A FINE LOUIS XVI PERIOD GILT BRONZE MANTEL CLOCK

A FINE LOUIS XVI PERIOD GILT BRONZE MANTEL CLOCK DEPICTING CUPID WITH A COCKEREL BY LEFEBURE A PARIS, CIRCA 1770
the winged putto standing on a pile of books and reaching for the cockerel which sits atop the clock case, on a rectangular plinth base with beaded mounts and laurel decoration, the white enamelled dial with Roman numerals and Arabic five minute markers signed 'LEFEBURE A PARIS', the twin train movement with outside countwheel with five pointed star, with silk suspension striking on a bell, with pendulum and winder,
37cm high

The clock is winding, ticking and striking but not fully tested or guaranteed.

The theme represented in this decorative clock is that of study and the necessity of a sharp mind, it depicts a putto knocking over a stack of books and a scroll (knowledge) to grasp a cockerel (alertness). This model was originally designed in 1770, another Louis XVI period example signed 'Leppens Cie / Bruxelles' is illustrated in E. Niehuser, 'French Bronze Clocks', Schiffer, 1999, p. 88

AUCTION COMPARABLE:
An identical clock by Lefebure was sold at Sotheby's, London, 25 November 2003, lot 174, £7700.