THE CASE ATTRIBUTED TO JEAN-PIERRE LATZ, CIRCA 1740, THE MOVEMENT BY AGERON A PARIS, THE FLORAL INLAY PROBABLY OF A LATER DATE

Although stamped by Balthazar Lieutaud, a specialist in clock cases, this striking bracket clock has traditionally been attributed to Jean-Pierre Latz (ébéniste privilegié du Roi before 1741), on the basis of the close similarity of the mounts to the documented oeuvre of Latz, who famously contravened guild regulations by casting his own bronzes. Other clocks by or attributed to Latz feature the same or closely related distinctive mounts framing the shoulders of the clock either side of the dial (see H. Hawley, Jean-Pierre Latz Cabinet-Maker, The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, September-October 1970, cat. 3, 6, 8 and 15), while similar muscular, scrolling feet (also typical of Latz’s oeuvre) on the upper section of régulateurs by Latz in Schloss Moritzburg, Dresden, Sanssouci Palace, Potsdam and the British Royal Collection are illustrated Hawley op.cit., figs 11-13. The remarkable sculptural portrayal of Andromeda and the dragon does not seem to have counterparts in Latz’s oeuvre, although a number of his clocks feature powerful mythological compositions similarly placed below the dial. Lieutaud’s stamp could therefore indicate that he collaborated with Latz on this clock, or restored it at a later date.