Constantin Detouche (1810-1889) Marble And Gilt Bronze Clock 19th Century

Clock from the 19th century and Louis XVI style, in gilded bronze with matte gold and shiny gold, base in molded white marble. Based on warrior attributes and musical instruments, at the top of doves symbolizing peace The dial signed *Constantin-Louis Detouche AParis Superb original condition (original gilding simply cleaned), the movement is complete with its gong, its pendulum and its 2 keys. *Constanstin-Louis Detouche Watchmaker (1810 - 1889) Having received the Legion of Honor in France in 1853 and the Cross of the Order of Dannebrog in Denmark, was appointed watchmaker to the city of Paris and to Emperor Napoleon III. His firm, probably the largest in France at the time, was enormously successful. At the Nîmes exhibition in 1862, the company was described as follows: “the Detouche house of Paris, founded in 1803; its business volume grows every year and today it generates a turnover, in France and abroad, of more than 3 million francs. Watchmaking objects, from precision pieces to ordinary items, represent more than 1,200,000 francs. Mr. Detouche has received the most prestigious awards; I will only mention here: the gold medal at the universal watch exhibition in Besançon in 1860, and the gold medal in London in 1862. He was awarded the Cross of the Legion of Honor for his contribution to the progress of watchmaking and the King of Denmark awarded him the Dannebrog Cross for his electric clock. Such objects, which deserve to be described in detail, present improvements which should be known and appreciated by each watchmaker who has benefited from the work and services of Mr. Detouche... The jury particularly noted a rocaille style regulator in gilded bronze, of remarkable taste, which measures 1m 90; … The turnstiles seen at the exhibition and considered essential in France and abroad are also the invention of Mr. Detouche. All the articles produced by this house deserve to attract attention for their moderate prices, their elegance, their rich ornamentation, their precision, and their excellent craftsmanship. The jury awards Mr. Detouche an honorary diploma. » (“Revue Chronométrie”, 8th year, vol. IV, June 1862 – June 1863, “Exposition de Nîmes”, Paris, 1862, pp. 605-609). In 1851, six years after Houdin's arrival, the Detouche house took part in the Great Exhibition in London (the first universal exhibition) under the name "Chronometer makers, 158 and 160 rue St Martin, Paris". In 1887, towards the end of his life, Detouche subsidized the publication of the third edition of the Traité d'Horlogerie Modern Théorique et Pratique by Claude Saunier (1816-1896), also called the C. Detouche edition (944 pages, published in Paris ) and the addendum (112 pages, also published in Paris). Among the other prestigious creations of Detouche and Houdin, we could cite two large astronomical regulators, with indication of hours, minutes, seconds, days, months and the date, time of sunrise and sunset, the equation of time, sunrise and setting of the moon, as well as its phases and age, and barometric and thermometric variations. On these two regulators, the main dial is surrounded by fourteen subsidiary dials indicating the time in fourteen cities around the world. For a long time, one of these regulators was located at the corner of rue Saint-Martin and rue de Rivoli; today it is in the François-Paul Journe SA Manufacture, in Geneva. Source: La pendulerie.com