Further Media
In the centre of both pendulums, a man clad only in a lion skin and kneeling on one knee adorns the door glass. He looks up at the clock face, which he appears to be carrying with his arms bent upwards. Depicted here is Hercules, who on behalf if the titan Atlas is carrying the vault of heaven, surrounded by the golden apples of the Hesperides.
The two ensembles were most likely purchased in 1768 from the estate of Count Heinrich von Brühl (1700-1763). In fact, a very large part of the Latz furniture collection preserved in Dresden comes from the former prime minister's estate, including the Apollo pendulum clocks (Track 6206 and 6207) and the Chronos pendulum clocks in the first anteroom and audience chamber, as well as the Zeus pendulum clocks in the state bedroom.
The oak bodies of the pendulum clocks and consoles are covered with one of the most extraordinary polychrome marquetries in contre partie. Even though the marquetry has many missing pieces, the preserved ornaments captivate with their excellently crafted engravings. The delicate ornamental tendrils and flowers of the pendulum clocks' marquetry are crafted from multicoloured horn inlays in yellow, orange, red, blue, green and turquoise, as well as silvery-white reflective mother-of-pearl.
The coat of arms of Brühl and the mounts stamped with a crowned C enable the ensembles to be dated relatively accurately and provide clues as to when and how they were acquired. The so-called c-couronné stamp was a tax mark that was applied in Paris between March 1745 and February 1749 to objects made of copper alloys when they were sold, which is why the date can be narrowed down to this period. The coat of arms of Count Brühl, located at the top of the pendulum clock, was used by him until around 1748, which further narrows down the date. It can be assumed that the acquisition may have been connected with his appointment as Prime Minister in 1746, not least because the central medallion motif on the consoles refers to Brühl's abilities as a statesman.
Object information
Case: Jean-Pierre Latz (attributed)
Movement: Pierre I François Gille (1690 - 1765, signed)
Paris, ca. 1746–1748
construction wood: oak
Marquetry: tortoiseshell, brass, horn (coloured background), mother-of-pearl, ebony
Mounts: brass, mis en couleur d'or treatment
Dimensions: H: 179 x W: 72 x D: 36 cm
Kunstgewerbemuseum, Inv. Nr. 37667-1 + 53987; 53676 + 53986