CIRCA 1785

The design for this lot relates to that of one of the most iconic mantel clocks of the late eighteenth century; L'Etude et la Philosophie by François Rémond (maître doreur in 1744). A drawing in a catalogue produced by Rémond, circa 1785, shows this well-known clock which and it incorporates figures designed and supplied to the Sèvres factory for reproduction in biscuit porcelain by the sculptor Simon-Louis Boizot, see H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel et. al., Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, vol. I, p. 295, fig. 4.17.5. For a clock of similar design attributed to Rémond is in the Musée du Louvre (OA 6880), see ibid., p. 296, fig. 4.18.1. In addition to the overall design featuring two seated figures, this clock also shares other similarities with Rémond's other works; the ormolu mounts on the frieze, for example, are highly comparable to those found on another clock attributed to this master bronzier and sold Christie's, New York, 28-29 March 2017, lot 202. This type of jewel-like mounts is also featured on a number of candelabra by Rémond, such as his celebrated model for the boudoir Turc of the comte d'Artois at Versailles. Rémond was one of the most celebrated ciseleurs-doreurs during the reign of Louis XVI and counted amongst his distinguished clientele the comte d'Artois and the Princesse Kinsky. Between February 1784 and October 1787, Rémond sold at least thirty-two versions of L'Etude et la Philosophie to the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre. In 1788, Daguerre delivered three of these clocks, with movements by Sotiau, to Louis XVI for the château de Saint-Cloud, see P. Verlet, Les Bronzes Dorés Français du XVIIIème Siècle, Paris, 1987, p. 322.

FLORENCE GOULD (1895-1983)
Daughter of Maximilien La Caze, a wealthy French publisher, Florence Gould was born in San Francisco and trained to become an opera singer. In 1923 she married Frank Jay Gould, son of the American railroad magnate, Jay Gould. The couple moved to France where Florence established herself by hosting salons for the literary and artistic circles at their celebrated Palais de Cannes on the Côte d'Azur and their Parisian residence on Avenue de Malakoff. She later instituted various prizes for writers and artists, and many important French-American cultural events are supported through the Foundation established in her name. Other lots in this sale that hail from the collection of Florence include lot 2, 7, 117, and 244.