casting and chasing were brought to a level unparalleled in the West. French bronzes were passionately collected by all who could afford them, including nobility. The largest collection of Empire bronze clocks ever assembled is housed in the Royal Palace of Madrid.Pierre-Etienne Romain (c. 1765- after 1821), the creator of the present clock, was one of the best artists responsible for the widespread fame of French bronzes. Only the best bronze artists were so bold as to sign their names on the dial ? as a rule the dial was signed either by the movement maker or by the retailer. This is one of very few clocks known to have been executed by Romain and signed by him on the dial (another bronze clock executed by Romain and signed on the dial can be seen in thPalais de l'Elysée).In Paris, the art of bronzing was entrusted to a separate guild which included casters, chasers, engineers and makers of mathematical instruments. These select few enjoyed the exclusive privilege of "sand casting and casting of copper and brass". More exclusive than the milieu of the clockmakers, these sub-groups displayed clan-like characteristics. They lived in the same area and often intermarried.Certain bronze artists also extended their activities beyond the crafting of bronze work. For instance, in his free time, renowned bronze artist Antoine-André Ravrio wrote comedies and vaudeville sketches including ?Arlequin Journaliste? (1799) and ?La Sorcière? (1800).A study of the workshops that specialized in the production of furniture bronzes in 18th century Paris, conducted by Jean-Dominique Augarde, has brought to light the fact that the most famous of the artisans were chasers, and not founders. In fact, most chasers did not have founding equipment in their workshops. That activity was the responsibility of the casters, who executed pieces according to the models furnished by others. The exclusive rights to these models remained the property of thoseho ordered them.The chasers collaborated with casters, sculptors, gilders, and engravers. Dynasties of founders were also formed, producing gilders as well.Very few original clock models are known. Many are by the most brilliant, such as E. J. Gallien, whose "ability to make exclusive models" was estimated at 5,000 livres.It can be estimated that around 1800 there were approximately forty workshops offering clocks to their clients.In order to protect their models, in 1751, the casters decided that all the pieces which emerged from their workshops should bear a signature, and that their marks would be registered on two copper tablets, one deposited with the clerk of the King's Procurator at the Chatelet de Paris, the other to be kept in the Guild safe. But the 1751 decision, difficult to enforce, was not rigourously applied, and therefore no chaser signed all of his production. Under these circumstances, in order to avoidraud and the copying of models, sometimes carried out by its own members, on April 21, 1766 the Guild of master casters decided to set up an office which would accept and register the exact drawings, to scale, of the models created by each caster. These archives would serve as proof for the suppression of counterfeits.During the Directoire and the Consulate, the most popular models were ?Erigonus?, ?Psyche and Cupid?, the ?Oath of Love? (produced by Thomire) and a few others. These co-existed with other, more dramatic scenes taken from Antiquity such as ?Achilles swearing to avenge Patroclus? by Blavet, the ?Oath of Hippolytus? by Choiselat-Gallien, or the ?Farewell of Hector and Andromache? by Galle. The more frivolous subjects such as the ?Toilette of Venus?, or the ?Le Rapt de la Rose? by Romain hold a speial place. The latter was perhaps Romain?s best known subject. Slightly controversial, it drew a great deal of attention to the artist, already very well known for his ?Fall of Phaeton?, of which an example is preserved at the Palais de l'Elysée, and another in the Royal Collection in Madrid. Despite its renown, Romain?s ?Rapt de la Rose? is not known to survive in any of the major collections. The present clock may therefore be unique. It has, furthermore, been preserved in almost pristine conition.Literature: ?Les Ouvriers du Temps?, by Jean-Dominique Augarde, Editions Antiquorum, Genève, 1996.