Garniture, Clock And Two Candlesticks. Gilt Bronze. Henri Picard And Victor Paillard. Paris...

Garniture, clock and two candlesticks. Gilt bronze. Henri Picard and Victor Paillard. Paris, France, 1831-1864.
With markings (base of the clock, back).
Gilt bronze clock and two four-light candelabra accompanied by flowers, with smooth base and vase feet of very classical inspiration, decorated with reliefs (fauns, figures of children, garlands, grotesque heads, etc.). The clock presents two female figures (allegories of geography and astronomy because of the objects they carry) framing a vase containing the dial, which has Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals every five minutes for the minutes, as well as a signature. The Parisian type machine has an engraved number and a seal (Vr Paillard / A Paris). On the base, on the back of the clock, is engraved the legend H. Picard, which refers to the founder and gilder Henri Picard (France, active from 1831 to 1864), who worked for Defreveille, also collaborating with Charles Perrault and Grault. He produced numerous works for Napoleon III, several of which are preserved in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The inscription on the dial reads "Victor Paillard / Ft de Bronzes / A Paris". Victor Paillard (1805-1886) was a French sculptor who completed his training in Paris with Jean-François Denière, also collaborating with Ferdinand Barbedienne. In 1830, he successfully created a business of furniture art objects which received orders from the State (notably for the Palau d'Afers Exteriors at the Quai d'Orsay). The existence of other clocks like this one is attested: a clock by the bronzier Étienne Martincourt with the dial signed "Lepaute à Paris"; another identical to this one and currently preserved at the Paul Getty Museum in Malibu (California, USA) from the Tuileries; and another with the dial signed by Victor Paillard. As for the model of the vases, it seems that they were inspired by those, very popular and appreciated, of Claude Michel (Clodion house), who had made an original in terracotta in 1763, on which many pieces in bronze and other materials were based (a pair in marble is preserved by the Art Institute of Chicago, dated 1766; another is in the Goncourt collection, dated 1761 or 1762; a pair of candelabra with these bases is known and attributed to Barbedienne, etc.) In turn, Clodion seems to have been inspired by certain vases by François Boucher.
Weight: 57 kg. - Dimensions: Watch 60x27x72 cm Candelabros 32x25x83cm