Portefaix: A French gilt and patinated bronze mantel clock. Signed 'á Paris'. Early 19th century. H. 39 cm.

A French gilt and patinated bronze mantel clock, after a design by bronzier Jean-André Reiche (1752–1817), the round enamel dial is set into a case resembling a woven basket or a bundle of cotton borne on the back of a male figure with enamel eyes, bare torso and a water gourd hanging from his belt, he wears a hat and carries a bamboo cane in one hand while holding a letter in the other. The oval base is adorned with the motif of a monkey swinging from a cord stretched between two palm trees, and the sides are decorated with parakeets in palm trees. Signed 'á Paris'. Early 19th century. H. 39 cm.

The preparatory drawing of the clock registered in early 1808 by the talented Parisian artist and bronzier Jean-André Reiche, is conserved in the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris.

Literature: Elke Niehüser, Die französische Bronzeuhr, Munich 1997, no. 240. Tardy, Paris 1969, vol. II, p. 358.

Condition Report:
Condition report on request. Please contact: furniture@bruun-rasmussen.dk