Ref.11030
Christophe FRATIN (1801-1864) rare Asian elephant clock, in gilded and patinated bronze

France, circa 1870 Gilded and patinated bronze, modern marble base. Signed « Fratin » on the bronze base This beautiful elephant clock was made in the 19th century by the Animalier sculptor Christophe Fratin. From the reign of Louis XV, clocks representing animals have a great success. With the development of the taste for Orient, exotic animals fascinate and become privileged subjects for sculptors. From the 18th century, the elephant clock is a particularly popular model. Symbol of nobility, wisdom and power, this animal, discovered by the Europeans during the conquests of Alexander the Great, is often represented by Westerners carrying some monumental element on its back. This image undoubtedly comes from the Eastern tradition of howdahs, Indian name of the pavilions installed on the back of the elephants to shelter travelers. On our clock, the pachyderm supports a heavy drum adorned with exotic flowers enclosing the clockwork. A Chinese character leads the elephant, one hand resting on the animal's head, the other holding a stick. Another character, feminine, is sitting cross-legged at the back of the drum, leaning against it. The dial supported by thick fabrics as well as the rod that surmount it bring verticality to the composition, evoking the monumentality of these animals that the Western imagination has often been pleased to represent. Among the many representations of this type, it is worth mentioning the Napoleonic project of the Elephant of the Bastille, a Parisian fountain that was never realized, but of which a plaster model at scale 1, built in 1814 near the site then destroyed in 1846, was notably quoted by Victor Hugo in a scene of Les Misérables staging the young Gavroche. This monumental fountain, whose creation had been entrusted to the architect Alavoine, was to be surmounted by the colossal statue of an elephant with a tower-shaped howdah. All the Animalier sculptor talent of Fratin is perceptible in the representation of this elephant whose rendering of the epidermis is precise and realistic. The folds of the trunk and ears, the joints of its imposing legs and the look of the animal are particularly convincing. The fabrics which cover it are the occasion, for the artist, to demonstrate all his dexterity and his mastery; the care given to the treatment of the base is also to be pointed out. After the revolution of 1848, the slowdown of the art market forced Fratin to turn to auctions to sell his works, mostly with cast rights, an extremely rare process for 19th-century sculptors. In the catalog of one of these sales (April 1850), there is a mention of an "Elephant, palanquin ride", which allows us to date the realization of our model before 1850.

Ref.12977
Lot of 22 m² of antique Point de Hongrie oak parquet flooring

Antique Point de Hongrie oak parquet flooring covering a surface of about 2 m². The strips are 6,5 cm width and 38 cm long.

Ref.15388
Théodore DECK, Dish decorated with iridescent bird and insects, circa 1880-1900

This earthenware dish with rich iridescent reflections was made by Théodore Deck around 1880-1900. It bears the artist’s signature and stamp on the back. Théodore Deck initially trained in the field of stove manufacturing. When he established in Paris on his own in 1858, he produced stove coverings and, buoyed by his success, ventured into ceramics. The workshop then created numerous dishes, sometimes in collaboration with renowned painters. He gradually perfected his technique and achieved great success at the many Universal Exhibitions in which he participated. In 1878, he was made an officer of the Legion of Honor. He led the Sèvres factory from 1887 until his death in 1891. The decoration of this dish, particularly poetic, features a small bird with a yellow throat and blue-green and brown wings, surrounded by orange flowers among which a bee and two butterflies flutter. The top of the bird’s head and part of its wings, as well as the wings of the butterflies and the body of the bee, were executed thanks to Deck’s work on metallic reflections, which uniquely enriches the decoration of this dish. It is notably due to his technical mastery in this area that he won a silver medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1867; however, it is rare for him to use such an important and varied application in a single work. In this, the dish is an exceptional piece. The artist particularly favored motifs of birds and butterflies in flight within a natural, flowery setting; this is evidenced by another dish of his, preserved in Peter Marino's collection, depicting a bird with blue wings striped with black, perched on a flowering branch, from where it watches two butterflies with colorful wings.

Ref.15432
Twenty-Four-Arm Chandelier Based on Château de Versailles Chandeliers, 20th century

This cage chandelier with twenty-four arms of light was made in the second half of the 20th century on a model identical to certain chandeliers at the Château de Versailles. The top of the chandelier forms a flared bowl in gilded metal reflecting the light; it is accompanied by rods embellished with rosettes and poly-lobed crystals of various shapes. The top of the cage is formed by waves of gilded metal ending in Art Deco-style pendants or crystal balusters topped with daggers. The body of the chandelier tapers before unfolding fully. The curves and counter-curves are always punctuated by the presence of crystals: balusters topped with daggers, Art Deco pendants and wave-shaped arms of light whose ends are adorned with basins in the shape of flower corollas supporting dummy candles. A ball carved with ovals and a rosette (below) hangs from the lower end of the chandelier. The Art Deco pendants are electrified. This chandelier was executed after a model made repeatedly in the Château de Versailles, which can be found in the Salon de Mars and in the antechamber of the Grand Couvert in the Grands Appartements for example. These were executed by Baguès in 1863-1864, as a copy of a chandelier in the collections. Despite minor differences, the mounts of these chandeliers are identical, and the ornamentation is very similar (with the exception of the Art Deco decorations).