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Barometer Clock

 (French, 1642–1732)
 (French, 1630–1706)
 (French, 1669–1738)
Dateca. 1690–1700
MediumEbony, turtle shell, brass, gilt bronze, and enamel
Dimensions45 1/4 x 23 1/8 x 10 1/4 in. (114.9 x 58.7 x 26 cm)
Credit LineBequest of Winthrop Kellogg Edey, 1999
Accession number1999.5.148
Commentary

This clock illustrates the high degree of crafts­manship and originality in the designs of the artisans who served Louis XIV. The movement, by either Isaac Thuret or his son, Jacques Thuret— each of whom held the position of clockmaker to the king—is set within a case by André-Charles Boulle, the celebrated cabinetmaker to Louis XIV. Both the Thurets and Boulle occupied workshops in the Palace of the Louvre. Their royal appoint­ments made it possible to work outside the strict regulations of the French guild system, in which a craftsman could open his own workshop only after attaining the status of master. Such a workshop produced objects exclusively within the specialty of the master craftsman. A royal craftsman, exempt from this rule, was free to cross boundar­ies into other fields, therefore controlling all aspects of the production from design to decora­tion. For this barometer clock, Boulle not only built the case—covering it with a turtle-shell veneer with inlays of engraved brass and pewter— he also designed, chased, and gilded the highly original gilt-bronze mounts that adorn the piece. He crowned the clock with a Greco-Roman oil lamp with a satyr’s head and placed an Egyptian sphinx on each side of the base, which rests on spiral turrets. Boulle’s embrace of the antique— classical and Egyptian—represents a central aspect of the style that prevailed during the reign of the Sun King.

Source: Vignon, Charlotte. The Frick Collection Decorative Arts Handbook. New York: The Frick Collection/Scala, 2015.

Not On View
Front view of Boulle Kneehole Desk with marquetry of pewter, gilt brass and tortoiseshell and l…
Workshop of André-Charles Boulle
ca. 1692−95, with later alterations ca. 1770 (before 1777)
Octagonal Pedestal with Tendril Marquetry of Tortoiseshell and Brass  (One of a Pair)
Attributed to André-Charles Boulle
after 1686−1715, with possible late 18th century modifications
Octagonal Pedestal with Tendril Marquetry of Tortoiseshell and Brass  (One of a Pair)
Attributed to André-Charles Boulle
after 1686−1715, with possible late 18th century modifications
Writing Table with Tendril Marquetry of Tortoiseshell
André-Charles Boulle
ca. 1710, with later alterations
Commode with Tendril Marquetry (One of a Pair)
After André-Charles Boulle
ca. 1820−50
Commode with Tendril Marquetry (One of a Pair)
After André-Charles Boulle
ca. 1820−50
Front view of longcase clock with marquetry of pewter and tortoiseshell and dial made of gilt b…
Attributed to André-Charles Boulle
ca. 1677
Cabinet with Pictorial and Tendril Marquetry of Tortoiseshell, Brass, Pewter, and Ebony (One of…
After André-Charles Boulle
19th century
Cabinet with Pictorial and Tendril Marquetry of Tortoiseshell, Brass, Pewter, and Ebony (One of…
After André-Charles Boulle
19th century
Front view of Mantel Clock, consisting of a luxurious mix of materials, including a gilt bronze…
Attributed to André-Charles Boulle
ca. 1675
Commode with six drawers, gilt bronze mounts, and Trellis Parquetry
Attributed to André-Charles Boulle
ca. 1710, with later alterations
Front view of Tête de Poupée Clock inlaid with a lavish Boulle marquetry of tortoiseshell, pewt…
Balthazar Martinot II
ca. 1680–90
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