"Venus and Cupid" Louis XVI Period Clock in Gilt Bronze and Marble - Late 18th Century

Yes, the story must be preserved, but it must be highly condensed. For a sales advertisement, the client must understand in a few seconds: authentic Louis XVI, museum-quality model, refined subject, beautiful bronzes, model revived in the 19th century but here in the 18th.
Rare Louis XVI clock "Venus, Anteros, and Cupid" – Model held at the Carnavalet Museum
Rare and very beautiful Louis XVI period clock, made in Paris in the last quarter of the 18th century, in finely chased and gilded bronze, white marble, and black marble.
The composition depicts Venus embracing Anteros under the gaze of Cupid, a particularly refined mythological subject centered on Love and its reciprocity.

On the left, Venus, draped in a flowing antique-style gown, leans tenderly towards Anteros, a young winged god perched on a flowery cloud above the clock's movement. On the right, Cupid, also winged, observes the scene. In ancient mythology, Anteros personifies shared and reciprocal love, as opposed to the desiring love embodied by Eros/Cupid. The union of Venus and the two Cupids thus gives this clock a truly allegorical dimension, particularly characteristic of the cultivated and gallant taste of the late reign of Louis XVI.

The movement is housed in an elegant black marble case, adorned at the corners with rich foliate and floral motifs in gilt bronze. It rests on a wide white marble base, the front of which is embellished with a substantial bas-relief depicting several Cupids amidst clouds and amorous attributes.
The combination of white marble, black marble, and gilt bronze gives this piece a particularly captivating richness and presence.

The quality of the bronzes is remarkable: the delicacy of the faces, hair, and wings of the Cupids, the fluidity of Venus's drapery, and the treatment of the flowers and ornaments all testify to a very fine 18th-century Parisian craftsmanship.

A highly sought-after museum piece
An example of the same model is held at the Musée Carnavalet – Histoire de Paris, under inventory number MB580. Signed Gaudet in Paris and dated between 1774 and 1793, it features the same composition of Venus accompanied by two Cupids and the same principle of bas-relief populated with putti.
Another clock from the late Louis XVI period was also exhibited at Rouillac under the title Venus Embracing Anteros Observed by Cupid, confirming this iconographic interpretation of the subject. The success of this composition was enduring: the model was widely reproduced in the 19th century, particularly during the revival of Louis XVI taste. The present clock is all the more interesting because, on the contrary, it belongs to the original 18th-century versions, whose bronzes exhibit a quality and finesse significantly superior to later reproductions.

Condition
The clock is in good overall condition considering its age.

Several old pieces are missing: part of one of Venus's legs, the torch, as well as the bow and quiver that originally completed the composition. The protective glass for the dial is also missing. There are a few small chips on the marble.

It currently rests on four feet and remains perfectly stable and balanced.
Despite these missing pieces, this clock retains its considerable collector's value due to its Louis XVI authenticity, the remarkable quality of its bronzes, the richness of its marble, and above all, its belonging to a model now held in the collections of the Musée Carnavalet and famous enough to have been reproduced throughout the 19th century.

Period: Louis XVI, last quarter of the 18th century
Origin: Paris
Subject: Venus embracing Anteros under the gaze of Cupid
Materials: Chiseled and gilded bronze, white and black marble, enamel
Reference: Musée Carnavalet, inv. MB580 – Venus and Cupid, 1774-1793
Delivery in France and internationally. Professional transport available upon request.

Ref: LKNXAMDAJO