Style Louis XV / Ref.17887

J. LANGUEREAU, Clock with Two Putti Figthing Over a Heart, circa 1880

This majestic Louis XV-style clock was made in Paris around 1880 by J. Languereau, based on a sculpture by Étienne-Maurice Falconet.

As early as 1844, the Marquis House joined the Société de la Réunion des fabricants de bronzes de la ville de Paris. It then produced bronzes for all kinds of art objects, including clocks. From 1860, the clockmaker Languereau collaborated with them before taking over.

J. Languereau appears in the records as a founder who exhibited at the 1889 World’s Fair. One of his clocks, kept at the Palais de la Préfecture des Bouches-du-Rhône in Marseille, gave its name to the room in which it is located: the Salon de l’Horloge.

In the lower part, the clock adopts the curves and counter-curves as well as the rich scrolls of rocaille acanthus leaves. The dial is signed.

In the upper part, the bronze group composed of two cherubs fighting over a heart brings decoration and lightness to the object. The first of the two putti tries to push back the second, who raises his foot as if to crush the heart that is the cause of their struggle. The original of this group was created by Falconet.

Of humble origins, Étienne-Maurice Falconet (1716-1791) was quickly placed under the protection of the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne. He joined the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1754 and received numerous royal commissions. One of his most famous sculptures, similar in subject to the one used for this clock, is L'Amour Menaçant (circa 1757, Louvre Museum).

This subject, reflecting the lighthearted themes prevalent during part of Louis XV’s reign, was particularly appreciated in the 19^th century and inspired numerous works.