The figure group on a plinth, inscribed 'Le Roi Louis Philippe saigne sa propre main & rappelle à la vie le courrier de cabinet Werner tombé de cheval sous les roues de sa voiture le 27 octobre 1833', with four dials for the days of the month, days of the week, months of the wear and phases of the moon, the front left corner signed 'JEAN. F.t. DE / BRONZES PARIS'; the rear window missing
27 in. (70 cm) high, 15¹⁄₂. in. (39 cm) wide, 12³⁄₄. in. (32 cm.) deep

C'est Fou, Christie's, Paris, 14 Dec 2018, lot 216 (€37,500).

Marie-France Dupuy-Baylet, L'heure, le feu, la lumière, Les Bronzes du Mobilier National, Dijon, 2010, pp. 272-275

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Lot Essay

An identical clock from Ministère de l'Intérieur is listed in the general inventory of the Mobilier National (inv. GML 11036). That example is certainly part of the same order as this clock, commissioned under the "personal expenses of the King," for which the National Archives retain a written record dated December 24, 1838 (A.N.: O 1728, memorandum). The document mentions a payment made to 'Jean, bronze manufacturer, No. 291, rue et carré Saint-Martin, Paris, for the execution of a clock representing His Majesty tending to the courier Werner, intended for Her Majesty the Duchess of Orléans.' (Jean, fabricant de bronze, n°291, rue et carré Saint-Martin Paris pour prix d'exécution d'une pendule représentant S.M. saignant le courrier Werner et destinée à S.M. la duchesse d'Orléans.)

This monumental clock depicts King Louis-Philippe and the Duke of Orléans and illustrates an event widely reported in the press of the time (Le Charivari, October 29, 1833). The king had distinguished himself by saving the life of a courier who had fallen from his horse while listening to his orders. The anecdote quickly became an allegory of the king’s kindness toward his people, and the image was used for political purposes, helping to present a more humane image of the new French monarchy.

It was the subject of several artistic representations, including an engraving by Marin-Lavigne and a painting by Casimir-Victor de Balthazar, which is now housed at Val-de-Grâce.