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N° 42

JACQUES NÈVE

Horloger d’Art + 32 477 27 19 08 - jneve@horloger.net - www.horloger.net

Charles-Guillaume HAUTEMANIÈRE, known as MANIÈRE

Erato

French Empire-period mantel clock

Model by PIERRE-PHILIPPE THOMIRE (1751-1843)

Circa 1805 Signed on the dial Manière à Paris

Height 25” (64cm), Width 15” (38cm), Depth 7 ½” (19cm)

REFERENCE BIBLIOGRAPHY: Tardy, Dictionnaire des horlogers français, Paris,

1972 ; Hans Ottomeyer & Peter Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, München, 1986 ; L. Uresova, Alte Uhren, Prague, 1986 ; various authors, Orologi negli arredi del Palazzo Reale di Torino e delle residenze sabaude, Fabbri 1988 ; Peter Heuer & Klaus Maurice, European Pendulum Clocks, Schiffer, 1988 ; Jean-Dominique Augarde, Les ouvriers du Temps, La pendule à Paris de Louis XIV à Napoléon Ier, Genève, 1996 ; Elke Niehüser, French Bronze Clocks, Schiffer, 1999.

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Charles-Guillaume HAUTEMANIÈRE, known as MANIÈRE

Erato French Empire-period mantel clock

Model by PIERRE-PHILIPPE THOMIRE (1751-1843)

In Greek mythology, Erato was one of the nine Muses, the goddesses of music, song and dance. She was the daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Her name means "the lovely" or "beloved" from the Greek word eratos. In Classical times, when the Muses were assigned specific artistic spheres, she was named Muse of erotic poetry and mimic imitation and represented holding a lyre.

She is represented here with a patinated bronze statue, dressed in an ample tunic. The lyre is the actual case of the clock, an a ormolu pedestal decorated with a antiquity-styled male profile and palm leaves motifs.

Enamel dial with Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for the quarters, signed Manière à Paris. Finely cut and gilded brass Fleuron-style hands, ormolu bezel with domed glass, opening vertically.

Carrara red marble base with applied ormolu motifs, on ormolu rectangular feet.

Movement with recoil anchor escapement and silk suspension, countwheel strike on a silvered bell, Autonomy 2 weeks.

Height 25” (64cm), Width 15” (38cm), Depth 7 ½” (19cm)

Hans Ottomeyer1 writes : Erato is a creation of the famous French sculptor and bronzier Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843).

This allegorical model, personified by a Muse whose poetry seems to want to make us forget the passing time, was very popular in Napoleonic times.

This model was sometimes named Sapho or Terpsichore, and it was interpreted with various choices of materials or ornamental details. To this day, only four other models by Pierre-Philippe Thomire are known ; three of them are in European museums and one is in a private collection : 1 Hans Ottomeyer & Peter Pröschel Opus-cité supra, page 343.

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- Tersicore (circa 1804), is exhibuited at the Royal Palace in Turin, signed Manière à Paris, very similar to our model (fig.1).

Fig. 1 : Pierre Philippe Thomire, clockmaker Charles Guillaume Manière, circa 1804

Tersicore or Erato

H. 58,6 cm W. 39,2 cm D. 19,6 cm

Turin, Palazzo Royale.

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- Sapho (circa 1805), signed Lepaute à Paris.

Munich, Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung (fig. 2).

Fig.2 : Pierre-Philippe Thomire, circa 1805

Erato or Sapho

Signed Lepaute/de l’Empereur à Paris

H. 60 cm W. 39 cm D. 30 cm

Munich, Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung

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- Pierre-Philippe Thomire Erato, circa 1815 signed Thomire & Cie à Paris/ Moinet aîné Horloger. Bavaria, private collection (fig.3).

- Sapho, acquired in 1809 from the Maison Thomire Duterme et Compagnie for the Empress’ bedroom in the Palais des Tuileries, circa 1809. Paris, Mobilier national (fig. 4).

Fig.3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5

H. 93cm W.64cm D.29cm H. 91cm W.55cm D. 38 cm

Made in the same year as our model, we can also mention :

- Sapho, signed Ravrio/Bronzier à Paris. Vienna, Museum of Applied Arts (fig. 5).

Antoine-André Ravrio (1759-1814), like Thomire, was official supplier of the Imperial House. It can be deducted that when he produced his version of Thomire’s model he had wanted to compete directly with him, as Thomire’s production was highly regarded and appreciated at the time. This report from the jury at the Industry Exhibition of 1806 states: « M. Thomire, de Paris, rue Boucherat ; (…) L’exposition de 1806 est la première à laquelle cet habile artiste, le premier de nos ciseleurs, ait pris part ; il a présenté une suite considérable d’ouvrages dirigés ou exécutés par lui (…) M. Thomire joint au talent de l’exécution un goût éclairé et pur (…) Le jury décerne à M. Thomire une médaille d’or ».

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“ Mr Thomire from Paris, Rue Boucherat …The Exhibition of 1806 is the first time that we see the participation of this great artist, our best chafer; he exhibited a great number of artworks that he produced or conducted,… Mr Thomire also has a fine taste… The Jury awards him the Gold Medal.”

CHARLES-GUILLAUME HAUTEMANIÈRE, known as MANIÈRE († after 1812)

Was made master clockmaker on May 1st, 1778. He is mentioned as being established rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré, then rue des Prouvaires (1781), rue des Merciers (1789), rue Christine (1806) and rue Bertin Poirée (1810-1812). In his early career, Manière worked for Daguerre, a marchand-mercier and for the Darnaults. During his whole career, he worked closely with the bronziers Thomire and Rémond. Occasionally, he also used cases by E. Roy, J.-B. Osmond, F. Vion and C. Galle.

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Musea : Spain, Patrimonio Nacional; Fontainebleau, Castle ; Lyon, Musée des Arts Décoratifs ; Paris, musée Nissim de Camondo ; Prague, Decorative Arts Museum; Rome, Palazzo Quirinale ; Saint-Petersbourg, Ermitage Museum; Turin, Palazzo Royale; Versailles, Castle; Woodstock, Woburn Abbey.