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French Louis XVI Style Allegorical Clock of “Paul and Virginie"

About the Item

A rare Louis XVI style mantel clock after a late 18th century original inspired by the novel ‘Paul and Virginia’ written in 1788 by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. The shaped white marble base has three inset gilt bronze friezes showing goats and rural farm motifs. Standing atop the marble base are two patinated bronze figures supporting the gilt bronze draped case which is surmounted by two sitting classically draped figures representing Paul and Virginie lovingly facing each other. Paul has one arm wrapped around Virginie and the other petting a pet dog vying for attention from its master. The finely lettered white enamel dial is signed Janvier a Paris. IT has Roman numerals for the hours, Arabic 15-minute marks, cast ormolu hands and a cast ormolu bezel. Paul et Virginie (or Paul and Virginia) were the protagonists of a novel by Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, first published in 1788. The novel’s title characters are friends since birth who fall in love. The story is set on the island of Mauritius under French rule, then named Île de France. Written on the eve of the French Revolution, the novel is recognized as Bernardin’s finest work, and records the fate of a child of nature corrupted by the artificial sentimentality of the French upper classes in the late eighteenth century.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 20.5 in (52.07 cm)Width: 15 in (38.1 cm)Depth: 4.75 in (12.07 cm)
  • Style:
    Louis XVI (In the Style Of)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Bronze,Marble,Cast,Gilt,Hand-Carved,Patinated
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    Circa 1870
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Vancouver, CA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU4631233233102

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