Fantaisie Galante For Neo Rococo Table Clock In Porcelain And Gilt Bronze. Circa 1890

Coquet Alcove Cartel to pose in porcelain with polychrome decoration in cartouches arranged on a Beau Bleu background embellished with delicate Rocaille ornamental motifs painted in fine gold of a Fantaisie Galante and Floral Compositions. Openwork gilt bronze adornment of Louis XV finery (volutes, crosiers and clasps of leafy acanthus, floral garlands, shells - palmettes, ..) punctuating the porcelain piece and forming a base. White enameled dial with floral stroke indicating the hours, minutes in Arabic numerals. Signed in the main cartouche: "P.Roche", painter-decorator, active in the Parisian market in the years 1890-1910 (A.Lesur and Tardy, Les Porcelaines Françaises, 1967, p.149). -------------- Imbued with the Neo-Rococo coquetries of the last century, this delightful Cartel to pose displays a violin-shaped body in porcelain with a deep lapis blue background called "Beau Bleu" studded on all sides with delicate Rocaille-inspired motifs (foliage, fleurons, palms and acanthus crosettes; pearl and vermiculated scattering, flowers with radiant petals and flowery sprays) painted in fine gold. Their delicate enveloping lines confer preciousness and charm to the polychrome decoration which, arranged in reserves haloed in a milky white, adorns the timepiece. Thus, executed in a chromatic palette in soft tones, a small painting depicts an affable Couple of Elegant Men of Yesteryear dressed in velvet, taffeta, embroidered silk, flirting, missive in hand, in the heart of a dreamlike landscaped park. In keeping with this smiling scene of gallant fantasy that enchants the eye, a medallion, oblong cartouches welcome exquisite blooms (bouquet, falls and flowery sheaves) in fresh, lively colors. Playing on lightness, an undulating and airy gilded bronze adornment with motifs of volutes, crosiers and clasps of leafy acanthus, flowery garlands, half-shells with wavy edges, flamed palmette shells cheerfully chiseled marries, embellishes the generous curve of the porcelain piece. This one rests on a base with leafy scrolls linked on the reverse by a frieze of interlacing punctuated with cabochons. Set on its bezel with heart-shaped stripes lined with a pearl, the dial of the clock embellished with a flowery course indicates the hours, the minutes in Arabic numerals by two pierced and gilded hands. On the reverse, a flap with an openwork radiant motif. ------------- Placed under the Graces and sweet fragrances of a rediscovered 18th century, this dapper Alcove Cartel endowed with very attractive finery revives the gallant felicity which, during a Masked Ball, the Parisian "Gentry" of the years 1890-1910 loved to delight in, not without nostalgia. In our turn, let us be seduced like this couple of Galants d'Antan, playful while reading an affable missive. .------------------------ Marks and Signatures: Signed in the decoration: "P. Roche", painter-decorator active in the Capital 4, rue Bobillot in the years 1900-1910-Apocryphal mark painted in blue underglaze on the back of the porcelain piece with crossed swords. Materials: Polychrome porcelain on a Lapis Blue field called Beau Bleu with gold highlights; gilded bronze; enamel and glass. Dimensions: H.: 39 cm; -L.: 20 cm; D: 12 cm. Porcelain work in the Louis XV-Rococo style from the end of the 19th century. Circa 1890 Very good condition