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A chariot clock is a type of mantel/table figural
clock A clock or a timepiece is a device used to measure and indicate time. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month and the ...
in the form of a
chariot A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&nb ...
whose dial is set into the wheel or elsewhere, its origins date back to the second half of the 16th century southern Germany.Drouot catalogue
/ref> Normally of classical mythology subject matter, it has been made in different periods and styles such as Renaissance, Louis XV, Louis XVI, Empire, Napoleon III, Art Deco, etc.


History


Origins: 16th century

In the historical context of the
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...
, the so-called chariot clocks born in South Germany, a centre for clockmaking in Europe that flourished between 1550–1650, the leading cities being
Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ...
,
Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
and
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and H ...
. They were self-moving four-wheeled tabletop clocks that included
automata An automaton (; plural: automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions.Automaton – Definition and More ...
figurines and some a musical movement too. The German examples have not the dial inserted in the wheel, but in the seat or some other place. Most of them were fabricated in Augsburg, although several existing clocks cannot be located due to the lack of inscriptions or hallmarks and are therefore ascribed only to South German workshops. These rare and very costly pieces were only afforded by the nobility and royal courts.


An unprecedented boom: Late 1790s - mid 1820s

In the 18th century France, during the
Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...
and
Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was e ...
reigns, a few models in the Louis XV and Louis XVI styles respectively,Richard Redding Antiques
were made, but it was not until the period between the late 1790s and the mid 1820s that this type of mantel clock found true popularity. Its revival was largely inspired by Napoleon Bonaparte’s conquers and victories in battles, though it continued to be in vogue after his definitive fall in 1815, specifically until the mid 1820s. Its popularity in much of Europe gave rise to a wide diversity of models and versions in France, allowing the fullest opportunity for the sculptor and bronzier to express their creativity and the brilliance of their craft. The freedom of trade initiated by the
French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are consider ...
allowed many casters, who during the
ancien régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien A ''virelai'' is a form of medieval French verse used often in poetry and music. It is ...
worked in workshops strictly limited to making
bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
, to develop large factories. They took advantage of this opportunity to execute all stages of bronze making within one factory and drew, cast, gilded, assembled and sold objects of their own workshops.Charlotte Vignon, ''Deverberie & Cie: Drawings, Models, and Works in Bronze'' (2003): p. 170. Cleveland Studies in the History of Art. Vol. 8
/ref> Artisans still benefited from pre-Revolution training and worked according to the standards of a luxury art from the ancien régime, but they had better means of production and organization. Once freed from the technical constraints, the artists were able to give free rein to their imagination to create a multitude of models. This coincided in time with the golden age of the French decorative bronze using the
ormolu Ormolu (; from French ''or moulu'', "ground/pounded gold") is the gilding technique of applying finely ground, high-carat gold– mercury amalgam to an object of bronze, and for objects finished in this way. The mercury is driven off in a kiln l ...
technique, with a whole series of celebrated bronziers creating masterpieces of design, craftsmanship and good taste, one of the most famous being Pierre-Philippe Thomire. All followed the same basic design, featuring an ancient chariot (two or four-wheeled) on top of a rectangular, oval, oblong or mixtilinear base made out of bronze or stone, carrying figures of
classical mythology Classical mythology, Greco-Roman mythology, or Greek and Roman mythology is both the body of and the study of myths from the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans as they are used or transformed by cultural reception. Along with philosophy and polit ...
deities, with the majority of them having the dial set into the wheel. Unlike the German predecessors, the chariot does not move and automata figures are rarely seen. In common with the rest of the French Empire style mantel clocks of the period, the allegorical ''pendules au char'' (chariot clocks) also had a meaning, served a political ideology and often exalted moral values:The King, the Emperor and the Clock Masterworks from the Mobilier National at the musée du Temps in Besançon
/ref> Heroism, bravery, military virtues, love and fidelity, study and encouragement of arts and sciences, etc. They also have an educational power with evocative themes and narrative scenes in relief at the base. Regarding the material of the clock cases, most of them were cast in bronze or bronze combined with stone, occasionally carved in wood. Pieces entirely executed in stone are also rare.Juan F. Déniz, "Bicentenary of the Car of History: A monumental chariot clock in the US Capitol", Antiquarian Horology, vol. 40, No. 2, June 2019, p. 233
/ref> Apart from France, in the first quarter of the 19th century, although to a much lesser extent, Empire style chariot clocks were also made in Austria, England, Italy and Sweden.Juan F. Déniz, "Bicentenary of the Car of History: A monumental chariot clock in the US Capitol", Antiquarian Horology, vol. 40, No. 2, June 2019, p. 231
/ref>


Gallery: Empire style

Image:Chariot of the Harvest (clock), movement by Noel Bourret, case unknown, c. 1800 - Corcoran Gallery of Art - DSC01200.JPG, Allegorical clock of the harvest featuring a Bacchante.
Consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth co ...
period, France, c. 1800. Image:Chariot clock Diana drawing.jpg, Drawing depicting the goddess Diana, France, 1802. Image:Chariot clock Eros drawing.jpg, Drawing depicting the god Eros, France, 1802. Chariot clock Venus drawing.jpg, Drawing of a chariot clock depicting Venus by Jean-Simon Deverberie, France, between 1801-1821. Image:Chariot clock Eros with torch.jpg, An ormolu chariot clock depicting the god Eros holding a flaming torch, France, first quarter of the 19th century. Image:Jean-andré reiche, orologio da tavolo, parigi 1809 ca. 01.jpg, A well-known model of a chariot clock in the Empire style, the chariot of Telemachus by Jean-André Reiche, France, c. 1809. Image:Manifattura forse francese, orologio da tavolo con carro di apollo, 1800-15 ca.jpg, An unusual example whose case is entirely carved in stone, between 1800-1815. Image:Château de Malmaison - Appartement de Joséphine 002.jpg, The Empire style chariot clocks aimed to decorate the mantel and console tables of palaces, mansions, etc., complementing the décor.
Château de Malmaison The Château de Malmaison () is a French château situated near the left bank of the Seine, about west of the centre of Paris, in the commune of Rueil-Malmaison. Formerly the residence of Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais, along with the Tuileri ...
, France.


Variety of styles (second half of the 19th century until the present)

During the second half of the 19th century and early 20th, this type of clock was produced again in France, some were replicas/versions of Empire style preexisting models, while others were new designs crafted in the style of the day, like Napoleon III, or inspired in styles of the past, such as Louis XV or Rococo, Louis XVI and Empire. Regarding the materials used in the clock cases, they were made in bronze, spelter, biscuit porcelain and porcelain. In the United States, the New Haven clock company produced a model in the 1900s. Likewise, at the same time the Waterbury clock company commercialized a similar model, but the chariot was pulled by two little bisons instead of a pair of doves like the New Haven model. Among the range of models of the French company Berlot-Mussier (they used the trade name ODYV between 1927-1940) there were one in the
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
style with the case made out of
faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major a ...
they sold in the 1930s.


References


External links

{{commonscat, Chariot clock
Article on the Car of History


Videos


Automaton chariot clock with Diana. Augsburg, c. 1610.

Automaton chariot clock with Minerva, fitted with a musical movement. Achilles Langenbucher, Augsburg, c. 1620.

Appraisal of an Empire style chariot clock, c. 1810-1815, in Antiques Roadshow (1998).
Classical antiquity in modern art and culture Clock designs Decorative arts German inventions Ancient Greece in art and culture