Martineau

CARTEL CLOCK

Paris last quarter of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century
French mantel clock signed “Martineau Paris,” probably dating from the late 18th to early 19th century, executed in the Rococo style. The case is decorated with a green lacquered ground, painted floral motifs, and a romantic genre scene in the lower section, adorned with gilded foliate ormolu mounts — all characteristic features of French Rococo decoration of this period. The distinctive green lacquer with painted Rococo motifs is referred to as “Martineau lacquer,” named after the Martineau family of clockmakers who designed and first employed this decorative technique. 70x35x18 cm. Condition A. With a non-original key; movement untested.. Literature: Tardy, Dictionnaire des horlogers français (Paris, various editions; the standard reference for all scholars of French clockmakers) J. J. Guiffrey: "Logements d’artistes au Louvre", Nouvelles Archives de l’Art français, vol. II, 1873, pp. 72–73, 129 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York – catalogues and PDF studies on French clocks, including genealogical references to the Martinot family [http://fr-academic.com/dic.nsf/frwiki/1930026](http://fr-academic.com/dic.nsf/frwiki/1930026) – genealogical and archival overview of the generations of the Martinot clockmaking family