Lépine à Paris, Horloger, 12 Place des Victoires, No. 4333, the bronze by Deverberie, circa 1800. "Le Baiser" - Magnificent gilt and black lacquered bronze, hour and hall hour striking, " Pendule au Nègre", with calendar, after a design by Deverberie. | Important Collectors Wristwatches Pocket Watches & Clocks | Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, 21st October 1995

Important Collectors Wristwatches Po...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Oct 21, 1995

LOT 418

Lépine à Paris, Horloger, 12 Place des Victoires, No. 4333, the bronze by Deverberie, circa 1800. "Le Baiser" - Magnificent gilt and black lacquered bronze, hour and hall hour striking, " Pendule au Nègre", with calendar, after a design by Deverberie.

CHF 180,000 - 220,000

C. Oval gilt bronze base on six cylindrical flat topped feet with milled edges, the face with a framed rectangular relief sculpted scene of four piccaninnies in a landscape of desert and palmtrees, fishing, hunting and gardening under the watchful eye of Cupid. Corresponding plaque on the back with applied gilt brass diamond on a black ground, the serai-circular ends with applied swags and floral decoration.The dock case and movement supported by a rock with water-fall below and trailing sea-weed strands. Standing on the rocks to the left of the dock a hunter with quiver of arrows on his back and grasping a bow and arrow inclines towards the right to embrace and kiss a girl leaning backwards from the right over the movement. Both figures are clad only in palm-leaf skirts with chased belts worked "à jour", and palm leaf head-pieces. The reclining girl holds a gourd and leaf in lier right hand, her left reaching up to embrace the head of her lover, and has a double row of pearls round her neck. Both figures have their eyes in white enamel with blue pupils and wear coral earrings. D. White enamel, typical of Lepine with mixed Roman and Arabic numerals, outer Arabic minute ring and inner red date chapters. Pierced and engraved gilt bras bands. M. Brass circular with going barrels on botte the going and the striking trains, anchor escapement, pendulum with silk suspension. Striking on a bell with count wheel on the back plate. Signed on the dial and on the back plate. In very good condition. Dim. 56 x 43 x 15 cm.

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Notes

Very fine example by an eminent maker of the most celebrated and desirable type of a "Pendule au Nègre". The cases for docks of this type were purchased as required by clock-makers front the bronze casters who produced them. In the present example, Lépine has used a movement which, according to A. Chapiro in bis book: Jean Antoine Lépine Horloger (1720-1814), Editions de l'Amateur, should be dated circa 1790 because of its use of mixed numerals. The present model, 'Le Baiser' was not however produced before 1799, and it is therefore clear that Lépine has employed for this occasion one of the finest movements still available front stock. Confirmation of this suggestion may be found by comparing the dial of the present lot with that of the previous lot, the two being essentially the same except that the designation 'horloger du Roi' is omitted, as one would expect after the Revolutionary period, from the later dock. Washed design by Deverberie, No. 3, dated "3 Pluviôse an Sept" (18 février 1799), preserved in Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, Cabinet des Estampes (Le 30 fol.).