Lot 31

Denis Masson (???? - 1784) A LOUIS XV MANTEL CLOCK

The richly decorated table clock from the Rococo period is an extraordinary work in the field of the French bronzing tradition together with the boulle technique (brass set in tortoiseshell). The unprecedentedly dynamic morphology and the extraordinary design of the well-crafted fire-gilded bronzes combine the period's interest in the Orient known as the Chinoiserie style, manifested in the clock above all by the articulation of the upper parts. Denis Masson, who became a master watchmaker in 1746, was one of the most important Parisian watchmakers of the 18th century. After obtaining the title of master, he successively opened workshops in the Abbaye Saint-Germain-des-Prés, in 1747 on the Pont Notre-Dame and in 1778 in the rue Sainte-Avoye. He quickly gained fame among the prestigious connoisseurs of Paris, especially for his clocks decorated with Saxon porcelain figures. Like most of the finest clockmakers of his time, Denis Masson worked with many of the most prestigious craftsmen of the time: the bronze casters Jean-Baptiste Vallée and the cabinetmakers Lieutaud and Foullet, and Edmé Roy and Caffiéris. Among his customers were the Infanta of Parma (Marie Louise of Spain), the Duc de Mazarin and the Duc de Villeroy, and the Marquis de Persian and the Prince and Princess de Condé. The importance of Masson's works is also evidenced by their representation in the finest museum collections, notably the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Neues Schloss in Bayreuth, the Residenzmuseum in Munich, and the Palazzo di Quirinale in Rome. Completely restored. A functional machine for adjustment.