The case of this clock, or pendule en cartel, is attributed to one of the foremost French cabinetmakers, Charles Cressent. The clock with bracket form is based on designs by André Charles Boulle (1642-1732), royal cabinetmaker to the court of Louis XIV of France. Boulle also excelled at the type of marquetry using tortoiseshell and brass, which can be seen on the bracket of this clock and is known as boulle-work. Thin sheets of tortoiseshell and brass were laid on top of one another; a design was traced and cut out through the two layers, creating two sets of the pattern. The brass could be used as the primary decoration, with tortoiseshell as a background, as on this bracket, or vice versa.
The exuberant gilt brass case of this clock displays early rococo or Louis XV style design, which begins to reveal the unrestrained use of organic motifs. Cressent became famous for his rococo gilt bronze mounts, as seen on the commode displayed beneath the clock.
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<P>The case of this clock, or pendule en cartel, is attributed to one of the foremost French cabinetmakers, Charles Cressent. The clock with bracket form is based on designs by André Charles Boulle (1642-1732), royal cabinetmaker to the court of Louis XIV of France. Boulle also excelled at the type of marquetry using tortoiseshell and brass, which can be seen on the bracket of this clock and is known as boulle-work. Thin sheets of tortoiseshell and brass were laid on top of one another; a design was traced and cut out through the two layers, creating two sets of the pattern. The brass could be used as the primary decoration, with tortoiseshell as a background, as on this bracket, or vice versa.</P><P>The exuberant gilt brass case of this clock displays early rococo or Louis XV style design, which begins to reveal the unrestrained use of organic motifs. Cressent became famous for his rococo gilt bronze mounts, as seen on the commode displayed beneath the clock.</P>
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