Mantel clock ("Pendule Clio")

Art Historical Context

This exquisite mantel clock, known as *Pendule Clio*, crafted around 1766–70 by the renowned Parisian clockmakers Jean-And Lepaute and Jean Lepaute. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts department, it exemplifies the opulence of late Louis XV-era French horology. Named for Clio, the Muse of History, the likely features neoclassical motifs of elegant women and playful putti (cherubic figures), blending mythological symbolism with functional elegance on mantels of aristocratic homes. The case, a masterpiece of patinated and gilded bronze with possible patinated copper accents, encases a pristine white enamel dial and a precise brass-and-steel movement. At nearly 25 inches tall and weighing over 100 pounds, it showcases advanced metalworking techniques like gilding and patination, which created rich, aged effects mimicking antique bronzes. These Lepaute brothers supplied clocks to Versailles, making their works coveted status symbols among the elite. Bequeathed by Ogden Mills in 1929, this timepiece highlights horology's artistic pinnacle, where mechanical ingenuity met sculptural beauty, inviting visitors to ponder how such luxury marked time in revolutionary France.