Daguerre between 1772 and 1791. Holding two hearts in one hand, the female figure represents friendship; in her other hand, she originally held a portrait medallion, now missing. The putto on the other side of the column, personifying love, plays with a dog, the symbol of fidelity. A colored drawing for a similar clock, now in the Museum's collection, belongs to a group of drawings sent as a sort of sale catalogue to Albert, duke of Sachsen-Teschen, and his wife, Maria-Christina, a sister of Marie-Antoinette, joint governors of the Low Countries from 1780 to 1792.

The current lot which is reproduction of the 18th century also lacks the portrait medallion suggesting that it was copied from one of the original models that had lost this component.