Mantel Clock (Primary Title)
Clock
(Former Title)
Etienne Le Noir, French, 1699 - after 1778 (Clockmaker)
Attributed to, Guillaume Martin, French, 1689 - 1749 (case) (Designer)
Attributed to, Etienne-Simon Martin, French, 1703 - 1770 (case) (Designer)
During the middle decades of the 18th century, the luxury merchants of Paris, known as marchandsmerciers, contracted with diverse suppliers to develop new kinds of objects to appeal to their clients’ taste for chinoiserie.
This mantel clock exemplifies the kinds of lavishly embellished artifacts that were fashionable in Rococo European interiors. The clock dial and its case are surrounded by three Chinese figures finished in a polished varnish called vernis Martin, a domestically manufactured alternative to imported, precious Asian lacquer. The delightful ensemble is punctuated with intricately modeled French porcelain flowers in a range of sizes, shapes, and colors.
This clock, which combines Chinese motifs with French-made lacquer and porcelain—materials that were produced exclusively in Asia before the 18th century—is a perfect example of what defines chinoiserie style: the blending of European and Asian elements as well as fine techniques and decorative flourishes that result in exquisite objets d’art
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