98th Auction
2018/11/10
Lot 301
Jean François Poncet à Dresden, 105 mm, 944 g, circa 1750
A quarter repeating coach clock of museum quality, with alarm in a "repoussé" case "The abduction of Europa".
Case: silver, pierced edge, rear bell. Dial: silver, champlevé, central turnable alarm disc. Movm.: full plate movement, barrel/chain/fusee for going train, 2 florally engraved barrels for striking- and alarm train, 3 hammers, verge escapement, three-arm steel balance.
The elaborately finished, silver outer case has an open work edge decorated with tendrils. Rocailles and volutes adorn the back and frame the chased scene showing the seduction of Europa, which was a very popular motif in the 18th century.
Jean Francois Poncet (1714-1804) was maker to the court of King Augustus III. It is said that the Poncet family descend from an old Roman family of consuls; they use a legionary eagle in their coat of arms and trace their ancestry back to Pontius Pilate. They originally lived near Marseille and had to emigrate from France because of their Calvinist faith.
"The Abduction of Europa was a popular theme in the 18th century and was often depicted in the fine arts. The portrayal of the liaison between a powerful beast and a graceful maiden was traditionally used for small sculptures, with bronze versions since the Renaissance period and even more abundantly with porcelain sculptures during Rococo. (...)
The sensuous Rococo period chose for itself the most erotic interpretation of the ancient myths – Europa (...) is by no means the victim of a brutal abduction - the abduction of Europa turns into the seduction of Europa. At the end of the story the bull, flanked by nereids and tritones, carries the maiden across the ocean to the shores of Crete in a triumphal procession."
Lit.: "Die Franzoesische Bronzeuhr" by Elke Niehueser, Munich 1997, page 34f.
A quarter repeating coach clock of museum quality, with alarm in a "repoussé" case "The abduction of Europa".
Case: silver, pierced edge, rear bell. Dial: silver, champlevé, central turnable alarm disc. Movm.: full plate movement, barrel/chain/fusee for going train, 2 florally engraved barrels for striking- and alarm train, 3 hammers, verge escapement, three-arm steel balance.
The elaborately finished, silver outer case has an open work edge decorated with tendrils. Rocailles and volutes adorn the back and frame the chased scene showing the seduction of Europa, which was a very popular motif in the 18th century.
Jean Francois Poncet (1714-1804) was maker to the court of King Augustus III. It is said that the Poncet family descend from an old Roman family of consuls; they use a legionary eagle in their coat of arms and trace their ancestry back to Pontius Pilate. They originally lived near Marseille and had to emigrate from France because of their Calvinist faith.
"The Abduction of Europa was a popular theme in the 18th century and was often depicted in the fine arts. The portrayal of the liaison between a powerful beast and a graceful maiden was traditionally used for small sculptures, with bronze versions since the Renaissance period and even more abundantly with porcelain sculptures during Rococo. (...)
The sensuous Rococo period chose for itself the most erotic interpretation of the ancient myths – Europa (...) is by no means the victim of a brutal abduction - the abduction of Europa turns into the seduction of Europa. At the end of the story the bull, flanked by nereids and tritones, carries the maiden across the ocean to the shores of Crete in a triumphal procession."
Lit.: "Die Franzoesische Bronzeuhr" by Elke Niehueser, Munich 1997, page 34f.
Sold
estimated
32.000—45.000 €
Price realized
37.200 €