Louis XV Ormolu Mntd. Meissen Porcelain Chinoiserie Elephant Clock w/ Snail

Description

An Exceptionally Rare 18th Century Louis XV Ormolu Mounted Meissen Porcelain Chinoiserie Elephant, Snail, and Flower Mantel Clock. The clock drum is painted with floral reserves on a yellow-ground porcelain case, surmounted by a seated monkey modeled in cream-glazed porcelain. The dial is inscribed “MILLOT / Her DU ROY,” referring to the Parisian clockmaker Millot, horloger du roi, and retains its original single-barrel movement with platform lever escapement. The interior of the case bears a stamped “B.” The entire composition is supported by a scrolling structure of polychrome porcelain flowers mounted on ormolu branches, leading to a central Meissen figure seated on a saddled elephant, positioned on an elaborately cast gilt bronze rocaille base. The composition centers around a chinoiserie theme, which was highly fashionable in mid-18th century France, particularly during the reign of Louis XV. In this example, the chinoiserie elements are expressed through the seated porcelain figure in Chinese dress, riding atop a caparisoned elephant with a vibrantly painted red and gold saddle and bright yellow cushion. The elephant, modeled with expressive naturalism, features finely detailed ears, trunk, and legs in Meissen’s distinctive hand-painted porcelain, with further ornamentation in applied gilding. Surrounding the central figure and timepiece is an elaborate framework of metal branches issuing dozens of individually modeled porcelain blossoms. These include peonies, roses, and tulips in various stages of bloom, each petal uniquely hand-shaped and painted in hues of lilac, ivory, pink, and violet, with naturalistic green leaves extending outward on slender bronze stems. The gilt bronze mount is executed in the Rococo taste, with asymmetrical shell forms, Snails, C-scrolls, and foliate scrollwork typical of French bronze work from the Louis XV period. The ormolu is mercury-gilded, a process common in the 18th century which involved the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury to the surface of the bronze, followed by firing to vaporize the mercury. This technique created a matte yet luminous surface, prized for its depth and lasting quality. The ormolu is cast in a deeply three-dimensional style, with scrolled feet and boldly molded foliate ornaments that cradle the base of the Meissen elephant and floral arrangement, providing both structural support and decorative harmony. The Meissen porcelain manufactory, founded in 1710 in Saxony under the patronage of Augustus the Strong, was the first European workshop to successfully produce true hard-paste porcelain, rivaling that of the Chinese export wares so highly prized at the time. By the mid-1700s, Meissen was producing a wide array of figures and decorative wares for elite clients across Europe. Their chinoiserie models, often based on engravings by artists such as Jean-Antoine Watteau and François Boucher, catered to the taste for exoticism and fantasy prevalent in aristocratic interiors. These compositions included pagoda-shaped structures, Asian-inspired court figures, and animals such as camels and elephants, sometimes paired with real ormolu mounts by Parisian bronziers to create functional decorative objects like clocks, candelabra, and centerpieces. The figure in this piece, along with the elephant, aligns with known Meissen models from the 1740s–1760s, a period when the manufactory was at the height of its influence and technical innovation. This clock represents a rare combination of Parisian horology, German porcelain, and French ormolu craftsmanship. While individual Meissen figures and floral groupings are known, complete assemblages of this type—especially including both a Meissen-modeled elephant and figure, original hand-modeled flower stems, and a signed royal clock movement—are highly uncommon. The survival of the porcelain blooms, many of which are especially delicate and prone to damage, further adds to the rarity of this object. The presence of the signed Millot dial and platform escapement, paired with finely cast ormolu and porcelain of documented Meissen quality, places this work among the finest examples of collaborative decorative arts produced in 18th-century Europe. Germany, Circa: 1750's

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