Clocks · Wall clock
Wall clock, case by Jean-Pierre Latz, France, c. 1735–40
- Maker / attribution
- Jean-Pierre Latz (case)
- Date
- c. 1735–40
- Historical period
- Early Modern Horology (1600 – 1750)
- Country of origin
- France
- Place
- France
- Object type
- Wall clock
- Materials / technique
- Oak, tortoiseshell, kingwood, brass, gilded bronze, and glass
- Dimensions
- 147.3 × 64.8 × 53.3 cm (58 × 25 1/4 × 21 in.)
- Holding institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Accession / object no.
- 1975.172
- Credit line
- Ada Turnbull Hertle Fund
- Catalogue title (original)
- Wall Clock (English)
View the source record ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Held and catalogued by Art Institute of Chicago (object number 1975.172), this is a wall clock by Jean-Pierre Latz, made in France, dated c. 1735–40. The Atlas places it in the Early Modern Horology period (1600 – 1750) of its Clocks collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: Oak, tortoiseshell, kingwood, brass, gilded bronze, and glass. Recorded dimensions: 147.3 × 64.8 × 53.3 cm (58 × 25 1/4 × 21 in.). The record is illustrated with 2 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Description — Art Institute of Chicago
An exuberant and lavish example of the French Rococo style, this sculptural wall clock epitomizes the extravagant era of Louis XV (reigned 1715–74). Festooned with ormolu (gilt bronze) swirls and floral swags, the clock required the collaboration of numerous specialized artisans. Its case, candelabra, and wall bracket were created by the eminent Jean-Pierre Latz, who was appointed ébéniste (furniture maker) to the king in 1741. The clock’s eight-day movement was manufactured in the Flemish city of Ghent by Francis Bayley, possibly a member of the large London dynasty of clockmakers of that name. Opulent clocks such as this did more than tell time; they delighted the ear with music (six melody titles are engraved in the dial’s arch) and dazzled the eye with dramatic scenes. Here the Greek god Apollo is poised at the top of the clock case to slay the serpent Python. The space between the clock and the wall bracket was cleverly used to suggest the beast’s home, the cave of Mount Parnassus in Greece. In the triangular base are the faces of Zeus, symbolizing time, and Hera, presiding over marriage and childbirth. They are surmounted by two small coats of arms belonging to the Flemish bride and groom whose union the clock was probably created to celebrate.
Inscriptions & marks
Mark: "Francis Bayley, Ghendt"
Provenance
Ducs d’Arenberg [Hawley 1970]; Rosenberg and Stiebel, Inc., New York, early 1960s [according to letter from Henry Hawley, Nov. 10, 1988; copy in curatorial object file]; Antenor Patiño (1896–1982), Portugal [Hawley 1970]; Rosenberg and Stiebel, Inc., New York; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1975.
Historical context
Early Modern Horology (1600 – 1750)
Huygens' pendulum and balance spring transform accuracy; English makers develop the anchor and deadbeat escapements.
Huygens's pendulum (1656–57) improved clock accuracy from about a quarter of an hour to under a minute a day. The anchor escapement (c. 1670) and the long seconds pendulum created the longcase clock; London makers such as Fromanteel, Knibb, Tompion and Quare led European clockmaking, and French makers created the Boulle pendule.
Read the period in the timelineMore clocks from this periodEarlier: Renaissance Horology
Atlas type guide
Regulators, wall and Vienna clocks
A regulator is a precision pendulum clock used as a time standard in observatories, workshops and railway offices. Typical features are a deadbeat or Graham escapement, a temperature-compensated pendulum (mercury jar, gridiron or later invar), maintaining power and a regulator dial that separates hours, minutes and seconds. George Graham's deadbeat escapement (c. 1715) and his mercury pendulum, together with Harrison's gridiron, set the pattern for two centuries.
Wall clocks span a much wider range: the elegant Viennese Laterndluhr and Dachluhr of the Biedermeier period, the Dutch stoelklok and staartklok, English 'dial' clocks used in schools, offices and railway stations, and mass-produced spring and weight wall clocks from Germany (Gustav Becker, Junghans, Kienzle) and America.
What to look for
- Deadbeat escapement and compensated pendulum (gridiron rods, mercury jar or wood rod).
- A regulator dial with a large central minute hand and separate hour and seconds dials.
- Vienna regulators: glazed cases, slender pendulum, small weights, enamel two-piece dials.
- German factory trademarks stamped on the backplate (e.g. Gustav Becker anchor and crown, Junghans star).
Dating clues
- Graham-type deadbeat regulators: from c. 1720.
- Viennese Laterndluhr: c. 1800–1850.
- German factory 'Vienna-style' regulators: c. 1870–1930; Gustav Becker serial numbers allow close dating.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
Read next:Deadbeat escapementAnchor (recoil) escapementGrasshopper escapement
Related records
Clocks · 1754
Longcase clock by Jean Biesta, France, 1754
Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg
Clocks · 1744
Tall- case Clock (Regulateur)
Cleveland Museum of Art
Clocks · 1590–1610
Clock, France, 1590–1610
MAK – Museum of Applied Arts
Clocks · c. 1600
Table Clock, sheet brass, engraved, pierced and gilt, Paris, ca.1600, signed 'B(?) Pichard, à Paris'
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Clocks · 1600–1699
Table clock by Charles Goret, France, 1600–1699
German Clock Museum
Clocks · 1640
Table clock, France, 1640
Rijksmuseum
Clocks · late 17th century
Clock with case of tortoiseshell inlaid with brass, Paris, late 17th century
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Clocks · 1650
Crucifix Clock, signed W. H. Arnstad, mid- 17th century.
Victoria and Albert Museum, London