A French Louis XVI ormolu mounted Gris St Anne marble mantel clock with concentric calendarSigned for Martinet, London, late 18th centuryThe circular two train countwheel bell striking movement with anchor escapement regulated by disc bob pendulum, the circular white enamel Roman numeral dial signed Martinet, LONDON to centre and with puce Arabic date-of-the-month concentric calendar track within Arabic five minutes to outer track, with pierced and engraved hour and minute hands and steel calendar indicator within bead-bordered gilt brass hinged convex-glazed bezel, the break-arch case with generous laurel tied quiver and torch cast surmount to the gilt gadroon moulded platform upstand over draped laurel trails to arch and acanthus side mounts to shoulders, the front with symmetrical scroll decorated recessed panel flanked by husk stop-fluted uprights beneath dial and generous floral conucopiae mounts to sides, on D-ended inverted breakfronted plinth base inset with laurel trails to centre and sides and applied with rectangular rosettes over the substantial gilt squab feet between, 47cm (18.5ins) high. Hubert Martinet is a fine but enigmatic clockmaker who was active both in London and Paris during the 1770's and 1780's. Although little is recorded of his specific activities it is known that he worked as both a horloger and a mercier and was probably a descendant of the Martinot clockmaking family the first of whom was Gilbert Martinot who is recorded as clockmaker to Henry III in 1572.Hubert Martinet is perhaps best known for his magnificent musical automaton elephant clock of 1774 which resides in the at Waddeston Manor. Martinet is also mentioned by Geoffrey de Bellaigue as a marchand-bijoutier of another elephant clock formerly in the Rothschild collection; this example being a rare gilt bronze and Meissen porcelain example signed Gudin on the dial. In addition to these Bellaingne also mentions Trois pendules d'Eléphant finies 5000 (livres) included in an inventory of Martinet's stock drawn up after bankruptcy on 7th June 1777. One of these, featuring a white porcelain elephant ridden by a black mahout and surmounted by a Turk, had previously belonged to the marquis de Béringhen.
A French Louis XVI ormolu mounted Gris St Anne marble mantel clock with concentric calendarSigned for Martinet, London, late 18th centuryThe circular two train countwheel bell striking movement with anchor escapement regulated by disc bob pendulum, the circular white enamel Roman numeral dial signed Martinet, LONDON to centre and with puce Arabic date-of-the-month concentric calendar track within Arabic five minutes to outer track, with pierced and engraved hour and minute hands and steel calendar indicator within bead-bordered gilt brass hinged convex-glazed bezel, the break-arch case with generous laurel tied quiver and torch cast surmount to the gilt gadroon moulded platform upstand over draped laurel trails to arch and acanthus side mounts to shoulders, the front with symmetrical scroll decorated recessed panel flanked by husk stop-fluted uprights beneath dial and generous floral conucopiae mounts to sides, on D-ended inverted breakfronted plinth base inset with laurel trails to centre and sides and applied with rectangular rosettes over the substantial gilt squab feet between, 47cm (18.5ins) high. Hubert Martinet is a fine but enigmatic clockmaker who was active both in London and Paris during the 1770's and 1780's. Although little is recorded of his specific activities it is known that he worked as both a horloger and a mercier and was probably a descendant of the Martinot clockmaking family the first of whom was Gilbert Martinot who is recorded as clockmaker to Henry III in 1572.Hubert Martinet is perhaps best known for his magnificent musical automaton elephant clock of 1774 which resides in the at Waddeston Manor. Martinet is also mentioned by Geoffrey de Bellaigue as a marchand-bijoutier of another elephant clock formerly in the Rothschild collection; this example being a rare gilt bronze and Meissen porcelain example signed Gudin on the dial. In addition to these Bellaingne also mentions Trois pendules d'Eléphant finies 5000 (livres) included in an inventory of Martinet's stock drawn up after bankruptcy on 7th June 1777. One of these, featuring a white porcelain elephant ridden by a black mahout and surmounted by a Turk, had previously belonged to the marquis de Béringhen.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
